Tag: mental-health

Maybe “We’re All Afraid.” We Need To Stop Saying So.

Candid cowardice breed bullies

It’s often a risky thing to be candid. Even more so about your fears. I get that. Been there myself in some moments that I felt the stakes were high. Thankfully those stakes didn’t involve the fate of the United States and perhaps the free world. 

Lisa Murkowski's statment on being afraid of Trump

Senator Lisa Murkowski’s statement as quoted in the screenshot above is indeed admirable for its candor. Yet I would call it cowardly, given her office. If you’re one of 100 people elected to the senate of the United States, you’re chosen to overcome your fears in the face of danger.

I don’t doubt that there are threats of retaliation. Yes, that’s scary and as she says “that’s not right.” But admitting you are susceptible to succumbing to fear only feeds the fever that breeds more of what you fear. And we’re already tossing too much chum into these turbulent waters.

I’m reasonably sure when the signatories of the Declaration of Independence put their names to that document there was fear in their minds and hearts. History is replete with leaders who have taken courageous stands and I’m also reasonably sure most did so while facing fears. We need to see and hear more that. Strongly worded letters and sound bites just aren’t strong enough this time around the history cycle.

I’ll give the Senator credit for saying she’s going to continue to use her voice which she says might appear confrontational at times. She used it well in an early decision point in this administration by voting against the nomination of Pete Hegseth for Secretary of Defense. Others weren’t so brave. My issue with her candid language here is once you admit you’re on the defensive, the other side knows it has the advantage and feels free to press harder. The only thing that’s going to turn the tide and pop the buffoon’s balloon are those who don’t cower and candidly concede he’s made you afraid, no matter how fearful you are.

You can watch more of the Senator’s remarks in the video below for a fuller context.

You can find more of my writings on a variety of topics on Medium at this link, including in the publications Ellemeno and Rome. I can also be found on social media under my name as above. 

Sunday Morning Reading

Delusions abound in this week’s Sunday Morning Reading.

If it’s Sunday, it is time for Sunday Morning Reading with interesting writing on a variety of topics, that without intending to all seem to involve delusions in one way or another. There’s also a little Procol Harum on the side. Enjoy reading, while you skip the light fandango.

Speaking of delusions, check out a piece by Michael Connors and Peter Halligan exploring What Delusions Can Tell Us About the Cognitive Nature of Belief. 

It’s no delusion that Artificial Intelligence remains in the news (before it eventually subsumes the news). Harry McCracken takes us a bit into the deep mind behind Google’s DeepMind in The Future According to Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis. That first link takes you to the web version, this one takes you to the Apple News version of the article since the piece is a premium article for Fast Company readers.

Joan Westenberg has caught my eye of late (if you follow Sunday Morning Reading you should know that) and here are a couple of recently published dynamic pieces: Don’t Confuse Volume with Truth and Rebel Optimism: How We Thrive in a Broken World. Both worth your time.

We’re all complaining about a lot of things, the continued enshittification of the Internet being a familiar and well deserved  target. (It’s interesting that I use that term enshittification so frequently and yet spell check or any other type of check hasn’t picked it up yet.) Dave Winer is fighting the good fight on a lot of fronts and he looks at a new kind of enshittification in Billionaire-proof?

David Todd McCarty takes on the platitude “the meek shall inherit the earth” in The Children of Pacifists.

Ronan Farrow takes a look at The Technology The Trump Administration Could Use To Hack Your Phone. You know it’s going to happen. You know it most likely already has.

And to round things out this week, Ulf Wolf spools out an essay on the mostly forgotten Keith Reid of Procol Harum in The Shadow Member of Procol Harum. Not going to lie, I did spin up a copy of Whiter Shade of Pale while writing this week’s column. The Salty Dog album is cued up next.

If you’re interested in just what the heck Sunday Morning Reading is all about you can read more about the origins of Sunday Morning Reading here.  You can also find more of my writings on Medium at this link, including in the publications Ellemeno and Rome. You can also find me on social networks, including Bluesky, under my own name.