Deep Something

Man walking a road with a walking stick and small bag.

Choosing Enough

February 11, 2026 B. John 48 Views 0 Comments Simplicity, AttentionEconomy, Enough, Stoicism, philosophy, Temperance, ChoosingEnough

This entry is part 58 of 58 in the series Journey Through Stoicism

This entry is part 6 of 6 in the series The Stoic Virtues

We live in a world that is very good at convincing us that more is always better. More food, more comfort, more information, more outrage, more things. Our phones are built to keep our attention just a little longer. Our culture treats abundance as harmless and excess as normal. But when everything is available all the time, the real question is no longer what we can have. It is what we should choose to take in, and what it is quietly costing us.

Temperance offers an unfashionable answer. Not denial. Not purity. Enough. It asks us to notice our appetites, not just for food, but for attention, certainty, comfort, and stimulation. It invites us to consider whether what we consume is actually nourishing us, or simply keeping us busy and restless. In an age engineered to keep us reaching, choosing enough becomes a quiet act of freedom, one that clears space for presence, joy, and a life that feels more truly our own.

Legislature Society Crack Pots Featured Media Politics

When Elected Officials Skip the Phone Call and Go Straight to the Pitchfork

February 5, 2026February 5, 2026 B. John 66 Views 0 Comments school governance, Civic Engagement, Florida Politics, Student walkout, education policy, Hillsborough County, DeSantis administration, ICE protest, fact-checking

Apparently, in Florida politics, the due-diligence phase has been replaced by vibes, outrage, and a quick dash to social media. Two Hillsborough County Republican legislators worked themselves into a moral panic over students protesting ICE at a local high school — and then skipped the most basic step of governance: checking the facts. Instead of making a phone call, they fired off a letter demanding an investigation and the permanent revocation of a principal’s educator license. Because when you hear something alarming, why verify it when you can threaten someone’s career instead?

Here’s the inconvenient truth they missed: the protest happened after instructional time. Not during class. Not instead of math or English. After. That small detail didn’t stop Florida’s education commissioner — a hand-picked appointee of the governor — from piling on with a scolding warning about “diverting students from instruction.” Strong language, zero curiosity. What followed wasn’t leadership or oversight. It was performative outrage, public intimidation, and a clear message to educators and students alike: civic engagement is welcome only when it stays quiet, invisible, and politically convenient.

Politics Religion Society

The Universal Liturgy: Civic Duty as the Fruit of Faith

February 5, 2026 B. John 88 Views 0 Comments Civic Engagement, social holiness, moral responsibility, Wesleyan theology, faith and democracy, justice and compassion, public square

What if voting, showing up at a council meeting, or speaking up for a neighbor weren’t just civic responsibilities, but acts of faith? Many of us treat spirituality as a private matter, safely contained within the walls of a sanctuary. But across religious traditions, the message is consistent: faith that never enters the public square is incomplete.

From John Wesley’s insistence on social holiness, to the prophets’ demand for justice, to Eastern teachings on interconnectedness, belief is proven through action. Civic life is where compassion becomes concrete, and values are tested. Read the full essay to explore why civic engagement may be the most honest expression of faith we have right now.

Featured Places Tampa Religion Society Methodism Stoicism

Civic Duty as Lived Responsibility

February 1, 2026 B. John 124 Views 0 Comments Stoicism, faith in action, justice, civic duty, social responsibility, community care, volunteerism, Wesleyan theology

This entry is part 57 of 58 in the series Journey Through Stoicism

Where will someone sleep in your city tonight? Civic duty rarely announces itself. It does not arrive as a moment of clarity or a flood of inspiration. More often, it looks like routine. Mats laid out across a facility space. Meals delivered and set out. Volunteers arriving in shifts through the night so others can sleep indoors when the temperature drops.

We talk about civic duty as an idea, but it is better understood as a practice. It begins when concern becomes action. Not because the work feels noble, but because shared life demands it. When a community faces need, and some people have the capacity to respond, responsibility follows. Not as heroism. As participation.

This essay reflects on civic duty as lived responsibility. Drawing on Stoic philosophy, Wesleyan theology, and a wider moral consensus across traditions, it asks what it really means to show up for others when the work is repetitive, incomplete, and often unseen.

Person standing in audience with a microphone

Religion Society Methodism Stoicism Featured Politics

Justice as Responsibility: A Companion Examination

January 7, 2026 B. John 157 Views 1 Comment faith and ethics, justice as practice, Stoic philosophy, justice, Christian ethics, Social Justice, moral responsibility, civic virtue, moral coherence

This entry is part 56 of 58 in the series Journey Through Stoicism

This entry is part 5 of 6 in the series The Stoic Virtues

Justice is one of the most frequently used moral words in public life, and one of the least examined. It appears in politics, religion, social movements, and law. Because it is so familiar, we often assume we mean the same thing when we use it. We usually do not.

Serious moral traditions have resisted reducing justice to feeling or slogan. Stoic philosophy, Christian ethics, and modern research all return to a similar conclusion: Justice is not primarily about emotion or ideology. It is about responsibility. Responsibility to others, to the common good, and to living in a way that keeps belief and behavior aligned.

Seen this way, justice is not a moment or a performance. It is discipline. A steady practice carried out over time. It asks for clarity without cruelty, conviction without self-righteousness, and persistence without spectacle. Justice endures not because it is loud, but because it is rooted.

Culture Featured Politics Religion Society Stoicism

Justice as a Way of Life

January 6, 2026January 7, 2026 B. John 195 Views 1 Comment moral courage, justice, Stoic Virtues, Social Justice, Christian ethics, civic responsibility, faith in action, everyday justice

This entry is part 4 of 6 in the series The Stoic Virtues

This entry is part 55 of 58 in the series Journey Through Stoicism

Justice is a word we hear all the time, but people often understand it differently. It shows up in courtrooms, sermons, protest signs, and political speeches. Before it became a slogan, justice was seen as a way to live. Not just a stance or an opinion, but a mode of living.

