Engaging Life with Courage and Intelligence
Ideologies and beliefs offer certainty. Reality offers consequences. In moments of stability, fixed belief systems can appear wise and efficient. But history shows a recurring pattern: when conditions change suddenly, ideology often fails — and reality takes over. In this Truth Matters episode, we examine three defining crises: 1) The Great Depression (1932), when economic…
When we live in an absurd world…we create absurd videos. This is the web address for the @HistoryIn1865 playlist @HistoryIn1865 Playlist
We all grew up either in a family or knew families in which truth was not their highest priority. When a family member failed a class in school, wrecked the family car, or was involved in a teen pregnancy, the grown-ups in the family swiftly moved into cover-up mode. With the talent unseen since the…
Welcome to Veritonia — a totally fictional modern nation where truth is flexible, confidence beats correctness, and memes count as peer-reviewed research. This short cinematic satire explores how facts get “professionally improved,” arguments replace thinking, and news guarantees certainty — not accuracy. But some people still dare to ask the most dangerous question: “Is this…
How do smart people fall for confidence tricks like grandparent, lottery, and romance scams? How do smart people buy into Ponzi schemes and crypto-ATM cons? How do smart people believe totally unfounded theories about vaccinations, ethnic conspiracies, the Denver Airport is the Illuminati’s headquarters, a pizza shop in Washington, DC, is the center of a…
How about a little satirical humor to start the new year? The video takes place in the quiet mountains of Kentucky, where two time travelers from the 19th century are relaxing on the porch of a mountain cabin. The peaceful evening is interrupted when a silver craft lands nearby, and a gray extraterrestrial visitor arrives….
The Two Main Types of Liars Type 1 liars require no further explanation. They are hucksters, entertainers, politicians, or salespeople who everyone expects to exaggerate and embellish. They are like entertaining carnival acts. In fact, many celebrate the whoppers told by these type 1 liars. They create alternate realities that allow others to enjoy a…
I continue to be puzzled by America’s collective failure to uphold the values embedded in our Constitution. Virtually all Americans once believed in the rule of law, the separation of powers, the separation of church and state, and other foundational assumptions. This post introduces the fundamental question: “Why and how are we destroying ourselves?” and…
Making difficult decisions is hard for any person or group. They are particularly challenging in a democracy. However, history has shown that our most outstanding American leaders stood tall yet humbly as they made difficult decisions. George Washington did it, and so did Abraham Lincoln, the first standard-bearer of the Republican Party. Will the lack…