We have entered the post-literate age…

“The darkness is gathering again. Americans, once members of a proudly literate society, read much less than they used to. According to the National Endowment for the Arts, which conducts the most comprehensive survey of the nation’s reading habits, fewer than half of all adults reported having read a book of any kind in 2022. Only 38 percent read a novel or short story. A study analyzing 236,000 responses to the American Time Use Survey found that the proportion of Americans who read for pleasure on any given day fell from 28 percent in 2004 to 16 percent in 2023. (The study looked at people who had read a book, magazine, or newspaper; listened to an audiobook; or read an e-book.) Gambling has become a more common leisure activity than reading a book: Last year, 57 percent of Americans placed a bet.”

Source: The End of Reading Is Here – The Atlantic

(Add the link in incognito mode to read)

“And on the road, you’ll read words from some of America’s greatest leaders, including a quote that inspired that arch that you see right there at the south end of the plaza by Theodore Parker. “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.” It’s a quote that was often invoked by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., but it originally comes from a Boston minister’s sermon more than 170 years ago. And at the time, the abolitionist cause seemed lost, the compromise of 1850 had made harboring fugitive slaves a crime under federal law, even in those states that had abolished slavery. And in a case that garnered national attention, a young fugitive in Boston had been seized and tried and marched to the wharf by hundreds of armed officers, where he was summarily put on a ship bound for the south, where he would remain in shackles and chains. It was a moment of profound uncertainty and despair, a moment the minister called darker than any New England had witnessed. “We do not see, Reverend Theodore Parker observed, “that justice is always done on earth. Many a knave is rich, sleek, and honored, while the just man is poor, hated, and in torment. I do not pretend,” the preacher said, “to understand the moral universe. The arc is a long one. My eye reaches but little ways. I cannot calculate the curve and complete the figure by the experience of sight. I can divine it by conscience, but from what I see, I am sure it bends towards justice.”“

Source: President Obama and Mrs. Obama’s Remarks at the Opening of the Obama Presidential Center | by Barack Obama | Jun, 2026 | Medium

The big picture: 51% of Americans say they are extremely or very proud of being American, down sharply from 82% in 2013.

Source: American pride has fallen off a cliff

Have you ever wondered how the Lewis and Clark Expedition managed to travel through over 4,000 miles of hostile territory basically unmolested? This rifle and how they used it is one of the reasons why.

“The article discusses the Girandoni air rifle, highlighting its significance during the Lewis and Clark expedition. Although this advanced firearm was nearly obsolete by 1810, it played a crucial role in the expedition, providing the explorers with an edge in both protection and hunting. The rifle’s innovative design allowed for rapid firing and a considerable range, contributing to its status as a secret weapon for the expedition team.” Source: The Girandoni Air Rifle: The Lewis and Clark Expedition’s Secret Weapon

I learned this and many other things reading this new book…

“A major revisionist history of the Lewis and Clark expedition: For the first time in a generation, This Vast Enterprise offers a fresh and more accurate account of one of the most important episodes in American history, humanizing forgotten figures and shattering long-held myths.” Amazon.com

Pope Leo has advised priests against utilizing artificial intelligence to compose homilies or to pursue social media approval, particularly on platforms like TikTok. He expressed concerns that such practices could compromise the authenticity and spiritual integrity of their messages. The Pope emphasized the importance of personal connection and the need for priests to focus on genuine communication of their faith, rather than seeking digital validation.

Source: Pope Leo tells priests not to use AI to write homilies or seek likes on TikTok | National Catholic Reporter

I have already told my partner Lori that when I die, I’d like her to leave me in a dumpster on the Notre Dame campus near the football stadium but that’s just a throwaway. I’d really like her to spread my ashes on the Cliffs of Mohr while she blasts Spirit in the Sky from a boombox. Yup. That’s the ticket…

Reconciliation isn’t a cinematic moment. There are rarely swelling violins or a sudden, tearful embrace that wipes away twenty years of silence or friction. In reality, trying to reconcile with a father is a gritty, unglamorous process of dismantling old armor—one rusted plate at a time. I know, I’ve been there and done the work.

It is perhaps one of the most complex emotional maneuvers a person can attempt. It requires balancing the child you once were with the adult you are now, all while looking at a man who is likely just as flawed and frightened as anyone else.