My Top 5 Stories
This is the work I am most passionate about; these are the ideas that are the most original and the most carefully worked out.
Clichés That Kill (Clichés 1.0)
This is a culmination of thought and the opening of a series of articles at the same time. In it I explore the thinking behind common clichés and the danger of letting them grow strong until they become a moral code we never intended. Somehow we find ourselves adhering to things we didn’t believe in, and ultimately spew them into the world when we become the elders. Above: Where there’s smoke, there’s fire ….. not a thinking person’s cliché.
2. American Savior
OK, I know it’s a 31-minute read, but it’s the purest example of my new genre, Speculative Sociology, where I do all the detailed research and then let the subject take flight into the stratosphere of history, pop culture, strange juxtapositions, sports, religion, sex, psychology …….. the focus is the 1980s, in a way, and the triad of Reagan/Stallone/Springsteen and the new Americana …… but from the ‘80s we expand in both directions, from the Revolutionary War to Rambo’s last ride (above) in 2019 ……. there is even an appearance by Sacheen Littlefeather, and reality blurs and we find ourselves ….. in 2020, and this is our history. It takes a little time to tell it.
3. In-Shelter With Children
This much I know: I spent 31 years in public education and it is only marginally different than when I began, and education may be the American institution that has changed the least in the past 200 years. Innovation is swallowed by the massive bureaucracy; spontaneity is considered a serious character flaw. And along came the pandemic, and schools were shut down. What can we learn from the forced isolation and the parenting crises? And what is really best for children? Is video really the devil?
4. Clichés 2.0: Disguises, Deceptions, Distortions
2.0 didn’t get the attention of its predecessor, but in re-reading it I felt the power of the ideas and the clean use of language … I did what I set out to do, and its technical strengths are evident to me. By the time I get to the final cliché, I’m revved up, and Less is more becomes a vehicle for a lot more than shortening your memo or decluttering your living room, it’s about ….. well, deeper stuff, and the immersion intensifies as I explore ancient tragedy and dark angst in Clichés 3.0, Don’t Kill the Messenger — you’ll be surprised where You can’t handle the truth originated …….. although no one can give it quite the snarl we get from Jack Nicholson.
5. 10 Battle-Tested Personal Truths
I haven’t lived whatever number of decades without picking up a few tricks and a little bit of wisdom. Here are 10 lessons I actually learned and — a surprise even to me!— I live by them most of the time. They are personal, but I tried to give them an air of universality so that readers can adopt one or two if they are open to it, or use as a lens as they observe the world, or think hey, that dude is pretty interesting even if none of this works for me. These lessons have been organic and life-affirming without losing sight of suffering and injustice. I mentor youth (some are young adults now) and often write to them at key junctures, and include parts of these when they fit. A little wisdom can go a long way if it comes from a core place that’s observant and authentic. No canaries were harmed in creating this literary piece.