WELCOME

Throughout my life I have done my best to do three things: protect those less able to protect themselves; serve my communities and those in them; and teach my knowledge and skills to others. So a number of years ago, I decided I would eventually write a memoir. I partly wanted to appease my family and friends by compiling and sharing my adventures, mishaps, and amusing anecdotes from my time as a park ranger. Mostly, however, I wanted to explain myself and the life I’ve lived. I wanted to share my values and principles, goals, thought processes, and decisions. I wanted to bring awareness to the challenges I see in the world, tell my readers what I had done (and hadn’t done) to address those challenges, and share the lessons and insights I had learned. I wanted to provide a blueprint others could follow, improve upon, or even refute.

The word “eventually” began to gnaw on me though. The world’s challenges are real and immediate, as is the suffering that comes with them. They can’t wait decades for me to retire, and issues that are challenging today might be impossible tasks later. I started to think I should begin writing now, build a sort of “living memoir,” and offer tools, resources, and services to help people make better decisions. Still, I doubted myself, and wondered if I had the knowledge and wisdom for people who didn’t know me to take me seriously. As I mulled over these thoughts, disaster struck; twice. In early 2020, I lost two loved ones unexpectedly; a close friend and a cousin. Both men were only in their early 40’s.

In my grief, I delved deeper into my study of Stoicism, and the writings of Seneca, Cato, and Marcus Aurelius. Two Stoic principles resonated with my feelings: memento mori (“remember you must die”), and civic engagement. Like those I lost, I might not live to old age, and I might never reach the age where I believe I’m old and wise enough to write a memoir. The only time I am assured is the time I have now, and I have a duty to use it well. The Stoic path is not one of isolated contemplation, but of actively participating in civic life. My duty is not to have all of the answers, but to share my observations and ideas with my community, listen to the observations and ideas of others, and work together to develop solutions. I believe we can and must build a just and sustainable world, I have ideas on how we can get there, and I have a duty to share those ideas.

Anyone who is looking for better outcomes and is open to new ideas will find something useful here at Oso Strategics.