Encouragement 2025 Year in Review
This was a long year. I had less than ideal health in January – I was briefly unable to swallow water – and I lost my father in early February.
Hi all --
I'm planning on opening every post from now on with a spotlight on the writing of the incarcerated. It is absolutely disgusting that war criminals and their enablers dominate the airwaves, social media, and print. We need to hear from those who are vulnerable and voiceless. With no further ado, please read Amanda Ewing's "Inflation Doesn't Stop at the Prison Gates." A passage that I know more people need to hear about prison in Arkansas:
The money most of us receive from outside sources often barely covers basic necessities. For those with no outside financial support, Arkansas offers $12 per month, which stretches even less. Residents inside do not receive any pay for state-mandated jobs, so we can’t earn money through work.
I trust y'all to make sure that people who say prison is a picnic receive appropriate correction.
Kyla Houbolt, "Mr. N + 0"
Kyla Houbolt's got a neat poem about the justice we want for these world leaders who are not unlike rats. There's that sense of exhaustion dealing with them. We'd like nature to exact justice, for their deeds to get what is fitting and no more. Having to think about them all the time is so damn oppressive.
Encouragement 2025 Year in Review
This was a long year. I had less than ideal health in January – I was briefly unable to swallow water – and I lost my father in early February.
I made time for family, kept reading and blogging, focused on teaching, developed student programming, and tried to publish. I now have two papers under review, one on Plato and another on Heidegger. A roundup of what the Sigma Kappa Delta students of my school achieved is here: "We Grow Together." (I won't lie, I revisit this one often.) A lesson plan on devastating flooding and the role of government got heartfelt, serious responses: "A Summary of the Responses to the Lesson Plan on the Texas Floods." It's neat to have the blog and some documentation of what I achieved. After January and February, I am happy to be able to count my blessings.
The weird thing is realizing I need a larger roundup of what I blogged. I created a big pile of stuff and I'm cringing at the very thought of that. I talk this much? And it feels a bit strange to create a roundup post when others are getting published in places like The New Yorker and their agents are begging them to do more media. But it is precisely when you are your own editor and publisher that you have to know what you owe yourself. Below, I have highlighted a post from each month of 2025, excluding December:
January
"The Opening of Ta-Nehisi Coates' The Message" – I wondered about the epistolary form of Coates' book. Is there a message in that alone?
February
"On the pursuit of Happiness" – I wrote this to help my students answer a midterm question. It serves as a core statement of my own political philosophy: the materialism of the United States is blinding.
March
Carol Snow, "Tour" – What is spirituality, exactly?
April
Franz Wright, "P.S." – "There is hope in the past," Wright declares. We owe it to him to think through how that works.
May
"Regarding Three Posts by Helen De Cruz" – We lost the philosopher Helen De Cruz this year. Her blog was especially helpful for our philosophy club on campus.
June
Wisława Szymborska, "Vermeer" – Vermeer's depiction of a milkmaid leads Szymborska to see the world as worth saving. Hers is a tough thought for tough times.
July
"Existentialism and the Concept of Man" – I read Witold Gombrowicz's short introduction to philosophy over the summer. I was interested in his pointing out that for Kierkegaard, the "concept of man" does not exist.
August
"On Plato's Cave" – The Allegory of the Cave and its extended account of learned, structured ignorance is unfortunately very relevant to us today.
September
"Sigma Kappa Delta, Psi Alpha Chapter Guide for Officers" – or "Dr. Karra's guide to leadership." Definitely trying to act on the ideas in the second half of the guide for myself.
October
Ye Hui, "The Witch" – What is actually terrifying?
November
You should read Tatiana Schlossberg's "A Battle with my Blood" – a remarkable document. If you need a copy, ask, I have the .pdf.
Thank you for reading, thank you for your support. If you find anything I've written valuable, please share the link with others. I can certainly use more subscribers. I'll try to post once more before the New Year, but if not: Happy New Year! Hoping for more solidarity, justice, and peace in 2026.