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Window Seat

Window Seat Photograph by Stacia Contemporary Photography A commuter train becomes an unlikely sanctuary. Seated at a table strewn with the paperwork of modern productivity, the subject is captured at the precise instant his attention abandons the demands before him. His gaze turns instead toward a fleeting sunset—already slipping behind industrial buildings and the frame of the train window. The photograph is built upon a series of visual correspondences and competing forces. The magenta glow of the horizon echoes the rose-colored shirt, binding the figure to the landscape that beckons him. Yet everything else conspires to hold him inside: the paperwork spread across the table, the enclosed train car, the rigid geometry of seats and windows, and the momentum of a commute defined by purpose and efficiency. Reflections in the glass collapse the boundary between these worlds, portraying the subject suspended between obligation and wonder. The image poses a deceptively simple questio...
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Choosing to Matter in an Uncaring Universe

Image: Elscer   CC 3.0 Watching Andor alongside a recent article in The Atlantic helped something click for me about why I so strongly resonate with stories of rebellion. It isn’t the action or the aesthetics—it’s the moral logic underneath them. Drawing on Rebecca Newberger Goldstein’s The Mattering Instinct , the idea is that life isn’t about happiness so much as meaning. Life is temporary, and every living being is an intricate, energy-driven project engaged in a ceaseless struggle against entropy ( The Atlantic ). Andor captures this well: ordinary people sacrificing not just happiness, but relationships—and even their lives—in rebellion against an Empire a million times stronger, because making something matter is worth the cost. From an LDS perspective, this resonates deeply. This life is a time to learn how to live like God. That ongoing project of becoming gives my life meaning. My lifelong project of Christian discipleship matters not only for the eternal destiny of me a...
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Why the President Gets Four Years — and Why That Still Matters

(Image: NYT front page, January 8, 2026)  With a president who appears comfortable testing institutional boundaries, it’s worth revisiting why the presidency is structured the way it is. The four-year presidential term and the later two-term limit—often taken for granted—were not inevitable. Both emerged from a persistent fear of concentrated executive power and of creating a king in all but name. A Constitution Written in Fear of Power When delegates gathered in Philadelphia in the summer of 1787, they had no clear model for an elected executive. Monarchies dominated the Western world, and existing republics offered cautionary tales rather than inspiration. The framers were starting from scratch—and arguing fiercely. Early proposals varied wildly. Some delegates favored short three-year terms. Others supported seven-year terms, or even a single term with no reelection, fearing what one delegate called an “elective king” who would cling to power and establish a dynasty. At one...
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Etymology: "Waiting for the other Shoe to Drop"

Image:  Dangling Shoes from Pixabay. The phrase "waiting for the other shoe to drop" originates from early 20th-century New York City tenements, where thin floors made it possible to hear upstairs neighbors preparing for bed by dropping one shoe, and then anxiously awaiting the second thud. Over time, the phrase evolved from this literal experience to its current idiomatic meaning: to anticipate an inevitable, often negative, event or outcome.
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Let Kids Fail: Why Overprotective Parenting Hurts More Than It Helps

We all want our kids to be happy, safe, and successful. But what if our efforts to protect them are actually holding them back? Over the past few decades, parenting has shifted from  helicoptering —hovering close and monitoring every move—to  lawnmowering , where parents clear every obstacle in a child’s path. Both come from love, but both send the same subtle message:  “You can’t handle this.” And that message can quietly chip away at a child’s confidence and resilience. Helicopter vs. Lawnmower Parenting: Two Sides of the Same Coin Helicopter parents  hover overhead—constantly checking where their kids are, who they’re with, and what they’re doing. For years, researchers believed this kind of “monitoring” kept kids out of trouble. But research tells a different story: Only  5%  of what parents know about their teens comes from strict monitoring. About  50%  comes from  kids choosing to share —because they trust their parents. This finding s...
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Why is DEI Dying?

Big societal changes can be hard to spot at first, but one shift happening across the United States is clear: DEI programs focused on are losing support, and an anti-DEI movement is gaining strength. What is DEI? So, what is DEI? Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). Many people first heard about it in 2020 after George Floyd’s tragic death raised national awareness and sparked protests against racism and police violence. In response, companies and schools worked to create or expand DEI programs. These programs aim to promote fairness and make sure workplaces and classrooms include and support people from all backgrounds. DEI isn’t just about hiring; it’s also about creating a welcoming culture and improving how organizations treat everyone. Winds of Change When DEI programs first gained attention, many saw them as a positive step toward fairness, and criticizing them often felt like opposing equality. However, in just a few years, that perspective has shifted. For some, DEI has beco...
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When Machines Think Better Than We Do

If I could change one thing about the U.S. education system, it would be to prioritize  problem solving over memorization . When I first read  Getting Things Done  by David Allen, one idea stuck with me: our brains have limited energy—so we should use them for  thinking , not just  storing . Yet traditional education trains us to memorize instead of reason. As a result, many adults struggle with basic problem-solving—not from lack of intelligence, but from lack of practice. I recently saw a funny video of a dad totally misfiring on a simple logic puzzle. It’s relatable because we’ve all done it. He’s not dumb—just out of practice. Meanwhile, I asked ChatGPT the same question, and it reasoned through it perfectly. That got me wondering: As AI gets better at reasoning, will humans get worse? Will we use AI as a tutor to strengthen our thinking—or as a crutch that weakens it?
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