Who wil replace the ancient wizards?

As we long for a magical future where mysterious techno-elves somehow keep us connected, tweeting, air conditioned and mobile, as we leisurely collect our pay for being special snowflakes, and the ancient Wizards who built the foundations we tread upon so carelessly fade into the distance, where will their replacements come from?

The journey from savagery to our current civilization took centuries of blood, sweat, and dirty hands, but a collapse might only be a generation of decay and neglect away.................

....nah....don't worry, be happy, the road goes on forever and the party never ends......

The Work We Value

Reconsidering Empire

I've been an unapologetic, anti-empire hard case for a long time.  This thoughtful defense of an American Empire abroad as a stabilizing for (classical) liberal democracy and western civilization has given me some food for thought and further consideration.

Justification of the current meddling in and destabilization of Eastern Europe and the Middle East is still a dubious proposition in my opinion, but I am now keeping my eyes and ears open for evidence this is the case.

Why Empire

Take an oath of loyalty to life

"The rise in suicide has been accompanied by a loss of the moral questions that once surrounded it. G. K. Chesterton was one of our last full-throated critics of suicide. His insistence that suicide is immoral sounds strange to our individualistic ears: “Not only is suicide a sin, it is the sin,” Chesterton wrote: “It is the ultimate and absolute evil, the refusal to take an interest in existence; the refusal to take the oath of loyalty to life. The man who kills a man, kills a man. The man who kills himself, kills all men; as far as he is concerned he wipes out the world.” Chesterton goes on to say that the act of suicide is selfish: “A suicide is a man who cares so little for anything outside him, that he wants to see the last of everything.” It would be difficult to imagine anyone writing such a polemic today. We do not consider suicide the moral catastrophe that people like Chesterton once thought it was."

 The Catastrophe of Suicide by Emily Esfahani Smith

My friend David writes one of the more thoughtful, balanced articles about home schooling I have read.

Why Not To Homeschool ?

Looks like this blog has become mostly linking to others, but if I have nothing worth writing to offer leading others to those I find worthwhile will have to suffice.

Pious Fabrications: My struggle with PTSD and the existence of evil

David, someone I know and have met in person, a combat veteran, also writes one of the few blogs I frequent and link on this one gives his perspective on the Ft. Hood shooting:

Pious Fabrications: My struggle with PTSD and the existence of evil: On November 5, 2009, I was assigned as the Non-Commissioned Officer in charge of the 24-hour staff duty at my unit's barracks on Fort Ho...

Not So Super Bowl

This one was so bad I went to get snacks and drinks during the game hoping to get back in time for the next commercial....

I Love My Son

...as much as I'm capable of loving anyone.

My heart aches for him often.  He's a young adult, struggling in college, working part time.

We had an argument over the phone today.  Until it was resolved, and all was cool between us later, I was stressed, and sad.

I wish he could experience for two seconds how I feel about him, both the joy and the sorrow.  I'm afraid to die thinking he doesn't know I love him, how proud I am of him.

He is strong and courageous, stands up to me even in my lowest, craziest moments.  Sometimes that's good, sometimes it's not, cuz' he can really be a foolish kid .. pain in the ass ....sometimes.......  Most of the time we're good.