Category Archives: Commentary

This is always a mental challenge, because my answer is never settled. It depends. For years, the answer was selfish. That sounds harsh, but it follows a kind of logic: if there is no more me, then what remains doesn’t … Continue reading →

In military theory, there is a ratio called ‘T-to-T’, or ‘Tooth to Tail’. It is the ratio of how many men are in combat compared to how many men are in supported roles. Everyone is in uniform. Everyone is a … Continue reading →

The Words When the world is too much with me, the words are the first to go. The words do not come. Like a pet, they slink into the corner, ears flat. They think I don’t notice when they lean … Continue reading →

(this is an updated post from a few years ago.) It’s true—I love photography. I’ve also spent years helping students make stronger, more intentional images. I say “helping” because most of the real learning is self-driven. Students learn by doing—in … Continue reading →

I’ve been watching the news again. The reactions are real—raw, immediate—but there’s something else underneath them. A kind of surprise, as if this moment arrived without precedent. As if we haven’t been here before. We don’t always declare war anymore, … Continue reading →

Time has come today Young hearts can go their way Can’t put it off another day I don’t care what others say They say we don’t listen anyway Time has come today (Hey) Oh The rules have changed today (Hey) … Continue reading →

In Truckee there sits a remnant from the age of glaciers—a broad, smoothed stone surface, polished flat by ice long gone. At its center rests an immense boulder, improbably balanced. For thousands of years it held there. Not fixed—balanced. Most … Continue reading →

 There is a room with a chair. It sits three-quarters along the far wall, next to the table, near the front window. It is well worn, wooden, and in the style of ladder-backed. The front legs are straight and narrow. … Continue reading →

What happens when a culture no longer has the freedom to have fads? That might seem like a bold statement. Who took that freedom away? More importantly, why would anyone take that particular thing away? Is it possible the answer … Continue reading →

Today I left the house without my jacket. In the Midwest, a blizzard is swallowing highways. In California, someone is ordering a Blizzard to cool off. We move through weather whether we’re prepared or not — wind, heat, stillness, the … Continue reading →