Author: curiousmike

Who wins?

A recent flurry of activity on X got my attention (thank you, Jeff). From a response to a post about President Trump’s recent “bloodbath” statement… This is a pervasive sentiment — and it’s a sentiment that works in both directions. Truth: The Left ignored the economic statement that Trump was making (involving a tariff on […]

Good Question

I was at the gym this morning, where I overheard a guy make a comment to someone else: “He committed treason! I’m not a Democrat; I served my country.” I don’t know who they were talking about. But the “I’m not a Democrat; I served my country” part stuck in my craw during my workout. […]

Intellectual Humility

When my wife sent me this article from Neuroscience News, I immediately loved the title. Humility is a rare commodity these days — or at least open, public humility. So much of the so-called “conversation” we hear and read these days is 90% posturin, denial, and deflection as opposed to listening and learning. Vulnerability is […]

Affirmative Action

I’ve been thinking a lot about a particular email thread. Perhaps I’ve mentioned that, for at least a decade, I’ve been corresponding with a group I call the “Five Knuckleheads” (I wasn’t the one that coined the term). Long time friends, and my brother. Two staunch conservatives, my brother and myself somewhere in the middle […]

The Promise of the Internet

I’ve thought of many of the topics in this video for a decade or so. Some of us who are old enough to have seen the rise of modern communication: 24-hour news, the internet, mobile phones, common-man videos, and of course social media. We have some sense that these things, which held so much promise […]

Values vs Priorities

People have debated for centuries what is important in life. Somewhere in the discussion, the idea of “values” usually comes up. Values can be thought of as defining your character. Some think it’s the other way around. But when it comes to any thinking about what make s a good live, values matter. So, it […]

Taking a Position

I’ve been training in the martial art called Aikido for more than two decades. I hold the rank of Shodan (1st degree black belt), and I’m training/studying for my next rank (Nidan, or 2nd degree). People unfamiliar with Aikido, but who may have heard something about it, often tell me that they have heard Aikido […]

On The Spectrum

I mentioned to someone recently that my daughter is “on the spectrum,” which is shorthand for saying that she’s autistic to some degree. However, the phrase is horribly imprecise, and can lead to some serious misunderstandings. Autism has a very wide range of symptoms — from people like my daughter who may be somewhat socially […]

Curiosity Over Clash

I sat down to have some breakfast today and turned on TED to see what I could see, and stumbled onto this talk. I couldn’t have said it better. THIS is an idea worth spreading. The high points: Scenery along the way: … and if you liked that, try this: