Nov 26, 2022Damager: On Worth, Language, and JusticeInspired by The Differend by Jean-Francois Lyotard. It’s true that to hurt an animal is to hurt that which cannot bear witness to damage. This is why to hurt an animal is to point toward the inevitable differend at the heart of most damage. To damage someone is to communicate…Philosophy4 min readPhilosophy4 min read
Oct 18, 2022I Am Not My Feelings: On Guilt, Cynicism, and the Stories We Tell OurselvesI go to therapy, and I’m one of those freaks who finds it fun because I love introspection. I frequently find myself looking inward to discover new things. That I am infinitely complex in my feelings means I will never finish that project, which is exciting to me. The issue…Philosophy7 min readPhilosophy7 min read
Sep 23, 2022Seven Months Out: On Bisexuality, Labels, and IdentityLast February, I was a few weeks into a manic episode when I decided to come out as bisexual, though “decided” feels too generous a verb to use. When I’m manic, I have a tendency to blurt out whatever’s on my mind to any audience that will listen. …Sexuality4 min readSexuality4 min read
Jan 15, 2022Uncut Gems or: The Brave and the StupidUncut Gems is one of my all-time favorite movies, from the first time I saw it sitting in the front row of the Logan Theater in Chicago to watching it alone a few nights ago in my living room, both times staving off a panic attack. Part of me wants…Philosophy5 min readPhilosophy5 min read
Jan 4, 2022The EditorMaybe writing is all about control, even the pieces where I raise more questions than I answer, which has been the case with a lot of what I’ve written lately. I used to not share those pieces because I felt like they weren’t saying anything (maybe, more accurately, I didn’t…Philosophy4 min readPhilosophy4 min read
Jan 8, 2020In Defense of Cats (and Nonsense in Film)I’m giving two disclaimers up front which are that 1) I do not think Cats is a good movie even though I’m about to defend it and 2) I have not seen the musical and will not be discussing its merits as an adaptation. Cool? Cool. Prior to seeing Cats…Movies4 min readMovies4 min read
Jan 5, 2020Good Faith in the Age of Osteen: Epilogue (7/7)The question I am left with is whether or not taking on this anxiety is worth it.[1] Although it would be acting in bad faith, we can just as easily ignore the facticity of our freedom, ignore what that freedom implies, and violate our Christian obligation to others. I want…Christianity4 min readChristianity4 min read
Dec 29, 2019Good Faith in the Age of Osteen: An Anxious Faith (6/7)In the first section of this project, I discussed how Christians cannot sit idly by as God’s commands pass over them unaddressed. Osteen puts himself in a unique position where God’s command is to sit idly by as God is the one who will redeem our situations, not us. Maybe…Christianity12 min readChristianity12 min read
Dec 22, 2019Good Faith in the Age of Osteen: Blessed in the Darkness (5/7)Joel Osteen was born March 5, 1963 in Houston, Texas. His parents were the founders of the nondenominational Lakewood Church where his father served as pastor until 1999 when he passed away. Osteen attended Oral Roberts University where he briefly studied radio and television communications before dropping out to help…Christianity9 min readChristianity9 min read
Dec 15, 2019Good Faith in the Age of Osteen: Freedom and Liberation (4/7)What our good faith ethics currently lacks is concrete content for action, a common criticism posited against existentialism. We understand that our ethics must function within the bounds of good faith as outlined by Sartre and Kierkegaard, an ethics outside the confines of normative specifics, where we authentically self-prescribe values…Christianity12 min readChristianity12 min read
