Author Archives: diestl

Exhaustion doesn’t earn us a break from life, it just makes the journey heavier. There’s a cruel irony in that truth. We expect that after giving so much of ourselves, after the long days, the mental strain, the quiet battles no one sees, the heartbreak, life might grant us a moment to catch our breath.Continue reading “The burden of reality”

As the great-grandchild and grandchild of immigrants, I’ve had the privilege of living among many who came to this country with nothing, who followed the proper channels, became citizens, educated themselves, and built successful lives. They raised beautiful families, embraced the culture, and truly loved this country. For over thirteen years, I’ve lived among scholarsContinue reading “One man’s ghetto is another man’s palace.”

It’s a strange irony of our time that many of the loudest voices warning about climate catastrophe are also the most active participants in the very consumer culture driving it. These are the same individuals who protest tariffs on China, arguing that restricting trade hurts the global economy, while overlooking that much of what flowsContinue reading “Pennies saved, billions spent.”

After years of eating garbage multiple times a day, not caring about the consequences, you finally look in the mirror… and there it is, a fat blob of what you once were staring back at you. Once, you had a healthy body. You took care of your temple daily. When and why did you becomeContinue reading “Placebo Republic”

Ignorance is bliss. Ignorance is bliss— in the face of reality, pharmaceuticals drifting through our drinking water. Someone else’s antibiotics coursing silently through our veins. Our filtration’s a facade as much as our Food and Drug Administration, never enough money to keep the poison out. When “government by the people” no longer means by theContinue reading “Ignorance is bliss”

“The loudest voices in the temple are not always the holiest. Sometimes, truth walks barefoot while virtue rides in a limousine.” In every age, the powerful have sought to appear righteous. In ours, that performance often comes wrapped in tweets, speeches, and statements from people whose lives are far removed from the consequences they lament.Continue reading “Performance activism.”

It seems to me that many people no longer understand what negotiation truly means. They’ve been screaming “their truth” for so long, they’ve mistaken volume for value, believing compromise is betrayal and that listening is weakness. But negotiation isn’t about domination or submission. It’s the art of finding ground, common or otherwise, between conviction andContinue reading “The art of negotiations.”

Why labor at the quarry of limitation, Where the uninitiated worship the stone, Yet know not the Cornerstone? Break the chains wrought in ignorance, Erect within thyself a Temple not made with hands. Radiate Light through upright conduct and quiet influence, Though the profane veil may obscure the Truth. Observe with the Square, Dissect withContinue reading “The Eye That Sees Not With Sight”

The Oscars don’t always make sense.  An actor might win Best Male/Female Lead, but their performance wasn’t created in a vacuum.  There was a director shaping every scene, a writer crafting every line, a cinematographer framing each shot, an editor helping choosing the best takes, and a crew making the whole vision possible.  The awardContinue reading “The Best Actor Oscar doesn’t make sense.”

I don’t understand all these blue pill ads, on social media, billboards, movie trailers, TV screens. They’re plastered everywhere. I’m almost 60 and have no issue in that department. But younger men seem to be buying into this trend. Why? Maybe it’s the toxic food, laced with synthetic estrogen. Maybe it’s the classrooms, where kidsContinue reading “Where are the men? Masculinity in the crosshairs.”