Native American tribes often engaged in conflicts with one another over territory, resources, and power.
When European settlers arrived, they frequently exploited these existing rivalries to further their own interests.
By forming alliances with certain tribes and pitting them against others, European powers, such as the British, French, and Spanish, were able to weaken Native resistance and establish control over vast territories.
If the Native American tribes had united and collectively resisted the incoming invaders, the outcome of history might have been different.
This strategy of “divide and conquer” ultimately led to significant disruption of Native American societies and contributed to the European colonization of the Americas.
Today, I rode my motorcycle west on Sunset Boulevard, heading toward the fire in Pacific Palisades. It wasn’t good. On hearing my children upset because their high school was on fire, I wanted to investigate it.
Sunset Blvd heading west was empty and the two lanes heading east were bumper to bumper for miles.
As I got closer to the fires people were stopped on the side of the road snapping pictures on their smartphones.
The wind carried cinders everywhere, and thick smoke choked the roadways, making it hard to see.
As I got closer, I could feel the heat radiating. The Santa Ana winds blowing hard in a circular motion. It’s supposed to pick up speed later tonight.
There are multiple houses on fire everywhere, street after street.
I stopped and lifted my helmet’s visor for just a second, and my eyes immediately started burning. Realizing the danger, between the searing heat and the cinders falling all around, I thought of my motorcycle’s gas tank and knew it was time to leave.
I turned away and decided to make my way down to the Pacific Coast Highway.
Streets were black with smoke and it started to permeate my helmet. I kept moving east and then south and I saw my way down a familiar street I knew went to the PCH.
Once I got there police officers guided me south on the PCH. I pulled into a beach parking lot to get some fresh air into my lungs.
Once I was feeling okay, I finished my drive home. I stopped at Whole Foods to get a steak and could smell the fire on my leathers.
As I walked toward my apartment, I caught sight of the fires from the balcony walkway facing north, Mother Nature’s haunting beauty in destruction.
Embracing change and letting go can feel daunting and terrifying, but it can also be liberating, it creates space for new growth, exploration and possibilities.
Embracing change can be time, place or your eternal clock.
Time and place aren’t major if it’s by choice, but the eternal clock is significantly embracing change.
The “eternal clock” taps into something more profound: an inherent, timeless shift that goes beyond circumstance, carrying a deeper significance.
You see the change in the mirror or in a photograph, where time is captured in a glance. You feel the change in the shift of your patience, energy and steps, in tasks once effortless, now a struggle.
Surrendering to life’s natural rhythm is an impasse. A paradox of life’s unknown.
Letting go is a profound act of embracing uncertainty. The loss of what’s familiar, even when it no longer serves us, can feel uncomfortable, destabilizing, and even debilitating.
The rawness in that space between release and renewal. The uncertainties of boredom, the slow aching pause, while waiting for what’s next.
The healing process needed before moving on. The knowing it’s not good to linger with unspoken goodbyes.
Closure is never painless, but necessary. There is no timetable, just consistency.
Remove yourself from all familiarity.
It can be unsettling, but it can also be where true transformation begins.
After my 2006 Ford Fusion was totaled in an accident, I decided to use the insurance payout to purchase a 2012 Ford Fusion, the last model year before the body style changed.
This car was fully loaded with all the amenities one could want, and it quickly became a joy to own. Nearly 14 years and 150,000 miles later, it’s still a pleasure to drive.
Her name is Bertha, and she’s been my steadfast companion through thick and thin.
Together, we’ve shared countless memories, including a cross-country adventure from Los Angeles to Tampa, Florida, and back. Bertha isn’t just a car, she’s a symbol of resilience, comfort, and the journey itself.
“I don’t concern myself with what people might say about me, that’s their choice, not mine.
Instead, I focus on living my life with integrity, empathy, respect, and responsibility. Those are the values I hold myself accountable to.
Validation need not apply.
I’ve lived long enough to let go of fixating on what others might think of me. That doesn’t mean I don’t care about myself or how I present myself, it just means I prioritize my own standards over external opinions.
This mindset can inspire others to follow suit, but it may also lead to inner truths and needs being overlooked.
Tell us about your first day at something — school, work, as a parent, etc.
There were many milestones and each were like stepping into a stream of possibilities, adapting moment to moment.
First time moving out and finding an apartment in Boston. Stepping out into a different state than I grew up and against the wishes of my father. Without the help of anyone.
It was both challenging and exhilarating. Carving out true independence for the first time in my life.
Taking on the responsibility to build myself and character with integrity. A commitment to authenticity and growth in becoming a man.
Taking the time, learning who I am.
Later I moved to Los Angeles by myself and am still here.
I jumped in my 2000 Ford Focus with, Brando my Akita puppy and drove from Rhode Island to Los Angeles.
Another milestone was becoming a father for the first time.
Witnessing his birth and holding my son for the first time was an amazing moment and milestone. Each child was the same feeling with the exception of the firstborn because he was the one who transformed me into being a father.
There are many others because growth should be a constant process in life.
An ever evolving story with many chapters, encounters and characters.
Each day and milestone contributes to who I am, with more to come.
When you cave in to materialism, you forfeit your freedom to simply be, to ponder, to exist unbound.
The flash and sparkle that seize your attention, manipulating your mind with coercive persuasion, feeding the soul with vain acquisitions that offer no true fulfillment.
Must-have gadgets, their purpose dictated by the perpetrators of the gadgets. Superfluous items provide hollow sustenance, offering only an illusory solace of fulfillment.
Minimalism offers a chance to truly appreciate what you have, yourself and the time to spend with you. The intangible beauty of life, complimentary and profound, that can transform your experience in and of the world.
To contemplate, unrestrained and free from unnecessary distractions, not suffering the hypnotic pull of meaningless mental turmoil.
Not suffering the stress and anxiety of bill payments, nor the added financial challenges that sustain the perpetual cycle, bound by conditional restraint.
Sidestepping the blue light, breathing in the scent of daylight, this is the prescription.
Break the grip of commercialism and embrace the influence of Mother Nature, a vast spectrum of beauty, a sensory buffet.
Take a walk and notice the beauty right in front of you, free from the programming that obscures the obvious.
Materialism fosters a sense of emptiness and unfulfillment, while minimalism creates space for deeper connections.
