Poetic Creation: Illuminating the Mystery of Divine Love

Love is the colossal mystery at the heart of the universe—a mystery that haunts every corner of our lives as we ponder what we see around us. It is the light illuminating the nothingness within the atom and the chorus singing through the darkness between the stars. We often have a utilitarian view of nature, with horses for riding, trees for building and burning, and … Continue reading Poetic Creation: Illuminating the Mystery of Divine Love

Hillsdale ForumOctober 17, 2023January 11, 2024Leave a comment

ISSUE #40 | MAR 2023, LIVING

Love and Forgetfulness

When I was in fifth grade, I used to listen to audiobooks. My favorite was C. S. Lewis’ The Silver Chair; I eventually listened to it so many times that I memorized the whole thing and would retell the story to my sisters as we drove to school with my dad in the mornings. Those who have read this story know that memory pervades the … Continue reading Love and Forgetfulness

Hillsdale ForumJuly 20, 2023January 11, 2024Leave a comment

Film Reviews, ISSUE #40 | MAR 2023

Sweet, True Fantasy: How Free Guy Reflects Eternity

When I sat down to watch Free Guy, I was expecting some kind of imitation of the movie Ready Player One, where characters from within and without a video game must save it from being commandeered by a greedy tyrant, a pleb rises to prominence, and cheesy comedy and cringey romance abound. What I got instead was a stunningly clever film that tackles some of … Continue reading Sweet, True Fantasy: How Free Guy Reflects Eternity

Hillsdale ForumJuly 20, 2023January 11, 2024Leave a comment

ISSUE #35 | DEC 2021, Religion

Suffering Redeemed: Work as an Act of Love

While it is true that manual labor has an inherent value, to focus primarily on the meaning of the activity and ignore the way that activity is experienced largely misses the point I have heard many different philosophical explanations for the value of hard work and the dignity of America’s working class. They offer a response to those among the upper and upper- middle classes … Continue reading Suffering Redeemed: Work as an Act of Love

Hillsdale ForumDecember 14, 2021January 11, 2024Leave a comment

ISSUE #33 | MAY 2021, LIVING

Attention

I wasn’t involved much on campus my freshman year. I devoted most of my time to an unusual class schedule (and to pouring over the course catalog whenever something set me back in my intended major), and the rest of it went to spending time with people. So when a sophomore I’d just met asked me what I did with my time, I came up … Continue reading Attention

Hillsdale ForumJune 27, 2021January 11, 2024Leave a comment

ISSUE #33 | MAY 2021, Music Reviews

“Take Me to Church”: Hozier and Man’s Innate Religious Impulse

Perhaps pagan, apparently agnostic, undeniably unchristian—whatever category you apply, Hozier’s music is fundamentally religious. Rather than divorcing faith from art, Andrew Hozier-Byrne, who performs under the stage name Hozier, brings religion to center stage. He wrestles with God in both of his albums, inviting his audience to actively contemplate the afterlife and critically analyze the nature of worship alongside him. His disdain for institutionalized Christianity, … Continue reading “Take Me to Church”: Hozier and Man’s Innate Religious Impulse

Hillsdale ForumJune 27, 2021January 11, 20245 Comments

ISSUE #31 | MAR 2021, Religion

The Risky Business of Loving

And now I’m terrified of loving ‘Coz I’m terrified of pain And of missing out on human things By cowering away ~ (Gang of Youths, Go Farther In Lightness, “Fear and Trembling”) I stumbled across these lyrics over Christmas break and was immediately struck by the struggle expressed here and its relevance to the human condition. Here the singer, David Le’aupepe, vocalizes his deep fear … Continue reading The Risky Business of Loving

Hillsdale ForumApril 14, 2021January 11, 2024Leave a comment

Film Reviews, ISSUE #31 | DEC 2020

Baby Driver and the Art of Letting Go

Edgar Wright’s Baby Driver first and foremost delivers on sheer entertainment value; it cannot help but be fun. The premise of a getaway driver who obsesses over music and synchronizes his driving and actions to the music delivers all the satisfaction of a well-choreographed dance while retaining all of the fun and intensity of high-speed car chases. With these two combined in such an incredibly … Continue reading Baby Driver and the Art of Letting Go

Hillsdale ForumJanuary 7, 2021January 11, 2024Leave a comment

ISSUE #30 | OCT 2020, LIVING

Searching for Ted

Sitting down to dinner together last year, my friend Jess asked me the same question we had begun to ask one another each time we met: “Where did you see Ted this week?” Anyone listening to our conversation might assume we were talking about a mutual friend, but that assumption would be wrong. Ted isn’t a friend of ours; in fact, the name doesn’t apply … Continue reading Searching for Ted

Hillsdale ForumOctober 27, 2020January 11, 2024Leave a comment

ISSUE #30 | OCT 2020, Miscellaneous

Berlioz’s Song: A Brief Dialogue on Love and Wanting

Berlioz’s Song: A Brief Dialogue on Love and Wanting Persons: François-the Cynic, and composer Hector Berlioz-the Romantic The Scene: The deck of a ferry, crossing the English Channel to Britain. January, 1831. THE CYNIC. Pardon me, sir, I don’t mean to interrupt your writing, but are you Hector Berlioz? THE ROMANTIC. Ah, yes, I am. Always a pleasure to meet an admirer, please sit down! … Continue reading Berlioz’s Song: A Brief Dialogue on Love and Wanting