by Phil Houseal | Jan 14, 2026 | Philosophy
Here’s a fun new trend you can worry about: Title Inflation. It first took root in large organizations. There, it’s an accepted practice that instead of rewarding job performance with money–as in giving an employee a raise–businesses hand out lofty yet meaningless...
by Phil Houseal | Jan 7, 2026 | All Articles, Philosophy
Jan 7, 2025–Another year, another list of random observations: Why do we personify years? January 1st is literally just the next day. Yet we speak about a calendar year as if it were a character in a 1940s radio play. At Walmart on Black Friday I saw many people...
by Phil Houseal | Dec 31, 2025 | All Articles, Education, History, People of the Hill Country, Philosophy, Venue
Dec 31, 2025–What if your life were a sitcom? SCENE: Breakfast table, cluttered with opened cereal boxes, butter dish, crumbs and coffee. He: Good morning, dear. What are your plans for today? She: Plans? You think I PLAN my existence. I believe in foreordained fate...
by Phil Houseal | Dec 24, 2025 | All Articles, History, Philosophy
Dec 24, 2025–Power belongs not to those who create, but to those who control. These are the people I refer to as gatekeepers. Gatekeepers stand in every industry and field, public and private. They are the people manning the spigots, opening the doors, signing the...
by Phil Houseal | Dec 17, 2025 | All Articles, Education, Philosophy
Dec 17, 2025–Do you name your bread machine? I have just been made aware that there is a whole sub-section of humanity that names objects in their lives. It is not an affliction; it is a life hack. In a previous column I posited how we dehumanize our opponents in...
by Phil Houseal | Dec 10, 2025 | All Articles, Education, History, Philosophy
Dec 10, 2025–I was attending a political rally when a high school basketball game broke out. Not really, but the two are connected. As a lifelong fan of roundball, I occasionally drop in on a random high school game just to enjoy the level of play and skills of the...
