GreenMan Substack Podcast

As I continue to write, I’ve noticed that the direct act of writing takes a backseat most of the time to a host of other related tasks: noticing, pondering, building the conceptual scaffolding of an essay, sensing that a concept I’m working on has tangents that could all be little essays themselves. Put together they could be a book. Mapping feels more accurate at times. Instead of writing somethi...

I grew up with Madonna songs and videos on the radio and MTV. She was and is larger than life: a world-famous pop star, sex symbol--strong, beautiful, and overflowing with taboo. I knew the songs but I was never a fan who owned her music. I recognized her talent and daring. She challenged us as a culture to accept and respect strong women on their terms. She sings with a sweet, well-trained voice....

I was surprised at a recent epiphany. I had to double-take when the word came to my mind because mercy usually denotes a situation where force and aggression were on the menu. But it rang true in a deep place, despite the apparent mismatch with the situation I was considering. Yet I didn’t know what to say about it without my words sounding forced and trite. So I left it alone for days. I was in t...

I remember decades ago when Paul Simon’s Graceland album and the title song arrived on the radio and in our collective imagination. I was a middle school student, learning about Biblical allusions in novels like The Old Man and the Sea. So when I heard the title track, Graceland, I knew he was talking about heaven as much as Elvis’ sprawling mansion. The meaning was layered and I was privy because...

A year ago I awoke with a melancholy song in my head and a knowing ache in my heart. Enter Springsteen’s Bobby Jean : his tender goodbye to a band-mate and dear friend. The song reminisced about their shared history over a sentimental soundtrack. Through this transmission I sensed that I had to reluctantly let go of someone I cherished–someone I was certain would be my forever person. Spirit usher...

Like many, I knew the powerful, yet over-played Jefferson Airplane hits from the 60s like Somebody to Love , sung by Grace Slick. Yet, among others of the time, this band was deeply talented; their repertoire went far deeper than the singles. The Marty Balin offerings really struck me: his rich voice, his ballads tender and unabashed. The eclectic album Surrealistic Pillow epitomized the San Franc...

I tried to write this post about a movie but it turns out the movie wasn’t that interesting—except for one key scene and the meaning it imparted. X-Men Wolverine: Origins is that of which I speak. Logan is one of my favorite characters, and not just for the talented actor or the cool healing powers, but for the deep mythic meaning. He’s a survivor, a warrior, but not a 1-dimensional cliche. He’s a...

I read The Hobbit And the Lord of the Rings trilogy way back in High School. I still marvel at my capacity for such concentration in those far-gone days. It was quite an undertaking and a needed escape. Years later, I rejoiced at the movie’s capacity to craft the world the novel had transmitted to my mind’s eye all those years earlier. The story centers around a powerful and evil magic ring that h...

If you enjoy my writing, please consider liking, sharing with friends, commenting or becoming a paid subscriber. I posted some months back about the choices we face in life in a post entitled: We can distill these options, these stances, down into Love or Fear, Power or Force. I was discussing the many similarities between two seminal books in my library: Power VS Force and Love is Letting Go of F...

In popular culture, being called a fool is an insult. Fools are not taken seriously and are often ostracized. Being foolish means to waste time on non-productive aims. In literature, fools like don Quixote are lampooned for ‘chasing at windmills.’ They misunderstand and are easily tricked. But I argue that we dismiss the power and importance of the fool at our peril. One can be a fool intellectual...

I was busy working in the sun—immersed, trimming things, and feeling the crisp aliveness of the wind on my skin. Then suddenly it dawned on me that there was a time before I loved her. (I know this is trite, but humor me for a bit) Such was the inner non-sequitur that interrupted my link with nature that day. Similarly, this love pulled me from the dazed tunnel vision I had been employing. She bec...

This one is personal to me, but perhaps it’s also a universal response to the vagaries of life. I love how we keep excavating more of what makes humans tick. We used to say fight or flight . Then we added freeze . Later we began discussing fawning , people pleasing, as a new trauma response. Well I think we need to add force to the list. First, let me define my term. In this case, I mean when we p...

