I started this blog because I recently realized I have a problem - I am embarking on a career path that is undoubtedly going to involve regularly thinking and writing about issues of national security and international relations. But...I haven't been doing much writing outside of work. For me, thinking about something is useless unless it serves a higher purpose - like writing about that something. Being intellectually curious is a wonderful thing and all, but lacking fruits of my own intellectual labor is starting to feel like being devoid of a purpose.
So, I created this blog. Its foremost purpose is my own personal development, by forcing me to write about stuff that I find interesting. If it gains any attention beyond that, so be it (and I am well-aware that someday, somebody, somewhere, in the Federal government might stumble upon it while I'm applying for a security clearance). Right now, though, I just want to start a blog that allows me to get down my thoughts about my interests, personal and professional goals, and anything else that seems relevant.
First thing's first, who am I?
- I graduated from Duke University in 2012 with a Master's in Political Science/International Relations. And yes, I am also a Blue Devil basketball fan/Cameron Crazy; I have been ever since my Dad (who is a retired Duke professor) took me to Cameron stadium as a kid to watch Duke play.
- I currently live in Arlington, Virginia, close to our nation's capital.
- Since moving to DC, I have been an intern at the National Defense University in Washington, DC, a gig I hoped would only last until I joined the U.S. Air Force (which didn't go as planned). I'm still at NDU now, and still trying to figure out my career as I write.
- I suppose it goes without saying, but...I like war, and almost anything related to war. Debate amongst yourselves what that says about me. When I was in high school, the only way I motivated myself to read Shakespeare was by fantasizing about how I'd adapt plays like Julius Caesar into modern action epics starring Vin Diesel and featuring dudes blasting away at each other with modern U.S. military-issue automatic weapons. Then, tragically, Ralph Fiennes took my idea and applied it to Coriolanus.
- This blog's title comes from the lyrics of Emerson Lake & Palmer's 1971 progressive rock opus "Tarkus", which is my favorite song of all time. I'd tattoo the last verse of the song on my back, if only I weren't too old to act that rebellious...
Next question...what do I want to write about?
- Obviously...war. When I wake up every morning, my first instinct is to check my Twitter feed to see what is going on in the world. Whether it's in Syria or Somalia, there's always somebody shooting at somebody else that requires my attention.
- Even though I was never enough of an intellectual to embrace the academic lifestyle of writing 100-page papers about parsimonious theories explaining how the world works, I still remain interested in how scholars of International Relations think about the world. So, I wish to write about the debates that are taking place amongst them.
- Right now, I am taking classes at Georgetown University in programming. It's proving to be a challenge, so it gets me thinking: How does one learn how to learn? Oh, yeah, and I'm also interested in cybersecurity and cyberwarfare, too (I do research on this topic at NDU).
- As someone who is still trying to figure out my niche, I'm always interested in reading what others say about finding one's passions and making it into a lifetime career. Searching for jobs, adapting to a new boss's management style, acquiring new skills so that one doesn't become irrelevant...those kinds of topics.
- Just in case all the talk about guns and bombs gets a little wearying, I might also blog on occasion about another topic that is completely unrelated, but still of interest to me - dating in the era of Tinder and OKCupid. As with everything else, I'm not interested in approaching this topic from the perspective of, "Yo, bro, follow my program and you'll get laid in 7 days, guaranteed!" I'm just interested in what other people say about this topic.
That's all for now. Hopefully, this blog will provide a useful basis for my education. O this learning, what a thing it is!
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