There are only nine days left until Halloween, so I feel in the mood to write about this holiday. This holiday is one of my favorites because of its fantastic aesthetic. Halloween is a holiday with a storied past. It’s often misunderstood by well-meaning people, who think it to be an intimidating and possibly demonic …
Author Archives: brenthegwood
Why I Hate Politics
Hate is seen as an ugly thing, especially in polite society. But hatred is not evil in itself. When hatred is motivated by virtue, it’s a good thing, but hatred motivated by vice is wicked. The telltale sign that your hatred is virtuous is the object of one’s hatred. Is it what a person does, …
Why I Love Writing
What sets the arts apart from other pursuits? Emotional satisfaction? Performance? Aesthetic appreciation? Sure, all of these things are important parts of art, but what truly sets apart an art is that its activity is one done for its own sake. When a painter paints, he does so because the painting is an end in …
Man’s Best Friend
This week, I celebrated Biscuit’s fifth birthday. Who is Biscuit? Why, he’s only the family dog. He’s an adorable, playful, and rambunctious bundle of fur that I really enjoy hanging out with. Like all of my family members, he supports me and inspires me to be a better person. For that, I’m always grateful for …
The Destruction of Values
I’ve stated in an earlier post that a lot of the disagreements threatening to tear our society apart have to do with differences in values, differences in what we consider to be good or evil, important or unimportant. These kinds of moral disagreements lead to demonization, tribalism, confusion, and nihilism. I’ve seen on the Internet …
Reflections on 9/11, Nineteen Years Later
I hardly remember September 11th, 2001. As a kindergartener, nobody would tell me anything, and outside of my being taken out of school for a few days, my life didn’t really change. People like to say that 9/11 was a momentous occasion, a turning point, the moment America was jolted awake. But from my experience, …
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Happy Grandparents’ Day!
About a month ago, I talked about my father’s mother, Nanny. In honor of Grandparents’ day, I’m going to talk about Grandma and Grandpa, my mother’s parents. They have both been positive rays of light in my life. From an early age, I grew to adore them, and that feeling has only gotten stronger. Here’s …
Dangerous Distractions
Bad habits are hard to break. We all know this from experience because everyone has one or two bad habits that bite them in the rear. They take away valuable time and they are harmful to your overall health and success in life. My bad habit is no different. My worst bad habit is my …
Why I Love My Brother
Of all the things I like to talk about on this blog, I think family is one of my most favorite things. I’ve written before about my mom, my dad, and my dad’s mom. But it just occurred to me this week that I never got around to talking about my brother, Braden. Today, I …
Give Me Five Of Those
You’ve seen it before. You walk into your Wal-Mart looking for just a handful of ingredients: milk, eggs, peanut butter, and water bottles. Just enough to make it through the week. But then you see something on sale. Then another. And another. And another. Pretty soon, you’re walking out of the store with a hundred …