I love movie macguffins. In Ghostbusters , crossing the streams was the ultimate taboo for the characters to avoid when using their proton packs to catch ghosts. Egon was afraid doing so would cause a cellular chain reaction that could do untold harm. And yet, spoiler alert, it was the only way the boys were able to prevail against the enemy in the final climactic scene. They had to break the rule...

We intuit the need for compromise when we think of meeting in the middle. Both sides give ground and are willing to lose in order to negotiate peace. But the insight I’m experiencing isn’t encapsulated by the former frame of reference. I had been asking for miracles in my life from the perspective of learned helplessness. Then I considered some of the situations where I was grateful for recent gif...

I am one of those Taylor Swift fans who doesn’t like her music, though I enjoy her generosity, outspokenness and strength. So you can imagine my surprise when I heard a song of hers that I liked, the moody This is Me Trying . It felt less polished and commercial. I liked the atmosphere, the pace and the vampy tone. But what stuck out to me were the questions it raised about life, relationships and...

I remember a person from my youth mentioning that a tiger can’t change his stripes. I would debate them with the opposite point; I thought we were more affected by nurture than nature. Both sides of the argument have valid points. I see the tiger argument as being cover for a person who doesn’t want to change and thus has formed his beliefs around this resistance. “I’m just like this,” they might...

Please check out this recording for a description of my interview series. Episode 1 should land early next week. Thanks to all my subscribers for reading my posts and commenting and sharing. ~Jason This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit greenmang.substack.com/subscribe

In a courtroom, the accused cannot plead ignorance. We are responsible for following the laws of the land, even if we don’t know what they are. The onus is on us to adhere to the myriad laws of cities, counties, states and nations—all at once. We are at the mercy of the power society wields. In our personal lives, we wonder at the very nature of reality. We may not know what we want, who we are an...

I love etymology , the study of the evolution of the meanings of words. Such explorations can parallel and inform our search for a more personal understanding. When society offers ready-made explanations and well-worn paths, we may seek satisfaction in a search of our own. Redeem is a word layered in meanings and usage: one that we use in business and in personal life. We can redeem a coupon. We c...

The grave title evokes images of treachery, of pirate ships on the high seas and dramatic historical events. A mutiny is a violent act of rebellion and betrayal. And yet, some historical mutinies may have been justified or inevitable. I wonder if such metaphors can shed light on our inner landscapes and unseen internal power-struggles. Over time, the main focus of my writing has shifted from the m...

What was so compelling about the movie, Bladerunner? I was changed by this movie, despite rewatching and finding it slow 25 years later. I'll blame screens and my ADHD. Obviously it was well cast and acted. There were huge, memorable scenes and much novelty and exposition. The Film Noir feel set a gloomy mood: darkness, rain, endless night and disconnection. An urban future dystopia that spoke of...

I’ve been writing essays for ten years, 5 in earnest. I began writing about insights that came through me. Some inner voice would urge me to speak on a subject; politics, our culture, the arts, philosophy and personal development were the main subjects. I see how we exchange ideas via social media and other interactions. We often adopt ideas and stances when one of our preferred thinkers presents...

People are dynamic. But deeper, people are a collection of cells, of bacteria, of memories, of the genetics of their forebears. We are singular and we are collective. Together we make couples and families and neighborhoods. We are part of counties, states, nations and a planet. All of these collections of people are entities themselves. They have collective voices and desires, trajectories and des...

As a nuanced thinker, I like to debunk false binaries. Memes can present us with false choices that can be socially divisive and easily falsifiable. Life is full of grey areas and context. And yet, sometimes binaries are appropriate. Two books have had an outsize effect on me: Power VS Force and Love is Letting Go of Fear. Both books about binaries written by men who wanted to help show people the...

Let that sink in . That phrase keeps coming to mind. I think we're so task-oriented that we move on to the next challenge or class, the next problem, the next fault. What we often forego is looking around and assessing with gratitude and admiration, the fruits of our labor. We might forget to take stock of what we just accomplished and how we've grown. If we did, we might notice that we slayed a d...