“Something there is that doesn’t love a wall,” wrote poet Robert Frost. In the opening line to his famous poem, “Mending Wall,” Frost explores one of the mysteries of fallen human nature. Everyone feels both a need and aversion for order. His questioning of the role of walls tries to explain this … Read more
A friend of mine works at a health clinic in a medium-sized town in the Midwest. He told me about a peculiar kind of patient that comes in for treatment. They are young and old, rich and poor. They are men and women. It is safe to say they represent a cross … Read more
There are many ways, big and small, to fight against today’s anti-Christian culture. There are public displays of Faith that are impressive in their scope and organization. This can be seen every year at the National March for Life as well as similar marches in states and cities all across America. There … Read more
As the Christmas season ends, there is a general agreement that the age of malls is coming to a close. Retail sales are no longer dominated by the vast complexes of physical shops anchored by big-box stores once found all over the country. Indeed, malls are no longer delivering the goods to … Read more
An avalanche of news hits us every day. It gets to the point that we barely have time to read beyond the headlines. Fast news is making things inhuman because it comes at a pace beyond the capacity of anyone to absorb. Everyone complains about fake news. However, fast news creates the … Read more
One can tell the state of the society by its dreamers. When a society is comfortably decadent, few dare to imagine a world beyond the surrounding material comforts. In such a society, most people are content with the mediocrity of a superficial world in which those who dream are stifled and silenced. … Read more
Sociologist Robert Nisbet once said that the quest for community cannot be suppressed. It is one of the most powerful needs of human nature. Through community, a clear sense of purpose and belonging is established. People feel they belong to institutions that help put them in order. Many think social media can … Read more
As the country struggles to find points of unity during this election year, politicians are offering all sorts of economic policies to bring together a fractured nation. They say jobs, wages and trade will make America prosperous and united again. However, the means to achieve this goal—whether it be by the government … Read more
No one disputes the fact that the nation is polarized and coming apart. This is so evident especially in light of the 2016 election cycle. Likewise, no reasonable person can deny that we need to return to the order of social bonds that mitigate the effects of extreme individualism, especially the erosion … Read more
Wherever you go, people are on their “smartphones.” In airports, restaurants or on the street, people are almost permanently glued to their devices, obsessed with the idea that they cannot exist without being connected to the cyber world. Thus, they text and tweet, email and Google, follow and like in an effort … Read more