What's Inside This Mental Breakdown of Writing? Here, you'll find my wandering thoughts on economics, geopolitics, culture, technology, and daily ideas. Plus, I'll be dropping little peeks behind the curtain on my novel and nonfiction projects.
The worship of force doctrine is a cynical philosophy that respects power above all else.
This philosophical doctrine's core principle is power over others, based on the belief that force is the ultimate answer in foreign affairs.
In this worldview, morality, law, and reason are mere illusions or myths, subordinate to the raw power to dominate, particularly through political, economic, and military means.
This doctrine draws conceptual links to Social Darwinism, viewing the world as a brutal struggle for survival where only the strong succeed.
Violence and militarism are glorified,…
The worship of the state is the worship of force. There is no more dangerous menace to civilization than a government of incompetent, corrupt, or vile men. The worst evils which mankind ever had to endure were inflicted by governments. ~ Ludwig von Mises
The worship of force doctrine is a dangerous ideology that glorifies power and aggression.
It suggests that military power makes right and that those who possess physical or political strength are superior.
Such a philosophy leads to a disregard for morality, ethics, and the rights of others.
It's a seductive idea, particularly to those…
"Together we can decrease the level of violence, raise awareness of our activities and save lives around the world. The impact of a day of global ceasefire and non-violence cannot be underestimated." ~ Jeremy Gilley
"Our approach is very simple we have nothing to negotiate ... We have the Minsk format and we need immediately just a ceasefire and the withdrawal of heavy artillery and weapons and tanks from the touchline, the solution is very simple - stop supplying weapons ... withdraw the troops and close the border. Very simple peace plan. If you want to discuss something different, it…
Supporting student-athletes in setting goals and sharing areas for improvement reflects true dedication and mentorship. Coaches who invest in their growth and adopt a flexible mindset inspire both individual and team success. My colleagues are outstanding.
A championship-winning basketball team is built on a foundation of strong defense. A solid defensive strategy not only disrupts the opponent’s offense but also creates fast-break opportunities and shifts momentum. Through coaching, student-athletes learn key defensive skills like man-to-man coverage, zone defense, off-ball positioning,…
Bonding Through Basketball: Systems Thinking in Action
Sitting against the wall at the top tier bleacher of a live college basketball game with my son Parker, we found ourselves diving deep into the strategies on the court. It was more than just a game; it is a shared experience that is both bonding and intellectually stimulating.
Together, we analyzed the individual and team complexities of basketball through systems thinking.
Simply put:
What is the most important part of any level of basketball?
Defense
Lockdown defense.
Smash-mouth defense.
Street-fight defense.
Simply put,…
"He who marvels at the beauty of the world in summer will find equal cause for wonder and admiration in winter." ~ John Burroughs
"A cold wind was blowing from the north, and it made the trees rustle like living things." ~ George R. R. Martin
The first flakes of snow fell last night, and I knew today's commute would be a challenge.
The roads were slick, vehicle fender benders almost everywhere, due to the crashes a standstill of wall-to-wall traffic and everyone seemed to be in a rush.
I left early and scraped the ice off my windows, thinking no problem a typical winter day in Canada.…
We've always defined conflict fairly broadly from ideological conflict to troops on the ground. For quite some time we've talked about a focus on Palestine. Certainly no one can deny that Israel is conflict with Palestine and no one can deny that the U.S. is the largest supporter of Israel internationally - not only financially, but also in the United Nations where the United States is one of the very few countries that does not recognize Palestine as a state. ~ Jon Rubin
People do not only live on interests; they also live on beliefs, especially in very ideological areas. Unless you…
"The media's the most powerful entity on earth. They have the power to make the innocent guilty and to make the guilty innocent, and that's power. Because they control the minds of the masses." ~ Malcolm X
"The most effective way to destroy people is to deny and obliterate their own understanding of their history." ~ George Orwell
"The basic tool for the manipulation of reality is the manipulation of words. If you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use the words." ~ Philip K. Dick
Manipulation shows up anywhere and in different forms.
Manipulation…
"Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful." ~ Albert Schweitzer
"Happiness is not something ready-made. It comes from your own actions." ~ Dalai Lama
"The key to happiness is achievable dreams." ~ Nicholas Sparks
"We begin from the recognition that all beings cherish happiness and do not want suffering. It then becomes both morally wrong and pragmatically unwise to pursue only one's own happiness, oblivious to the feelings and aspirations of all others who surround us as members of the same human family.…
"The facilities for advanced education must be evened out and multiplied. No one who can take advantage of a higher education should be denied this chance. You cannot conduct a modern community except with an adequate supply of persons upon whose education, whether humane, technical, or scientific, much time and money have been spent." ~ Winston Churchill
"Herein lies the real value of education. Advanced education may or may not make men and women more efficient; but it enriches personality, increases the wealth of the mind, and hence brings happiness." ~ William Lyon Phelps
As a…
"War does not determine who is right - only who is left." ~ Bertrand Russell
"So long as there are men, there will be wars." ~ Albert Einstein
"I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones." ~ Albert Einstein
"They wrote in the old days that it is sweet and fitting to die for one's country. But in modern war, there is nothing sweet nor fitting in your dying. You will die like a dog for no good reason." ~ Ernest Hemingway
When we think about war today, we might wonder if it is really happening less often or if it just…
"That is the beauty of cancer, it tells you that your days are limited, that you could die at any point. It is that perspective that allows you to live a better life while you're here." ~ Shelley Hamlin
"Ninety percent of cancers are curable in stage one. We spend billions of dollars and over 40 years searching for a cure, and we're not really that close. So why aren't we teaching people the only cure we have now? Early detection is one shty year, versus the rest of your life." ~ Yael Cohen
"We shall draw from the heart of suffering itself the means of inspiration and survival." ~ Winston…
"If children have the ability to ignore all odds and percentages, then maybe we can all learn from them. When you think about it, what other choice is there but to hope? We have two options, medically and emotionally: give up, or fight like hell." ~ Lance Armstrong
"It amazes me that we spend 20% of the US budget on defense and far-off wars, and not on fighting cancer, disease, and aging." ~ Zoltan Istvan
"The Emperor of All Maladies" is a powerful reading experience, especially given how deeply cancer has touched my family.
Siddhartha Mukherjee’s first book and a New York times…
"A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual doom." ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.
"The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory for Osama bin Laden, whose announced goal was to bankrupt America by drawing it into a trap. The 2011 military budget - almost matching that of the rest of the world combined - is higher in real terms than at any time since World War II and is slated to go even higher ." ~ Noam Chomsky
Trump's…
The story of the human race is war. Except for brief and precarious interludes there has never been peace in the world; and long before history began murderous strife was universal and unending. ~ Winston Churchill
War remains the decisive human failure. ~ John Kenneth Galbraith
The history of humans for 1000s of years have a complex relationship with war. Our history is filled with conflicts, violence, and war especially when resources, survival, or ideological beliefs are at stake.
Even to this era in 2024, there are currently over 110 conflicts—aggression and territoriality to…