Reflections From the Road
These essays are also available in video form on my YouTube channel.
Bad Bunny Wasn’t Divisive. The Reaction Was
A man stepped onto the largest stage in American entertainment and sang about love. He sang in Spanish, the language he grew up with. Behind him, a simple message filled the screen: the only thing more powerful than hate is love. He spoke of America as a shared hemisphere, naming the countries that stretch from north to south as part of a single story. The performance was calm, celebratory, and expansive. Yet it was quickly described as divisive.
True Autonomy and the Path Forward
Autonomy is not an abstract idea. It appears in the choices people make, the responsibilities they take on, and the confidence they carry in shaping their own lives. It grows through practice. It fades when people stop using it. And in recent years, it has slipped away from the places where it once lived.
Local Power Over Nationalist Dependency
National pride can offer a sense of belonging, a reminder that people share a common story. It becomes something different when it encourages dependence on a distant figure or a centralized identity. It pulls attention away from the places where people actually live their lives. When that happens, the structure of freedom begins to lean in the wrong direction.