Brad Mathews, Author

Category: Current Events

  • Nuance Has Taken a Vacation

    I came across this photograph earlier, and it made me reflect on some things. I challenge you now to name this edifice. Hint: it’s a famous neoclassical monument in Europe and you have probably seen pictures of it before. This structure is known for its more prominent side. It is the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin,…

  • Cancel Your Car Insurance, Cancel Your Syrup, Cancel Everything!

    Imagine you are standing on the bank of a tranquil lake in the blue light just after dawn, before the sun has crept over the horizon to chase away the subtle mist that has enshrouded the landscape. You are there alone, peering at your dancing reflection on the glassy water, challenging yourself to make a…

  • A is for Atonement

    As America continues to grapple with the subject of police reform and racism, it has become increasingly clear that we need change if we are to move past these issues. According to recent polling, the vast majority of Americans would agree with that statement. Do you remember the Disney movie Zootopia, which proclaimed that anyone…

  • When ‘Live and Let Live’ Became ‘My Way or the Highway’

    I believe that kindness remains an overall value of American life. When we participate equally in the American dream, we are able to fight apathy with empathy. It is a value bigger than ourselves, deeply ingrained in our way of life. Foreigners often comment, with varying degrees of discomfort, that Americans tend to smile and…

  • Bad Ideas for Bad Times

    We live in a world where problems are plentiful, solutions few, and agreed-upon actions virtually non-existent. Our society has not always been this way. Our nation has shared many triumphs over the years since its founding and few of us would disagree. Big solutions for big problems require unity. Some problems have good ideas and…

  • Justice Can Only be Served if it Feeds All

        When Americans talk about justice, we refer to a system where all are presumed innocent until proven guilty. It is a system that, in its only true form, serves everyone equally. When we start making exceptions to that rule, justice becomes a myth. Our criminal justice system has been a patchwork of laws…

  • Changing the Discussion

    Lost somewhere amidst the swirling torrent of news surrounding the current COVID-19 madness lies another disaster, lurking just beneath the surface as our society grapples with a major crisis. If you are familiar with the way the news industry operates, it is easy to see why one issue is ignored in favor of covering the…

  • PANdemIC in the USA

    As the world around us crumbles into a dissonant sphere of chaos, we must seek perspective while maintaining vigilance. To balance all the perilous extremes our society now faces, we need to look within ourselves to find meaning. As it stands now, that may be our only choice. Misinformation explodes around us, infecting us each…