Thoughts on Living Well

This blog can be a guide through the complexities of today’s world. Dive into insightful commentary, timeless stories, and the rich wisdom of literature as James shares his experiences and perspectives. Whether you’re seeking solace in troubled times or simply a fresh perspective on life, you’ve found the right place.

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About

My name is James. I am a retired grandfather of two who enjoys spending time with his two grandsons to help their mom and dad guide them in navigating what seems to be an unraveling world lacking role models and persons of exemplary character.  I am starting this blog because I want to instill hope and enable people to see silver-linings in an ever-cloudier landscape.  

I have an especial interest in education and literacy, having served as tutor, advocate, and outreach coordinator for my local literacy council.  I hope that I can, in some small measure, assist readers find their voice, sharing what I have learned from a long life of lived experience.   

Starting from the premise that all politics is “downstream” from culture, and that literature is the well-spring of a healthy culture, I have discovered a wealth of wisdom to be found in testimonies from stories in history and humane letters that will instruct seekers and tame the waywardness of the human heart.

If you are feeling overwhelmed with the world and all that is taking place, and you are interested in timely commentary from a traditional perspective, you have come to the right place.  

Most Recent Post

PROGRESSIVISM: FROM ABOLITION TO A NEW SERFDOM

In my last post (Onward Progress), I had intended to give an account of the history of progress from its origins in Medieval Europe, especially in England and France, down to today’s twenty-first century political and social movement defined as progressivism. Since to be “progressive” means so many things to so many people, I thought to end my previous post with the ending of chattel slavery and serfdom, as it then persisted in North America and Europe in the mid-nineteenth century.  With the abolition of U.S. slavery in 1865, a new era of “free” labor had been forged by conscience, ...
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PROGRESSIVISM: FROM ABOLITION TO A NEW SERFDOM

In my last post (Onward Progress), I had intended to give an account of the history of progress from its origins in Medieval Europe, especially ...
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ONWARD PROGRESS

Anyone who is so “progressive” as not to remain in the teaching of the Christ does not have God; whoever remains in the teaching has the ...
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R.I.P. Charlie Kirk

“In this sad world of ours, sorrow comes to all; and, to the young, it comes with bitterest agony, because it takes them unawares.” –Abraham ...
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CIVILIZATIONAL NIGHT AND THE DARK ENLIGHTENMENT

The world breaks everyone, and afterward, some are strong at the broken places. – Ernest Hemingway CIVILIZATION IN HISTORY Civilization, as a salient topic of ...
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GABRIEL MARCEL: A CHRISTIAN OUTLOOK FOR OUR FRACTURED WORLD

Both the informed Christian and the secular educated seem to have forgotten everything about Gabriel Marcel (1887 – 1973).  Throughout the twentieth century, Marcel has ...
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ON HUMAN RIGHTS (PART 2)

The concept of human rights, if not centered on some grounding principle, is a mere patchwork of inharmonious preferences that incoherently tribalizes people into a ...
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