An argument rages in the living room. Passions and tempers are high. An elderly man sits calmly in the corner, patiently listening to the tense debate. The issue is one of deepest concern to him. The argument is one he’s repeatedly participated in throughout his long life. But he knows that what is needed most right now is not, in…
Comments closedMatthew Warner Posts
Have you ever tried really hard to be humble? Or found yourself trying to figure out how to act humble or appear humble? And I don’t mean in a superficial pretending-to-be-humble kind of way. But in an “I genuinely want to be humble, how can I do it?” kind of way? It’s a powerful virtue and a worthy goal –…
One Comment[This post’s primary location is now here.] We worry a lot about “education” in this country. On a political level we bicker and argue about why one state’s math scores are higher than another’s. And at home, we put our kids through a heck of a lot (and we sacrifice a lot) to make sure they pass their tests, know…
Comments closedThe person driving the car that just cut you off. The annoying woman taking for-ever in front of you in the checkout lane. The drive-thru worker who just messed up your order…again. The friend who is totally oblivious to your pain. The parent who just doesn’t get it. The family member who seems deliberately insensitive to others. The co-worker who…
Comments closedBeing a father is a radical responsibility. One that’s been neutered of its uniqueness and weight and reduced to a mere luxury of the human economy. Well, we may have produced an economy of hard working men (and women), but we’ve also enabled a generation of slacker dads. Even the “good dads” are slackers. And I’m intent on not being…
Comments closedAs I get older, I find myself becoming more and more of a minimalist. I want less stuff. I want less distractions. I want less good things in my life in order to make more room for the best things in life. I’m becoming a big fan of that kind of minimalism. But minimalism can also be bad. Like when…
Comments closedThe real reason to quit Facebook is not because of trust and privacy issues, or continual changes in format, sponsored posts, increased advertisements or the selling of your personal data and attention. Although all of these are legitimate, there is a more important reason to quit Facebook. (Now, my reasoning here may sound a bit dramatic to some of you.…
2 CommentsWe all want to be productive. That is, we want to feel like our day was well-spent. That it was meaningful. But this rarely happens by accident. Waking up on purpose and winning the first skirmish is the key beginning to a well-spent day. But winning that first skirmish begins the night before — with bedtime. I feel silly even…
Comments closedI love sleeping in. There’s something beautiful and peaceful about waking up slowly. The natural light and sounds of the morning gently tugging on my consciousness as I gradually reawaken to that warm realization: I’m still here. Mornings like that are to be treasured and felt with every ounce of our being. Unfortunately, it rarely works out like that. More…
Comments closedA man sits at a table. In front of him is a bottle of whiskey and a bottle of water. If he picked up the whiskey and took a drink, you might say that he “chose” the whiskey over the water. But inside that man is a very different story. As an alcoholic, there was no choice for this man…
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