Journal

Short reads on anxiety, decisions, forgiveness, and the questions worth sitting with.

A general in a bicorne hat sits on a battlefield admiring a stack of money

MeaningJune 9, 2026

Money or doing what you love? Machiavelli says money first

Everyone says follow your passion. Machiavelli says that's advice for people who already have money. Five minds on the salary-or-dream question.

Painting of a skeleton seated at a table beside a weary man slumped in a chair in a dim room

Painting of a skeleton seated at a table beside a weary man slumped in a chair in a dim room

RelationshipsJune 15, 2026

Do I owe my parents? Jesus says owe is the wrong word

Painting of a woman in a white dress surrounded by several men pressing in around her

Painting of a woman in a white dress surrounded by several men pressing in around her

RelationshipsJune 14, 2026

Does her body count matter? Marcus says it shows who she is

View from the bottom of a deep pit looking up at silhouetted figures standing around the rim against a blue sky

View from the bottom of a deep pit looking up at silhouetted figures standing around the rim against a blue sky

MeaningJune 12, 2026

Why do bad people win? Buddha says they didn't

Two politicians shaking hands in the Oval Office, each concealing a knife behind his back

Two politicians shaking hands in the Oval Office, each concealing a knife behind his back

DilemmasJune 12, 2026

Is it better to know a painful truth or stay ignorant?

Two figures in pink-duotone silhouette parting at the water's edge on a beach

Two figures in pink-duotone silhouette parting at the water's edge on a beach

RelationshipsJune 10, 2026

Is it better to have loved and lost, or never loved at all?

A laurel-crowned Roman ruler seen from behind, raising a hand to a vast army stretching to the horizon

A laurel-crowned Roman ruler seen from behind, raising a hand to a vast army stretching to the horizon

StrategyJune 10, 2026

Feared or loved? Marcus says wanting to be feared is weak

A lone figure standing with arms outstretched on a clifftop above a misty river valley, in black and white

A lone figure standing with arms outstretched on a clifftop above a misty river valley, in black and white

MeaningJune 9, 2026

Stop caring what people think? Machiavelli says care more

Painted portrait of Marcus Aurelius

Painted portrait of Marcus Aurelius

StoicismJune 4, 2026

What Marcus Aurelius would tell you about anxiety

Painted portrait of Jesus

Painted portrait of Jesus

DilemmasJune 2, 2026

Should you forgive? Jesus and Nietzsche disagree

Painted portrait of Niccolo Machiavelli

Painted portrait of Niccolo Machiavelli

DecisionsMay 30, 2026

How to make a hard decision, according to Machiavelli