Author Archives: diestl

A young man was murdered, assassinated, for nothing more than speaking, for daring to converse with those who disagreed. He leaves behind a wife and two young children, yet instead of mourning, many chose to celebrate his death. Social media filled with professional voices, teachers, doctors, engineers and others mocking his life, twisting his words,Continue reading “The road less traveled”

I honor what once protected me, and I bless what now frees me. So, brick by brick, I begin the work of independence. Each brick released, not wasted in anger, but representing a person who was an essential part of my life. Not rubble, not debris, but stones of memory and meaning. Wall built sheltering me fromContinue reading “The architecture of transition”

I just finished watching the Charlie Sheen documentary, aka Charlie Sheen on Netflix, and I couldn’t help but wonder what his real motivation was for doing it.  It starts with lots of super 8 footage of his childhood and little films he made with family and friends. Comparing the violence of his dad’s films toContinue reading “aka Charlie Sheen”

On September 10, 2025, Charlie Kirk, conservative activist, founder of Turning Point USA, husband, and father of two young children, was shot in the neck and killed while speaking at Utah Valley University. He was only 31. The shooter fired from a building roughly 200 yards away, and despite early reports, no suspect is currentlyContinue reading “Charlie Kirk (1993-2025)”

If life teaches us anything, as we are lucky enough to keep living, it is this, do not take anything for granted. The young cannot know the depth of that truth. They wear their five senses like armor, believing they will never dull. But time does its work. The food once rich with delight, becomesContinue reading “Ode to the Young”

It cracks me up watching people lose their minds over tariffs, because it’s Trump’s move, and they’d hate him no matter what. Donald Trump could hand them a million dollars and they’d still be foaming at the mouth. They scream about tariffs that haven’t even kicked in yet, but not a word about the bankContinue reading “Outrage for sale”

The coin buys bread, yet leaves the soul famished. The job keeps the lights on. But it dulls the edge of who you are. Your real life isn’t in the paycheck,  it’s in the notebooks you bury until tomorrow, the words you silence, the music vibrating, No one is coming to set them free, butContinue reading “The manifesto of permission”

I drove past an Italian restaurant today, one that had stood for forty-six years. A fence now circles it, and plywood pressed against the windows. No warning. No farewell. Just gone. It was a place my daughter loved, she adored the lasagna. We’d sit together in the warm hum of conversation, while celebrities of anotherContinue reading “Progress without soul”

We are the architects of our own captivity. Machines grow clever, while our minds forget their strength. A cleverly designed plan.  I never asked for AI, I never asked for cell phones, I never asked for computers and electric cars with computers controlling them. However, I’m wrapped tight in their circuits and screens, because fascinationContinue reading “The Paradox of Progress”

On the surface, it sounds like solidarity: “These are my people.” But in propaganda, it can work as a shortcut to emotional alignment, grouping you with others based on one shared trait, belief, or preference, even if that commonality is shallow or irrelevant. It’s tribalism marketing, using belonging as bait. The cause may have littleContinue reading “Tribal huskstering”