There are bigger reasons at play than an insane madman flexing power — In August 2008, the geopolitical intelligence company I worked for went on red alert. Red alerts were an internal code for “All hands on deck. Something in the world just exploded.” That day, I got to work creating maps of Russian and Georgian troop movements in Abkhazia and South Ossetia…

When history, arts, and the humanities are no longer taught, the wheel of history repeats travesty — When the HBO miniseries Watchmen released, social media exploded with discussions about the portrayal of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre in its opening sequence. As a native born Oklahoman, I found myself surprised the world was aloof to incident. Growing up in Oklahoma, you learned about the massacre from a…

The echo chamber problem and the quest for diverse voices in a new Boost publication — In 1992, I campaigned for George H. W. Bush to win the presidency. Not legally, mind you, as I was in 5th grade, but my classroom had been assigned a project revolving around debate to demonstrate how the American democratic system worked. I chose Bush, not because I aligned with…

Exploring the good, bad, and ugly of serving in the smallest US minority — the American military — Raymond Buchan passed shortly before arriving at the medical bay. Just before they laid him on the table, he died from the wounds he’d sustained after being shot through the collarbone and jaw. We held his memorial a few days later where I stood like a robot, uncertain of what…

How the West, Iran, civilian casualties, and geopolitics will dictate the outcome of the war — There’s a photo I often revisit of a fellow teammate and a young Iraqi child. A terrorist cell detonated large explosives in a crowded area, prompting a mass casualty evacuation. Terrorists would then use this tactic to lure American soldiers into an ambush while capitalizing on the human collateral. …

In 1989, I was eight years old and played on a soccer team named “Stars & Stripes.” Cold War fever was still in full swing despite us not knowing the war was in its final years, hence my soccer team’s name. Back then, we were proud to buy American. If…

Unmasking the super-rich’s obsession with self-preservation and the public’s growing ire — In the summer of 2018, I read Douglas Rushkoff’s seminal article, Survival of the Richest. The article alarmed most readers as Rushkoff had been invited to attend a secretive Silicon Valley retreat, where “five super-wealthy guys… from the upper echelon of the hedge fund world” sought advice to secure their…

Unraveling the hoopla and culture wars in light of authentic Christianity — Throughout my 30s, I spent my summers on the traveling music festival, Vans Warped Tour, working for a nonprofit. As one of a handful of Christians on the tour, there was quite a lot of stigma to overcome. To the dismay of many — Christian and non-Christian alike — I…

Facing survivor’s guilt, finding redemption, and learning to embrace life after the ultimate sacrifice — Kyle was supposed to be the writer, not me. My mom often referred to Kyle as her “third son” when introducing him to family friends because he would visit my parents even when I wasn’t home. The minute he walked in the door to my childhood home, he would drop…