The HR Philosopher

When will this nightmare be over? Tell meWhen can I empty my head?Will someone tell me the answer?Is God really dead? -- God Is Dead?, Black Sabbath, 2013 SHRM has been hit with wave after wave of bad news lately with the recent news crescendo of them having been hit with an $11.5 million verdictContinue reading "SHRM Is Dead: Nietzsche, HR, and the Rebirth That Follows Ruin"

“I am bound to do good to my fellow-creatures and bear with them.” – Marcus Aurelius  “Never regret being a good person, to the wrong people. Your behavior says everything about you and their behavior says enough about them.” – Bruce Lee I’ve been wrestling with a personal and moral dilemma: Whether or not toContinue reading "On the Fence: Should I Stay or Should I Go?"

“I have found that, to make a contended slave, it is necessary to make a thoughtless one.” – Frederick Douglass A recent post on Medium titled “White People Do Not Know History, They Only Know Mythology” caught my eye. I have little doubt that Americans by and large know very little of this country’s actualContinue reading "Getting American History Right"

“I met a traveller from an antique land Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone Stand in the desert… Near them, on the sand, Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown, And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command, Tell that its sculptor well those passions read Which yet survive, stamped onContinue reading "SHRM, That Colossal Wreck"

Photo by ben gursky on Pexels.com “Conquer anger with non-anger; conquer badness with goodness; conquer meanness with generosity; conquer dishonesty with truth.” – Dhammapada, Verse 223 I’ve been broken. Over the past year, I’ve slowly lost myself. The world was turning me bitter, angry, hateful. Or, more accurately, I was allowing myself to turn meContinue reading "I’ve Been Broken: Fixing Myself Through The HR Philosopher Manifesto"

Going through my CD collection and found some hidden gems from my youth. “The power of people, when they focus on something positive, never fails to amaze me.” -- Ozzy Osbourne, I Am Ozzy I’ve written many times about how heavy metal music changed my life. It gave me focus, inspiration, an outlet. It helpedContinue reading "Thank You, Ozzy for Teaching Me These 10 Life Lessons from Your Wild, Wounded, and Inspiring Journey"

"The great distinguishing qualities of General Grant were truth, courage, modesty, generosity and loyalty. He was loyal to every work and every cause in which he was engaged." – Major General Grenville Dodge "Nobody could watch [Grant] without concluding that he was a remarkable man. He handles those around him so quietly and well, he soContinue reading "The Tragedy of Ulysses S. Grant: The Hero America Doesn’t Deserve, but Desperately Needs"

Photo by Faheem Jackson on Pexels.com “This Fourth of July is yours, not mine. You may rejoice, I must mourn.” — Frederick Douglass, 1852. The Unlearned Truth of a Nation’s Lie It is a national disgrace that Frederick Douglass’s thunderous 1852 speech, “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?”, is not universally taughtContinue reading "What to the Person with a Conscience Is Your Fourth of July? A Reflection in the Spirit of Frederick Douglass"

“Rebellions are built on hope!” – Jyn Erso, Roge One: A Star Wars Story These past seven to eight months have been difficult. I’ve watched with horror as a country turned its back on decency and honor. The country I was taught was the greatest in the world decided an orange faced maniac – anContinue reading "Hope Is Something You Give Yourself"

“It’s OK to punch a Nazi.” – Anonymous We all have virtuous traits. We all have vices as well. Sometimes, we have both at the same time. I believe tolerance can be one of those. Let me explain. Tolerance is the ability or willingness to accept and respect differences in opinions, beliefs, behaviors, or backgrounds, evenContinue reading "Become Intolerant: Where Is Our Modern Day Cato?"