2013: Going Forward

As I was thinking about doing this post, I realized I needed to get some thoughts out there about 2012 before moving on. So here goes 2013… This is going to be a good year. How can I know this? you ask. I know this because all things are ultimately good. Even what is intended as evil God will use for good. Nothing is random or by chance, all things are directed by the hand of our sovereign God. And related to that, I know that 2013 can be a good year because I have the ability to make it…

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2012: In Review

I was going to write about this year, but I thought I’d just share some of my accomplishments of 2012 and some of my thoughts on the year. 43 blog posts have been published here, which comes out to a blog post every 1.2 weeks, on average! Of course it wasn’t very steady or regular, but at least I somewhat made up for it through the year! And I have to say, most of my posts tend to be pretty long, so 43 posts is pretty good, in my opinion. And in case you were wondering, I have published a…

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Peace on Earth

I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas? I would say that the highlight of this holiday season for me was going to see Future of Forestry in concert! This was really important to me and had a huge impact on my life. There is so much I need to say about it. Where do I start? Yep. You got it. I should start at the beginning. Ok. Here goes… This is the musical chronology of my life. Classical music. More Classical music. Baroque. Real Classical. Romantic. Early modern. Opera! More classical. Beethoven. Chopin. Bach. Gershwin. Tchaikovsky. Haydn. Verdi. I became…

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Rebel Against Pragmatism

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So to review…rebellion is not a negative thing, per se. Rebellion simply for the sake of rebellion is irrational. But rebellion which is inspired by a desire to improve, to solve a problem, to make this a better place…that kind of rebellion is necessary for the progress of humanity. In the last post I talked about the menace of mediocrity—being content with an ordinary life because that is what everyone else is doing. Now I want to discuss pragmatism, which, in my mind, is the most pernicious and pervasive philosophical error in our culture. “Pragmatism: An approach that assesses the truth…

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An Exploration of Introversion

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I know I have already covered the topic of introversion/extroversion once, in my review of Susan Cain’s book. But since this is my blog, if I want to talk about it more, there’s no one stopping me, haha. There are just a lot of thoughts I have on this subject which I feel need to be said. Firstly, both introverts and extroverts have their own strengths and qualities. Introverts have a harder time because their strengths are less obvious. We all know that extroverts are great speakers. But introverts are good listeners. And if everyone is talking, who’s doing the listening?…

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Rebel Against Mediocrity

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The word rebel has negative connotations. People seem to perceive it as hedonistic, self-centered denial or attack of some set structure or system, for the sole purpose of denying something to which other people adhere. Sometimes people rebel simply to rebel, but there can be completely valid and good reasons to rebel. Think about this way. If no one ever rebelled, nothing would have ever been done differently, and society today would be exactly the same as it was 6000 years ago. The first person to invent and use the wheel was rebelling against their cultural system. The Reformers were…

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Liberalism and Mobilization

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Here is my most recent essay for the World War I course I’m taking from Mises Academy.   Liberalism and Mobilization During World War I Based on the readings, how did the broad social and military mobilization for the war contradict the liberal civilization that Europe had developed by the last third of the 19th century? In this essay we will first briefly define what liberalism means, and then explore the influence of liberalism during the late 19th century in Germany, France, Britain, Austro-Hungary, and Russia. After understanding the scope of liberalism, we will look at the consequences of mobilization…

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A few things I’m thankful for…

Life never seems to be at any kind of equilibrium…I’m the kind of person who creates a frenetic schedule until I can’t handle it, then I do nothing until I can’t stand the boredom, and then back to the hectic schedule. But despite all these ordinary ups and downs, there are some things that I’m so very thankful for…   My salvation and the grace of God to me every single day. I know that no matter what the trouble or trial, the Lord will provide and give me the strength to endure it. And I will often consider how…

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The Pursuit of Knowledge: An Education Manifesto

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I’m working my way through this fascinating book by Michael Ward, Planet Narnia. It is an attempt to give the Chronicles of Narnia a coherent unity, focus, and theme by arguing that C.S. based each book from the mythical personality of one of the medieval planets. For instance, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is inspired by Jupiter or Jove, the god of happiness, celebration, and so forth. I’m greatly simplifying the scope of this book, which not only explores the medieval mythology in the Narniad but also in his sci-fi series, Out of the Silent Planet, and his…

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Why My Conscience Will Not Allow Me to Vote for Romney

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I am afraid this is beating a dead horse, but there are several reasons for dredging up the “to vote or not to vote” issue again:

1) The horse may be dead, but it is an important horse. There are many subjects that I disagree with other people about, but I figure it isn’t a big deal, and is not worth publicly disagreeing. However, for anyone who has discussed this issue in person with me, you will know I’m passionate about what I believe. It is no small matter, this comes down to our basic assumptions about the role of government and the duty of the Christian. It is not to be taken lightly.

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