For me, justice starts with faith. The prophet Micah says it simply: Do justice. Love mercy. Walk humbly with God. This command is not abstract. Justice is not something to admire from afar. It is something you do, often quietly, sometimes without certainty, and sometimes at a real cost.

I have seen justice take shape in public gatherings and protest marches, but I have also seen it in smaller, steadier acts. Helping someone get a meal. Standing up for a person who cannot speak for themselves. Showing up again when the work seems slow and unfinished. Justice does not always announce itself. Most often, it looks like ordinary people refusing to look away.

Presidency Society Crack Pots Economy Featured Politics

A Speech Built on Sand. Fact-Checking the President’s Address

December 18, 2025 B. John 227 Views 0 Comments democratic norms, presidential address, fact check, political misinformation, economic claims, inflation data, border policy, partisan rhetoric, public accountability

Last night’s prime-time presidential address was sold as a report to the nation. What it delivered was more like a campaign rally with a White House backdrop.

We were told inflation has been “stopped,” prices are “coming down fast,” the border is “fully secure,” wars have been ended, and the economy is suddenly the hottest in the world. The problem is that many of these claims aren’t true, and others are so exaggerated that they lose all contact with reality. Public data on inflation, jobs, migration, and global conflicts tell a far more complicated story than the one presented on screen.

The speech also leaned heavily into partisan attacks, repeatedly blaming Democrats and President Biden while offering little effort to speak to the country as a whole. Even new announcements, such as a promised cash payment to service members, were floated without any explanation of their legality or funding. Symbolism replaced substance. Confidence stood in for evidence.

Featured Religion Society Stoicism

Introduction to Stoic Virtues

December 4, 2025December 3, 2025 B. John 159 Views 0 Comments humility, Stoic Virtues, Mercy, Restraint, self-control, Integrity

This entry is part 53 of 58 in the series Journey Through Stoicism

This entry is part 2 of 6 in the series The Stoic Virtues

Most of us try to live with some mix of courage, honesty, and patience, but we rarely stop to ask where those instincts come from or what they are pulling us toward. I spent months working through the Stoic practices without realizing they were preparing me for something larger. Only later did I see that these routines were pointing me toward the four Stoic virtues. Wisdom. Courage. Justice. Temperance. Not as lofty ideals, but as quiet directions for daily life.

This new essay opens the door to that deeper work. It reflects on how the practices steady us and how the virtues give that effort its shape and purpose. If you want to see where this journey leads next, the full piece is up now.

Featured Religion Society Stoicism

Virtues: Acceptance

November 25, 2025December 3, 2025 B. John 222 Views 0 Comments life transitions, grief, virtue, wisdom, equanimity, Stoicism, Resilience, Acceptance

This entry is part 1 of 6 in the series The Stoic Virtues

This entry is part 51 of 58 in the series Journey Through Stoicism

Acceptance is not resignation. It is the moment when the mind stops fighting reality and starts working with it. I learned that watching a man who rides a three-wheeled electric bike around Tampa with a smile that seems to rise from the inside out.

The Stoics taught that acceptance begins when we stop struggling against what we cannot change. I have been learning this the slow way, through grief, uncertainty, and the small moments that reveal what the heart is holding.

Featured Religion Society Stoicism

Practicing Memento Mori: Learning to Live by Remembering Death

October 19, 2025November 30, 2025 B. John 409 Views 0 Comments emotional well-being, Laura Carstensen, Gratitude, Memento Mori, Stoicism, mortality, mindfulness, aging

This entry is part 6 of 18 in the series Stoicism Practices

This entry is part 45 of 58 in the series Journey Through Stoicism

We spend much of our lives pretending we have endless time. The Stoics knew better. Memento Mori—remember that you will die—was not a grim command but a call to live awake. Modern science now confirms what they intuited: when people recognize their days are finite, they become calmer, kinder, and more grateful.

In this new essay, I explore how ancient philosophy and modern psychology meet on common ground. From Seneca to Stanford researcher Laura Carstensen, the message is the same: awareness of mortality can make life richer, not smaller. Read Memento Mori: Learning to Live by Remembering Death.

Stoicism Family Featured Fun Stuff Politics Religion Society Gay Issues

Stoic Practices: Role Models

September 26, 2025November 30, 2025 B. John 622 Views 0 Comments justice, Stoicism, Harvey Milk, Leadership, Marcus Aurelius, Resilience, role models, Gandhi, virtue, John Lewis

This entry is part 40 of 58 in the series Journey Through Stoicism

This entry is part 10 of 18 in the series Stoicism Practices

The Stoics believed that we learn virtue through example. Marcus Aurelius wrote to himself as if he were a friend, modeling how to live by holding himself accountable to an imagined mentor. Seneca pointed to Cato as a guide. Epictetus told his students to picture a sage. This practice of role models is simple but powerful: we ask, “What would this person do?” and in answering, we shape our own choices.

For me, role models have been both personal and public. My mother, a nurse for thirty-six years in our local schools, cared for generations of children and called them “my kids.” She held our family together after Dad’s untimely death and lived a life of quiet service that rippled through our community. My band director, Donald Deal, taught discipline and teamwork that lasted far beyond the music hall. Rev. Dr. R. Earle Rabb showed courage in welcoming all God’s children into his church. And figures like John Lewis, Harvey Milk, and Mahatma Gandhi remind me that justice, hope, and service are lived realities, not abstractions. To practice role models is to remember that we are guided by others—and that we, too, may be the model someone else is following.

← Previous