Tilting At Windmills

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Ladies and gents, we’re going to do something a little different today. I’m going to tell you all a story. It’s a true one, too. No tall tale, no puffery or hyperbole, if I can help it. Just a simple story of something I noticed, then a discussion of what that means. Years ago, I started work at Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany as a temporary contractor. I was actually a temp hired by a contracting company, but I needed a job and they were paying pretty decent by temp standards.

In 2020, the group Black Lives Matter became a driving force in American politics. They ostensibly rallied around the idea that black lives, you know, matter. A bold position, to be sure, because I wasn’t sure anyone really disagreed. Photo by Nicole Baster on Unsplash The issue was that black men were killed during arrests, or died while in custody, and that was enough to decide that no one cared about lives.

There’s something very dangerous in believing that your cause is righteous. What it can lead to is the idea that the ends justify the means, no matter how wrong they might be or how trivial the gains might be. Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash See, there is a time and a place where the ends justify the means. The Civil War was a prime example.

Do you remember being in kindergarten? I have vague recollections of the 70s wood paneling, the playground, and singing songs a whole lot. But then again, that was nearly half a century ago, and I’m doing good to remember yesterday, so I’ll take that as a win. Photo by BBC Creative on Unsplash What I do remember, though, is that I was treated like a small child. This was because I was a small child. Tilting At Windmills is a reader-supported publication.

I grew up watching science fiction. I wasn’t much of a reader until I was in the Navy; then I made up for lost time. Again, science fiction. Photo by Igor Omilaev on Unsplash The doom of mankind coming from artificial intelligence is a staple of science fiction, and it’s a good warning to keep in mind. A true AI wouldn’t necessarily see us as equals or as masters, and that could create some issues.

Photo by Siora Photography on Unsplash When a man does something horrific, particularly toward a woman, there will inevitably be a chorus of women who label all men the same. When men take issue with being lumped in with monsters, we’re attacked. To see a recent phenomenon related to this, think of the man-or-bear thing. A bear isn’t bound by laws beyond those of nature, which include eating things that don’t eat them first.

Photo by Jaredd Craig on Unsplash “The past is a foreign country. They do things differently there.” I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard a variation of that, and it’s true. The past includes a lot of things that look different to us today, and many of them are bad things. But it’s not universally true. Newer isn’t always better. Capitalism developed in the 16th century, while Communism is a much newer artifact, coming out of the Victorian era. Now, tell me which one sucks?

This is the last day to take advantage of my massive birthday sale. That’s right, 53% off ends at midnight tonight, Eastern time tonight. Help me celebrate my 53rd birthday with the biggest sale I’ve ever offered, and you’ve only got today left, so don’t delay! Photo by Fares Hamouche on Unsplash One thing I try to do in my life is to do nothing (else) that would cause me to look at the face in the mirror and look back in judgment.

Today is the second-to-last day to take advantage of the birthday celebration sale. For today and tomorrow, you can get a whopping 53% off a paid membership. There will be no extensions to this sale. Get it now or miss it forever! Photo by Insaanu Studio on Unsplash I’ve been spending a lot of my time thinking about things that deserve to be preserved. This form of stewardship is, admittedly, subjective, but since everyone has their own ideas of what to protect, it balances out, for the most part.