Two things can be truly harmful to an individual or a society: the loss of a sense of confidence, and the acquisition of a consuming sense of shame. What are these qualities, and why are they so deleterious? We analyze and discuss.

What do young men really want? What impulses and motivations drive their thinking? I offer four fundamental necessities.

A reader is concerned that hanging around with a certain group of friends might get him into problems or trouble. He is unsure how to deal with the situation, and asks for some guidance on the best course of action. For some people, this is an easily-handled situation, but for others, it is not. We discuss.

After reading Charles Leerhsen's excellent biography of baseball player Ty Cobb, it's clear that each of us is responsible for making sure that misinformation and lies do not go unanswered. For decades, Ty Cobb was maligned as a venomous "racist," a murderer, a dirty player, and everything in between. It turns out that these stories were wholesale fabrications. But Cobb should have done more to stop the misinformation from achieving such currency. We discuss.

In this podcast, we discuss two films: "Joker" (2019), and "The Killing Fields" (1984), both of which you should see.

In this podcast we discuss two movies: "Never Look Away" (2018), a German coming-of-age drama directed by Florian von Donnersmarck, and "Ad Astra" (2019), the space drama starring Brad Pitt and directed by James Gray.

In this podcast we deal with two recent emails. One email asks about the military: what lessons did I learn, and how did it change me. Another email asks about what he should be studying in college, and what sort of career he should pursue. There are no easy answers to these questions, but just talking about them can be of real benefit.

Does it sometimes seem as if there are no leaders of substance any more? That, as we look around the world, or around our nation, every so-called "leader" is a mediocrity who does nothing of consequence? Did leaders of previous eras have better character and overall fortitude? We ask whether this sweeping generalization has some elements of truth, and make some related observations.

We deal with two different questions from two different readers. The first question is from a girl who has recently broken up with her boyfriend, and can't decide if she should "give it a second chance." There are complications. The second question is from a high school student who wants to know how he can combine a "great books" program with military school. We offer some thoughts.

This podcast is a great conversation I had with my friend Carlo Prater, who has been an MMA fighter for 17 years. He discusses the mental steps he goes through before, during, and after a bout, as well as other general thoughts on life and work. Don't miss it!