Nathan Branson

10 Wendell Berry Quotes

Do Small-town Americans Know What This Man is Saying?

Anyone who lives in a small town should read at least one Wendell Berry essay. He’s got something to say about the “health” (a word he uses a lot) of small-town and rural existence. What is its future? Will it continue to exist? What is lost when both urban spaces and small towns become suburbs?

However, it seems to me that . . .

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May 14, 2017

Millennials: Addicted to the iPhone but Wanting to Know How to Live Without It

Are Millennials really in love with technology?

About 3-4 years ago my dad told me that some of guys who worked at his auto shop were so distracted by their IPhones that it was affecting their productivity. The "tire guys," who put new tires on cars and do the oil changes, were the ones he was concerned about. As a high schooler, I was a tire guy every summer, where, like NASCAR . . .

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January 21, 2017

The Materialistic Pathway Prevents Some from Believing the American Dream

How do we imagine the American Dream?

Every semester I ask my students to define the American Dream. In classroom discussion I ask them to name multiple characteristics of the American Dream. Next I push them to come to a consensus about 3-4 core characteristics that define this concept. Some of the most common characteristics named are social mobility, financial security, . . .

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December 28, 2016

Two Questions About Pride: The Difference Between “Good pride”/ “Bad Pride” and How to Avoid Becoming an Arrogant/Prideful Person

Defining and Preventing Pride

1. What is the difference between "good pride" and "bad pride?"

Every semester I put a list of the seven deadly sins on a PowerPoint slide before my freshman English class. I ask my class to write a 300 word response to this question: "of the seven deadly sins, which threatens America the most in 2016?" . . .

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December 10, 2016

Distraction is No Excuse for Millennial Adults

Four Tips to Help the Untrained Brain

As a college English teacher, I often hear students flippantly self-identify as being easily distracted. My students speak as if this is unusual and inevitable. It seems as if they’ve been taught that a distracted brain cannot be cured, outside of ADHD medication.

Being a 33-year-old American adult who is easily distracted, I . . .

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November 08, 2016

Four Steps to Leading a Backpacking Trip

On my 29th birthday, I wrote down in a notebook that I would learn to be a competent backpacker before my 30th birthday. For years I'd been gathering people to explore state parks on day hikes. Yet I was not confident enough to lead a pack of friends into the woods overnight. After about 2 12 years of talking to experienced backpackers, . . .

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Posted in: road triptravel

September 26, 2016

National Parks: Free Trespassing Zone

A Few Reasons Why We Hesitate to Explore and Participate in Nature

"Self-consciousness, however, does hinder the experience of the present. It is the one instrument that unplugs all the rest."- Annie Dillard

"Man, I lay in bed thinking about this place at night" Bobby said as we ride up to the Upper Nantahala River on a July weekday afternoon. We are both in town for a reunion, . . .

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August 11, 2016

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