285) Daniel (Danya) Naroditsky, 1995-2025
The chess world received some extremely sad news yesterday, with the loss of GM Daniel Naroditsky.
284) Death Before Dishonor?
Does "honor" actually mean anything, at least in the United States? …. Or is it a con job designed to dupe people into sacrificing their morals, and even their lives, for other people's greed?
283) Domestic Terrorism, Part 2 -- A challenge to men, all men. Yes, I'm talking to you.
Right now, teenage boys and young men all over the country have countless "influencers" telling them to hate. They need role models telling them the opposite.
282) Domestic Terrorism -- Part 1: MAGA
MAGA is a domestic terror movement. And the institutions in support of MAGA policies, financing, messaging, and influential leaders, including the White House, are terrorist organizations.
281) The terrifying rise in transgender mass shooters
I yearn for the day when MAGA realizes that facts don’t care about THEIR feelings.
280) Let's be up-front about the cultural roots of MAGA. And then fix them.
Who is Trump’s base? The data is already in. WHITE MEN WITHOUT COLLEGE DEGREES are Trump’s base….
279) The cost of feeding the dogs of war (and the utter imbecility of the decision-makers behind it)
Imagine that you wanted to personally fund a $10 billion [war], and you make, say, $80,000 per year. You would have needed to start working ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY FIVE THOUSAND YEARS AGO, about 60,000 years BEFORE stone-tool-using Homo sapiens were interbreeding with Neanderthals, and you would have had to save every single penny.
277) The Children Remember: Toxic families, and how and why they resist change, growth, and healing
Children always remember. While adults spin their self-justifying stories, make their excuses, give their false wisdom about '“seeing the best in everybody” and having “good Christian values,
the children remember the stark, experiential truth….
276) Day 37 -- Reason #37 to revolt against Predatory Capitalism: FREEDOM, Part 2 -- Wealth = Power
The very foundation society is built upon is a foundation of wealth. This wealth, in turn, is far too often rooted in corruption, in war, in the pillaging of Indigenous lands for their “resources,” and in profit and a disregard for human freedom and well-being. This is ***The Big Problem***.
275) From a breaking heart
These are dark times. There are far darker ones ahead. This isn’t a game. It isn’t a joke. It isn’t a movie. And it won’t, necessarily, “turn out ok in the end”. In fact, in all probability, it won’t. If this was a Dungeons and Dragons game, then humanity’s saving throw is approaching 20.
274) The Canadian Chess Championship
Whatever the purpose of life is (if indeed, there is any at all), it must have to do with the phenomenological quality of life, the quality of our moments of being. It MUST have to do with joy. With concentrated immersion in the pursuit of excellence. With play. With community.
273) Criminals gonna criminal: So why do we keep giving them power over us?
As a society, we really need to talk about the safeguards around who is eligible to be elected to lead a country. And not just talk. We need to PASS LAWS that prevent criminals from gaining power over democratic governments. Cuz we sure as hell are seeing how THAT turns out.
272) Happy birthday, Clara
Rooted in authentic self-acceptance, in easy, free, love for your life, Joy is just there, moment by moment, from when you first open your eyes, to the middle of slurping your bowl of noodles, to walking down the street, to watching some TV show, to talking with a friend or reading a book. It’s just there.
It’s like how, when you wake up in the springtime and the windows are open, you hear birds. You just do. They’re just there, singing. Even on what might be a really tough day in your life, the birds sing.
271) Ukraine vs. America: What side are YOU on?
Before 1994, Ukraine had the THIRD LARGEST nuclear arsenal in the world. It gave up its nukes for promises of protection, the internationally-agreed-upon guarantee that Ukraine would retain its territorial sovereignty.
270) A child-turned-adult's rage and disgust in the adult world
Let’s make the future’s kids actually proud of the people who preceded them.
Rather than ashamed and angry.
269) A Trans Girl Playing Chess
You cannot TRY to live with wisdom. Kind of like Yoda said, “Do or do not; there is no try.” You cannot TRY to be authentic. You can just be authentic, or not. Because the simple truth is, if you are not fully connected within yourself, if you are not plugged into your Self, if you are not grounded in Love, then everything is half-hearted.
And as Rumi says, “Half-heartedness does not reach into majesty.”
268) Day 36 -- Reason #36 to revolt against Predatory Capitalism: FREEDOM, Part 1: We all value Freedom
As a true Canadian, I have to say first of all, I’m sorry. This is going to hurt.
267) Day 35, Reason #35 to revolt against Predatory Capitalism: We do not understand what is going on
A key reason to revolt against Predatory Capitalism is that we, the public, the ones who are SUPPOSED to ultimately be in control of our democracy, don’t know what the hell is going on. This is a direct result of many things, especially the Manufacturing Consent problem and the politic-speak problem described in recent posts of mine.
266) Day 34 -- Reason #34 to revolt against Predatory Capitalism: Politic-speak -- e.g., Doug Ford
One of the key problems with Predatory Capitalism, which connects with our previous discussion of Manufacturing Consent, is that the people we elect to be in charge of our system, don’t speak the same language we do. They speak the language of politics. NOT the language of common sense, the language of everyday people, the language of integrity, or even the language of basic logic.
265) The Doctrine of Original Awesomeness, Part 2 (Also, Day 33 -- Reason #33 to revolt against Predatory Capitalism)
Imagine how free, joyful, zestful, ALIVE people would feel if they grew up feeling USEFUL and LOVED by the people in their lives; if they grew up feeling they could contribute to their community, that they were respected, that even though they were still learning the skills of life, the adults around them HONOURED and VALUED them. Imagine how good that would have felt, when you were a kid.