I think it’s fair to say all of our lives have been affected by these lockdowns. I’m not here to argue they’re completely unnecessary, but there is no doubt they have been going on for too long. This has a real impact on society and the individual. I understand the urge to protect people from a virus we know relatively little about, but we also must protect people from another deadly brain disease – despair.
I’ve always struggled to get close to people. I talked a bit about this here and there, but this post isn’t about me. A way I could always find a connection with people is through sports. I belong to an MMA gym where I used to practice Brazilian Jiu Jitsu before lockdowns made that impossible for the last year. At that gym, I was able to connect with several people including one guy in particular who was much more experienced than me, and so I was able to learn a lot from him. We weren’t extremely close, but I think it was fair to say we were friends in the gym. Yesterday, I found out my friend committed suicide.
Now, to be clear, I don’t know all the details surrounding his unfortunate passing. I can say that no one in the gym saw this coming, including myself, and it’s possible, and I would argue likely, that he became depressed in some part due to not being able to live his life fully during the lockdowns. I do know he was supposed to get married last year, but his wedding was pushed off due to lockdowns. I know he always showed up to every BJJ class, but there were no classes available in the last year due to lockdowns. I can only imagine what else he couldn’t do in the last year. The people he could no longer see. The connections and life events he had to suspend. You can’t just suspend the social element in the human being.
In an effort to not make this an anti-lockdown rant, I want to convey a more important message. If you feel depressed or alone or like the life you’re living no longer matters, talk to someone. Don’t wait. Reach out to other members of your family, community, clergy, gym, it doesn’t matter – just talk to someone. We all must go through a bit of suffering, but that doesn’t mean you have to suffer alone.
The additional pain caused by the COVID-19 disease and the lockdowns means we must become a tighter community. I know that seems impossible now, but you might be saving a life if you can find a way to bridge the divide in your own personal capacity. Remember, the person you’re fighting with on social media, or at a rally, or around the dinner table is a person too. There’s plenty of suffering going around and we need to do our best to fight against depression and despair before fighting each other.
I’m not sure God allows you to practice combat sports in heaven, but if he does, I hope you put a good arm bar on the guy like you did me so many times. RIP J.S.
I was listening to some news updates when I heard this CNN clip about the potentially hazardous water in East Palestine, and as soon as I heard her ask the question about whether or not her guest would drink the water, I IMMEDIATELY thought of this clip from South Park. Enjoy.
In this special episode of The Engineering Politics Podcast, Truman from Return To Reason is back for a new video and podcast series titled ‘Revisiting The Road To Serfdom’ where we review F.A. Hayek’s classic work, The Road To Serfdom. This episode covers ‘Chapter 15: The Prospects of International Order’.
This will be an ongoing series that covers the entire book. We put a ton of work into making this insightful and relevant, so we hope you enjoy watching/listening as much as we enjoyed reading and recording.
Become a subscriber of the Engineering Politics Locals Community to support this content. Also, consider joining the @ReturnToReason Locals Community to show Truman some support.
In this episode of The Engineering Politics Podcast, I team up with Truman from @ReturnToReason to interview one of the most intelligent and influential creators in the space of philosophy today. Stephen R.C. Hicks is a Professor of Philosophy at Rockford University, Executive Director of the Center for Ethics and Entrepreneurship, and Senior Scholar at The Atlas Society. He has written many books including Explaining Postmodernism and Nietzsche and the Nazis. We bring him on to talk about the social and political issues we are currently facing in America, and the West more broadly, and what the collectivist ideas of Jean-Jacques Rousseau might have to do with it.
Become a subscriber of the Engineering Politics Locals Community to support this content. Also, consider joining the @ReturnToReason Locals Community to show Truman some support.
In this special episode of The Engineering Politics Podcast, Truman from Return To Reason is back for a new video and podcast series titled ‘Revisiting The Road To Serfdom’ where we review F.A. Hayek’s classic work, The Road To Serfdom. This episode covers ‘Chapter 15: The Prospects of International Order’.
This will be an ongoing series that covers the entire book. We put a ton of work into making this insightful and relevant, so we hope you enjoy watching/listening as much as we enjoyed reading and recording.
Become a subscriber of the Engineering Politics Locals Community to support this content. Also, consider joining the @ReturnToReason Locals Community to show Truman some support.
In this episode of The Engineering Politics Podcast, I team up with Truman from @ReturnToReason to interview one of the most intelligent and influential creators in the space of philosophy today. Stephen R.C. Hicks is a Professor of Philosophy at Rockford University, Executive Director of the Center for Ethics and Entrepreneurship, and Senior Scholar at The Atlas Society. He has written many books including Explaining Postmodernism and Nietzsche and the Nazis. We bring him on to talk about the social and political issues we are currently facing in America, and the West more broadly, and what the collectivist ideas of Jean-Jacques Rousseau might have to do with it.
Become a subscriber of the Engineering Politics Locals Community to support this content. Also, consider joining the @ReturnToReason Locals Community to show Truman some support.
In this special episode of The Engineering Politics Podcast, Truman from @ReturnToReason is back for a new video and podcast series titled ‘Revisiting The Road To Serfdom’ where we review F.A. Hayek’s classic work, The Road To Serfdom. This episode covers ‘Chapter 14: Material Conditions and Ideal Ends’.
This will be an ongoing series that covers the entire book. We put a ton of work into making this insightful and relevant, so we hope you enjoy watching/listening as much as we enjoyed reading and recording.
Become a subscriber of the Engineering Politics Locals Community to support this content. Also, consider joining the @ReturnToReason Locals Community to show Truman some support.
