[May 26, 2026] Marcus Aurelius was a Roman emperor from 161 to 180 and a famous follower of Stoic philosophy. His personal reflections, known as Meditations (link to the translated PDF here), remain among the most influential and accessible works in Stoic philosophy. I’ve read the book and found it a valuable, rough guide to living a good… Read More »
[May 25, 2026] Today, Memorial Day, calls all us Americans to honor and remember those who died defending our nation. Their sacrifice secures our freedoms. And don’t ever forget that fact, or the honor of our fallen will be lost on this day, the most ‘expensive’ holiday on our calendar. That, my friends, is the heart of Memorial… Read More »
[May 24, 2026] Today, Sunday, the day before Memorial Day, our Veterans ask that you prepare yourself. Their message: remember and honor those who were lost in service to America. This Memorial Day weekend, enjoy it because America’s bravest and finest paid the ultimate price so you could be free to do so. A few years ago, I… Read More »
[May 23, 2026] My recent series on “Letters to My Granddaughter” will soon be published in book form. My problem is that the upcoming book has a few structural issues, and I’m not a great writer. So fixing those problems will be difficult. I asked Grok to list the top three high-level problems. They are listed here. Even… Read More »
[May 22, 2026] Death is what makes things matter to us. Death makes things real, gives us focus, and supplies motivation because we can see our end is soon to be. It fosters morality by forcing us to confront the human need for social cooperation, reciprocity, and group survival. Death gives life urgency and meaning. Death is a… Read More »
[May 21, 2026] Undoubtedly, our military will study for years to come, the “war” on Iran. It will be seen as a case of overwhelming kinetic strength (U.S. forces) versus leadership willpower (Iran). More importantly, the war’s impact on America and its allies will reshape how world governments operate for decades to come. However, the short-term question is,… Read More »
[May 20, 2026] I remember it clearly as my third grade school teacher told her class about the legend of the Holy Grail. Drinking from the cup meant eternal youth, granted healing, and immortality to those who were worthy. I’m unsure of the legend’s origins, but the desire of confronting death was a fascinating story for us. The… Read More »
[May 19, 2026] As a General Officer in the U.S. Army, I witnessed many self-inflicted mistakes made by fellow generals. This article is about those mistakes. Six years ago, I wrote a similar piece on the mistakes junior officers commonly make. There are some clear similarities. First, I want everyone to understand that my comments here combine personal… Read More »
[May 18, 2026] There’s an old U.S. Army Engineer motto “Essayons” which means “Let us Try.” Put into different words it could have said that Engineers accept any challenge. The core idea is social, moral, and personal; grow and protect your family and community, and foster your own development. The idea is ancient. Roman stoic philosopher Seneca once… Read More »
[May 17, 2026] The U.S. Supreme Court just greenlit mifepristone’s mail-order abortions, enabling chemical killing of the unborn. Abortion abolitionists call this judicial complicity in homicide. No doctor required, just poison shipped like takeout food. “Broad access” simply means broad slaughter and without accountability. The state of Louisiana challenged FDA rules that undermine its ban. Justice Samuel A.… Read More »