Education is an expression of hope. It is the optimistic creation of a species empowered by a vivid imagination, a compulsion to sort experiences into two buckets (one labeled “good” and the other “not good”), and a strong tendency to regretfully reflect on the past. At some point in life…

I wanted to get healthier — sub 25 BMI was the way I framed it up several months ago. I was definitely moving in the other direction and rapidly gaining momentum. In July, I targeted “maybe by Christmas.” I believe I’m well on my way to health, having passed tangible…

History is the art of telling true stories about the human past. The stories historians tell have creative power. They inspire, communicate values and virtues, and have the power to debride a festering wound and promote cultural healing or infect society with nasty micromemes that weaken and destroy. Ultimately, historical…

I still recall it vividly. I was 13. Standing in the small narthex of a country church as a pall bearer at my grandfather’s funeral, my aunts, uncles, and cousins filed by saying their consolations. I’d been close to him. We lived next door to one another on the farm…

And the voice said, “It’s time for people to quit bullying, harassing, and forcing others into playing their game by their rules so that they can feel powerful. It’s time to courageously go inside to find a world that is whole, complete, and lacking nothing.” As part of a spiritual…

We are bombarded by people attempting to justify their political agendas by appealing to the past. I’m a historian, not just a history buff, but a professional. The argument about the value and purpose of history by political activists is typically naive. …

‘Spuddle’ is an archaic word from the 17th century that means to work ineffectively; to be extremely busy whilst achieving absolutely nothing; to assign trivial things undue importance. In true Dilbertian style, upon encountering this word, several of my colleagues leapt in resonance suggesting that this word described their common…