To Be Great, You Must Want to Know the Truth
When I was growing up, I was often told I had “potential.” My teachers, relatives, and even random neighbors who saw me lugging around stacks of books too big for my scrawny arms would nod approvingly and tell me, “You’re going places.” Of course, they never specified where I was going—just that I was going. […]
Leveling Up at the Game of Life, Writing, and Other Trivial Pursuits
There’s something disturbingly satisfying about turning life into a game. Slapping a shiny label on the monotonous grind of daily existence, like “gamification,” makes it all feel a bit more palatable. Setting goals becomes like gathering ridiculous little badges or leveling up in some virtual fantasy. Except in real life (IRL, if you will) instead […]
The Necessity of Play
In the early days of my literary escapades—when I still thought that tearing through classic novels like some Adderall-fueled word junkie was a good idea—I stumbled upon a rather curious theme. It seemed that every other story involving children had the poor souls trapped in a web of strict agendas, meticulously designed by adults who […]