Critical Thinking

Question everything. Including the questions. Essays on thinking for yourself and recognizing manipulation in spiritual organizations. I spent years in what turned out to be a cult, so pattern recognition came the hard way. These examine guru dynamics, organizational power structures, self-help industry tactics, and sacred cows that need challenging. Not because questioning is fashionable—because blind belief, even in good things, eventually costs you something important. Trust, then verify.

Self-help books, representing endless consumption without progress

Critical Thinking

The Lie Self-Help Keeps Telling You

I want to tell you about the moment I realized I'd been running on a treadmill for fifteen years. Not a literal treadmill—this was worse. This was a treadmill made of books, courses, retreats, and meditation apps.

Organizational structure overlaid on meditation hall, representing hidden hierarchies in spiritual communities

Critical Thinking

What Nobody Tells You About Spiritual Organizations

Here's something that took me embarrassingly long to figure out: spiritual organizations are still organizations. I know. Groundbreaking insight. But this obvious fact has non-obvious implications.

Student questioning teacher with both respect and critical thinking, representing healthy skepticism

Foundation Featured

What Your Guru Forgot to Tell You

Here's something that complicates the narrative: my current teacher actually told me. 'Verify everything,' he said. 'Don't take my word for it.' I've heard him say this dozens of times. And yet.