The “Falling Man” was one of your fellow citizens. On this day 20 years ago he was an office worker, probably settling in to his cubicle when evil men attacked him simply because he was an American. He survived the initial explosion, but could not escape the building. This man, who was probably very muchContinue reading “What Precisely Is It That We Must Never Forget?”
Author Archives: Chris Cypert
Rudeness Ruins Rightness
Punctilious courtesy, good manners, and the Golden Rule reflect an attitude and acknowledgement that other people are, you know…actually people, equally deserving of consideration and basic decent and civil treatment despite our differences.
Afghanistan: What Now?!?
Today has seen catastrophe and loss, but tomorrow we get to wake up as a Republic and decide who we want to be, and what actions will define us.
What Just Happened?
I’ve spent most of my adult life at war, fighting for lost causes. I gave the decades of my youth to strive for that in which I generally believed, alongside men I loved and respected. I regret none of it, but days like today I do feel a bit old, tired, and discouraged. For thoseContinue reading “What Just Happened?”
Make America Great
Today we celebrate the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, which told the world that the United States of America were a new, free, and independent republic joining the community of nations. This new Republic would in fact change and shape the course of western civilization and the world for the two centuries that followedContinue reading “Make America Great”
Guile > Gadgets
We must never forget that our most useful gadget rests between our ears, and we must be as eager to upgrade it regularly as we are our every day carry pistol or any other tool upon which we depend.
The Measure of a Man
What makes a “man?” Am I a man? Are you? How do we know? How do we measure? Many years ago when my eldest boys were very young, I decided to create a familial definition of manhood that could serve them as a guiding tenet as they matured and navigated life’s complexities. For those ofContinue reading “The Measure of a Man”
A Good and Terrible Friday
Today we celebrate a young man who felt more fear, and suffered more greatly than any man has done before or since. Through the most courageous act in the history of the world he showed us the full measure of love, all because he’d rather die than live without us. “And He withdrew from themContinue reading “A Good and Terrible Friday”
Why Can’t I Achieve My Goals?
An Idea Isn’t a Plan. A Wish Isn’t a Goal. We often fail to achieve our aims in life because we mistake ideas for plans, and wishes for goals. I received a reminder of this recently, and in reflecting perhaps I can illuminate some aspects of goal setting and planning which might help others. ThisContinue reading “Why Can’t I Achieve My Goals?”
It’s Who You Are On the Outside That Matters
“We are what we habitually do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act, but a habit.” -Will Durant (Not Aristotle) “As it is not one swallow or a fine day that makes a spring, so it is not one day or a short time that makes a man blessed and happy.” -Aristotle, actually We Are WhatContinue reading “It’s Who You Are On the Outside That Matters”
Amplified Being 