An Active Listener

Pursuing a Market for Grace —
in politics, culture, and life

“We think we listen, but very rarely do we listen with real understanding, true empathy. Yet listening, of this very special kind, is one of the most potent forces of change that I know.”
— Carl Rogers

Recent Posts

  • Protestors and My Assumptions of Them
    I’ve been put off by protestors for years. The ICE incursions in Minneapolis forced me to reckon with those presumptions — and to find the better angels I’d been ignoring.
  • I Didn’t Go to the Protest Last Week. Now I Wish I Had.
    I Didn’t Go to the Protest Last Week. Now I Wish I Had. Around 50,000 people protested in downtown Minneapolis on January 23, and I decided not to go. To … Read more
  • Is Die Hard a Christmas Movie?
    Long ago, I listened to men on the radio argue over an odd question: Is Die Hard is a Christmas movie? It struck me as absurd. Of course it isn’t. It’s … Read more
  • So Who Receives SNAP?
      When the federal government closed for forty-three days, America talked a lot about the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Who receives the money? What are they like? Do they … Read more
  • Ted Lasso Overcoming Evil with Good
    Ted Lasso Overcoming Evil with Good Ted Lasso has been all the rage in the 2020s. It’s won awards, public affection, and it serves as a model story of leadership … Read more