Author: Chad Lakies
You’re Not Alone When You Doubt Your Doubts
If You’re a Doubter, You’re Not Alone Peter Schjeldahl is an art critic who has been writing for The New Yorker since 1988. In 2019 he was diagnosed with lung cancer. Some weeks later, in one of the first pieces he wrote following the diagnosis, he describes the cancer as “rampant.” Almost flippantly, he adds, “No surprise. I’ve smoked since I was sixteen.”&nbs...[Read More]
At a Time Like This, It’s OK if Thankfulness is Painful
Gratitude seems to be wired into us humans. The birth of a child, a beautiful sunset, another day of life, good friends, achieving goals, knowing that people far away have you on their mind. There are countless reasons that we find to be thankful. Gratitude and thankfulness seem to emerge surprisingly from experiences and moments in life that leave a mark on us, shaping who we are. I’d like ...[Read More]
The Perilous Frontier of ME: Why “You do You” Always Fails Us
An Unexpected Journey Here’s a familiar story many of us learned in our American history classes. The main characters are pioneer explorers Lewis and Clark. Their task was to find a waterway to the Pacific Ocean. Their journey begins on the Mississippi River. The journey ends where the Columbia River, which now forms part of the border between Oregon and Washington, meets the saltwater of the ocea...[Read More]
You Can’t Find Purpose from a Job Alone
It’s curious how artists are often able to describe realities with far fewer words than scholars. What takes a scientist or a historian hundreds of pages takes a lyricist or poet just a few lines or stanzas. It’s also curious how sometimes an outsider’s take better captures the reality of insiders. A little critical distance, a little objectivity, helps&nb...[Read More]
You’re an Elitist, even if you don’t know it.
It’s unfashionable these days to cheer for elitism. It’s more honest to admit however, that in not cheering for elitism (or shaming people who do), one simply joins the ranks of a different elite. Before I explain, let me tell a story. Don’t forget to think about college… It’s only been a few years since I’ve been doing it. My wife and I regularly, but subtly encourage ...[Read More]
Forget #YOLO and “No Regrets”
A few years back, there was a massive forest fire near where I was living and working in the Pacific Northwest. Friends of mine had to evacuate their home for weeks while emergency responders fought the fire. The fire burned a major section of forest along a scenic riverway, closing down stretches of highway and rail lines for long periods. Even the river itself was closed to marine traf...[Read More]
Changing the Mind of a Sheep
I like historical fiction—books, movies, TV. I especially like the kind that has a plot based on some kind of shadow agency, secret society, or cabal that is mysteriously at work in the story yet lurk in the background. The Illuminati. The Culper Ring. The Trilateral Commission. All kinds of stories include groups like these meddling in world events, often for the sake of power. The identity of th...[Read More]
Our Golden Age?
We tend to think about past times, especially good ones, in terms of a Golden Age. Reflecting on those times often makes us nostalgic. Growing up, I’d often hear older people, using cliched aphorisms, tell about their early life experience. “When I was a kid, I had to walk to school through 2 feet of snow uphill both ways.” Indeed, such sayings were good for a (half-hearted) laugh. But by saying i...[Read More]
Perpetual Long Division
If you were gripped with fear when you read that title, don’t worry. We won’t be talking about mathematics here. Rather, a different kind of division is our concern. Social division. Just last week I saw a Twitter post from a person I really respect. He is the editor of a reputable Christian magazine and has a significant following. I’ve never agreed with him on everything. But he often has ...[Read More]
Making Decisions in a Time of Panic
The other day my youngest (toddler) daughter hurt herself while playing outside. My wife and I weren’t immediately sure how bad she had hurt herself, but certain indications made us wonder if we needed urgent care or possibly a visit to the emergency room. But this decision was suddenly more complex than it was a few weeks ago. The current pandemic has caused many of us to face the process of maki...[Read More]
Overcoming the Feeling “I Am Not (Doing) Enough”
It is probably safe to say that humans regularly compare themselves with one another. We wonder, for example, if we are as happy, good looking, physically fit, smart, or successful as those around us. We’ve likely been doing this since the beginning of our existence. Yet, it seems in our time we have endless opportunities to compare ourselves with others. One obvious place we see this is soc...[Read More]
We Are Not Our Plans
David Brooks recently observed that moments of suffering help us to realize that all of us think we are “our plans.” Our lives and identity are shaped around what we are planning for ourselves and our futures. Most of the time we take this for granted; we don’t think about it. But moments when our plans are thrown into question and our expectations are dashed, these are the times when we...[Read More]
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