The Paradox of Self-Help

Wake up at 5 a.m., hit the gym by 6, eat a protein-rich breakfast, delay your coffee for two hours, take a cold plunge to stimulate your system, and the list goes on. Does this all sound familiar? You’ve probably heard it from your favorite fitness influencer, clipped into a sixty-second reel with cinematic lighting and a voiceover about discipline. You saved that reel didn't you? You’re probably never going to see it again. As modern men, we’re told this is the prime way to

Charles Marantyn

3 hours ago4 min read

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TRAIN OF THOUGHT

The Paradox of Self-Help

Wake up at 5 a.m., hit the gym by 6, eat a protein-rich breakfast, delay your coffee for two hours, take a cold plunge to stimulate your system, and the list goes on. Does this all sound familiar? You’ve probably heard it from your favorite fitness influencer, clipped into a sixty-second reel with cinematic lighting and a voiceover about discipline. You saved that reel didn't you? You’re probably never going to see it again. As modern men, we’re told this is the prime way to

3 hours ago4 min read

Men, please stop the "old money" looks

If I got paid 50 cents every time someone said they were pulling an old money style, I would have about 50 dollars by now. Every time I scroll TikTok, someone is selling a zip-down polo and calling it old money style. Jackets, pants, shoes, everything suddenly qualifies as generational wealth. Apparently if it is beige, white, and slightly boring, your fashion comes with an imaginary family estate. Everyone suddenly discovered linen trousers and neutral palettes, and it is al

Jan 252 min read

The Lion Women & Men of Iran

I’ve always had a quiet fascination with Iran both before and after the Islamic Revolution. Not in the way headlines frame it, but in the way history lingers there. Iran feels like a place suspended between versions of itself, constantly negotiating what it was, what it became, and what it’s still trying to be. In much of mainstream media, Iran is reduced to a caricature: a hostile, monolithic place defined entirely by ideology and conflict. A country flattened into a warning

Jan 174 min read

This is for the Ladies : Why are so Many of you Choosing Bad Men?

In the Anglerfish world, the male doesn’t lead, provide, or protect. Just like the men you dated. I was recently introduced to a friend’s boyfriend. She mentioned they were getting serious, which is why she wanted me to meet him, partly for me to vet. She seemed genuinely happy, and I tried to meet the situation with an open mind, even though she has a history of dating men who, in hindsight, haven’t always been the best match for her. When they arrived, I had a quiet sense t

Jan 58 min read

Why We Fail Our New Year Resolutions

It’s 2026. New Year Resolutions What an odd spectacle. We do it year after year. We buy notebooks, courses, gym memberships, planners (guilty of 3 of them). We tell ourselves this time is different, and we tell other people too, almost as if saying it out loud might make it come true. A few weeks pass, you are meeting your goals, sometimes a month if we are disciplined. Then slowly, quietly, we end up right back where we started. The calendar changes, but very little else doe

Jan 24 min read

2025: Friends, Family, Faith, Love, and Everything in Between

Here are the lessons I learned in 2025. Not because I mastered them, and not because I executed them perfectly, but because the year dumped me some lessons. Nothing about 2025 felt dramatic in the moment, but looking back, it quietly rearranged my priorities and my life. Also, the two best things that happened. What I Thought The Year Would Be I remember thinking at the end of 2024 that I was going to start 2025 with a bang, or a few bangs. I made a list of things I wanted to

Dec 21, 202510 min read