Every Wednesday I post a handful of articles, blog posts, videos, columns, books or anything I find interesting and worth your time. Ranging from thought-provoking to funny to ridiculous, most are things I stumbled upon in the past week. Hope you enjoy, and thanks for reading along!
"Short Read" = 10 Minutes or less. "Long Read" = 10 Minutes or longer.
#1 - In Search of Humble Prophets - E.J. Dionne Jr. - Washington Post (Short Read)
An election year reveals much about the state of affairs across disciplines within our cultural landscape. But what has been most glaring from my perspective is our inability to discuss cultural matters in an effective way. EJ Dionne, writing in his opinion piece for the Washington Post also takes note of this dilemma, specifically in our religious discourses. The overt politicization of religion has led not too greater influence of religious thought, but of enflamed oversimplified answers with little deep intellectual thought in regards to the ways our religious beliefs influence and inform our decision making. His piece is a call for religious intellectuals to lead the way in public discourse, writing, "Humble prophets are hard to find, especially in this election year, but they have a special vocation: to remind the skeptical that religion, which can indeed by divisive, is also a moral prod and an intellectual spark."
#2 - Anne Frank Today Is a Syrian Girl - Nicholas Kristof - NYTimes (Short Read)
The devastation of the Syria that floods our news feeds daily is at times overwhelming. But what Kristof offers in this short piece is a different perspective to remind ourselves of our past. Kristof has long been critical of President Obama's decision making in regards to Syria, and here his critique is no different. "Otto Frank was unable to get visas for his family members," writes Kristof, "who were victims in part of American paranoia, demagogy and indifference. History rhymes." The article details the similarities to Anne Frank's family's struggle to escape the Nazi Regime and their inability to find safe haven as refugees and that of the current refugee crisis.
#3 - Corporate Ethics In The Era Of Millennials - Paul A. Argenti - NPR (Long Read)
As a millennial myself, there is nothing that gets more tiring than the ad nauseam critiques against my generation. and worn-out than the countless critiques of my generation. Certainly, we have our problems as does ever generation (yes, even you Boomers!); but there I'll argue there are far more positives than negatives about a generation that has more influence on our world than any generation currently. And in this piece Argenti notes one of those ways that Millennials are bringing needed change to our global economy, by our emphasis on a triple bottom-line and Corporate social responsibility. Argenti writes, "The think pieces about the millennials have been written, dissected and rewritten. Although each generation bemoans the faults of the following ones, perhaps it's time we give millennials credit where credit is due: They are forcing business to do good while doing well."
#4 - Kaepernick is Asking for Justice, Not Peace - Bomani Jones - The Undefeated (Short Read)
Certainly you have read a litany of responses to Kaepernick's choice to sit during the national anthem. And certainly you have seen and read the many strong opinions. In this article, Bomani Jones offers a well-written view in defense of Kaepernick. Read with an open mind, the issue is far more complex and deserves more thought than flippant response. Bomani writes, "There's nothing American about settling for good enough, let alone being satisfied with not-as-bad-as-it-used-to-be. And there's nothing American about muzzling a dissenting voice, especially one whose life is the sort of story people cite as an example of the American dream."
#5 - Just Mercy - Criminal Podcast (25 Minutes)
A friend of mine sent me a link to this episode of Criminal and was fascinated with Bryan Stevenson's (the main figure of the episode) story. Stevenson has spent 30 years working to get people off of death row. In doing so, he has seen the brutality of the death penalty and spent countless hours with men in their final hours.