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Stoic Practices: Acceptance
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.
Politics
All the hot-button topics about government, state, local, and federal the courts, and the election.
Stoic Practices: Role Models
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.
Science
This includes discussions on scientific topics that include the environment, weather, medicine, and space.
Society
We lump a lot under this category including crime, corruption, education and hate groups. This category runs the gamut.
Culture
Posts on cultural activities such as theater, art, holidays, and music.
Religion
This is our section for articles related to religion, especially Methodism, and the Evangelical movement.
Bi-Vocational Martyrdom and the Pronoun Police: Crying Wolf in a Library
Tony Perkins is mad again. This time, it’s because his “bi-vocational” pastor buddy got fired from a public library job for refusing to call a coworker by their chosen pronouns. Perkins calls it persecution. I call it what happens when someone mistakes rudeness for righteousness. This essay cuts through the drama, mocks the martyr complex, and reminds Pastor Luke that if you want respect, you might try giving some. Being a public employee means treating the public like people — all of them.
Technology
Discussions on software, hardware, apps, and gadgets.
LGBT Issues
Here we discuss the politics of the LGBT movement, stories of events in the community, and anything else related to the LGBT community.
Fun Stuff
This is a bit of a collection of stories about family, food, friends, and travel.
The Economy
Here are topics on the economy, trade, and business.
No Longer as Predators, But as Pilgrims
In the wake of a cruel and deeply unjust budget bill passed by the U.S. Congress, I feel compelled to speak out—not just as a citizen, but as a Christian, a United Methodist, and someone at retirement age who will soon depend on the very programs now under attack. This essay is a moral response to a political failure. It is a call to conscience. We are not meant to live as predators. We are meant to walk together, as pilgrims.
Election 2024 – Hope for Better is All I’ve Got
One of the most frustrating aspects of this election has been watching Republicans continuously out-message Democrats. The GOP has mastered the art of stirring up fear and resentment, delivering simple but powerful narratives that resonate deeply. Instead of speaking to unity and progress, they speak directly to anxieties and frustrations, offering voters someone to blame for every challenge and setback.
Marva Johnson-Spectrum Douche Bag of the Day
Marva Johnson. Here’s a name you may not know, but you’d better learn who she is, and what here (and apparently her employer’s) agenda is for public education. She also is chair of the Florida State Board of Education, appointed by Gov. Rick Scott in 2014. In addition, In March, the governor appointed her to the 37-member statewide Constitutional Revision Commission.
MoviesView All
Articles related to places important to me or the places we visit.
Media
Covers things like the web, blogging, Radio and television, and print media.
Places
Here we talk about topics specific to Tampa, Kings Mountain, and other places I've lived or visited.
