Thought.is

A book has its own history. It can bring us back not just to the world within its pages, but to the world where we entered it.

This enduring legacy of masculinity that tells us men shouldn’t hold hands—what makes it noteworthy—is unnecessary and, frankly, sad.

When guns are as deeply entrenched in the culture as where I grew up, guns are guns—whether it’s a BB gun, a hunting rifle, or a handgun. I was an adult before I made a definite distinction between them. I’m far from alone in that experience.

As a society, we have become obsessed with the idea of being “present”—what that means, ways to achieve it.