Being one month into the new digs here at Live Well, I thought it worthwhile to take a quick moment to restate or emphasize what I’m doing here. Bottom line, I want to bring value to you as my readers. I want you to experience the best possible life. I do want you to Live Well. I said as much in my manifesto for the site. However, as I look back and consider the things that interest me, I notice something that might need clarification.
What I am NOT doing is trying to write a mere self-help blog or motivational blog. There are some really good ones out there, or some that you can find excellent motivation within their pages. I really like what Chris has to say and just today I ran into Havi’s site (very quirky, very insightful. . .and a duck). But that’s not really what I do, or its not all that I do.
You see, I love to talk about our country and society in general. If you ask my students, you’ll get an earful about this, both positively and negatively. Some of them tell me that meeting me and having our ongoing conversations was the best thing they experienced at the College. Others complain, nicely enough of course, that I can’t seem to keep my political opinions out of the classroom. You can go to ratemyprofessor.com for more interesting comments, positive and negative, but that’s not the point. I could argue that any current day political conversation that emerges in the classroom comes from the fact that I teach history and that I strive to always connect the topic we are studying with our current life. I also take some pride in the fact that I take all political groups to task.
Anyway, the point is that when I think about “Living Well,” that concept does not only reside in the individual domain. In fact, I would offer that it is very difficult for an individual to find any personal success in a society that is crumbling (just ask the Romans of the 4th-5th centuries). Certainly, I do write to encourage you personally (and do even more through my free exclusive email newsletter), but often my writing is looking at the larger issue of how society and culture can Live Well. I know that if I can help you be bold and live your dream, that will indeed help society, your city, our world. But, if I can also help point out issues and concerns for all of us, then that can help society, your city, our world become a better place in which you can thrive.
Ultimately, it all comes down to my love of community. For the past 12 years, my wife and I have led a small band of fun-loving, merry spiritual travelers on the journey of life. The human is created for connection. We can’t thrive without it. We can’t succeed without it. And we certainly can’t Live Well without community. So, I hope you will continue to stick around as I bounce far and wide on issues of the day and issues of your private life, from encouragement on living boldly to concerns of how society and culture drifting off the path of success.