cliquedupgang

There’s a seductive luxury in being able to ignore political reality. To shop, love, raise children, work, and even pray without understanding the politics shaping the realities and destinies of our lives. It no longer sounds thoughtful or considerate to say, “There are three things I don’t discuss: politics, race, and religion.” Now it sounds like an ostrich with its head in the sand; sheltering the mind while the body still suffers the storm. Politics is dangerous because it governs...

What does it take to be impactful? True impact is not the moment someone looks out; it’s what happens after they look within. But we don’t want to adhere to the discipline and time it takes to earn insightful impact, so we shortcut to it with beauty, athleticism, money, prestige, etc. But these are just accelerants... not real energy sources. They may shorten the distance or buy entry. They can grant you an audience before you’ve earned the solidarity. But they are shortcuts to attention, not...

A new beginning in the coldest season of the year feels counterintuitive at first. Yet, upon reflection, there is something transformative about examining the most barren parts of your life. Winter offers no distractions. No lushness. No illusions. Only absence. Only cold. Only truth. And it is in that clarity, in that unforgiving honesty that we envision through our truest lens. Here, resolve is not cosmetic. It is not optimistic. It is not performative. It is the kind of resolve that...