Christian Nationalism: Potent Quotables

We may be dissidents in our own country, but we are happy liberated warriors for the Kingdom of Jesus Christ.

Tolerance is NOT a Christian virtue. God has zero tolerance when it comes to sin, which corrupts our bodies, hearts, and minds.

Christians are not revolutionaries. We are reformers. We do not destroy things, we build and create them, mirroring our Creator.

If we are going to save our country we must adopt a mindset of seven generations thinking. Previous generations, including my own, have lived in the moment for themselves. We must learn from this mistake. Short term pleasure at the expense of long-term pain for our kin is unsustainable.

We must be the ones who are willing to put in the work to build a Christian future not only for our children and our children’s children, but for Christendom as a whole. Now is the time for us to build. This is a spiritual war. They are targeting our very humanity. This is evidenced by everything that our enemies promote. Their “values” are inherently anti-human. Abortion. Moral decay. Sexual degeneracy. The destruction of sovereign nations and the ethnic cleansing of people. The persecution of everything and anything related to God Almighty our Creator.

All great civilizations are built on the back of strong nuclear families because strong nuclear families are God’s design. Strong men lead strong women. Strong women support strong men and they raise strong children together. This leads to strong families and strong families lead to strong nations.

We are the ones bringing up our children to know and love the Lord. We are the ones building sovereign businesses and infrastructure. We are the ones with a future worth fighting for and we are the ones who will restore order. We are reformers, builders, and pioneers. We need to go all in, take a leap of faith, and live fully for Christ at every moment of our lives.

If you are a Christian, there is no way of getting around Jesus’s Great Commission to the Church. As He was about to ascend into heaven to rule this world, in light of that authority over heaven and earth, He commanded His apostles to baptize the nations and teach them to do as He commanded. If you are a Christian you believe this. And since America is a nation, America needs to be baptized and discipled into obeying Jesus.

To be part of Christ’s Kingdom is to bring the kingdoms of this world into submission to Christ’s Kingship. That is what Christendom was. As the gospel transformed the hearts of men, eventually some men with political power would bend the knee to Jesus Christ. What do you do then? You rule as a Christian in submission to Jesus Christ. That is how continents full of Christian nations were formed. Eventually, Christians from those explicitly Christian nations traveled across the Atlantic Ocean to found new Christian nations, either explicitly or implicitly. Anyone with even the most facile knowledge of the history of the American founding knows that the people who came and settled the North American continent were Christians who settled these lands explicitly as new Christian nations. From the Puritans who founded New England, the Anglicans who founded Virginia, the Catholics who founded Maryland, and even the heretical Christian sects like the Quakers founded Pennsylvania, the American colonies were established as Christian nations. You can read their original charters saying so.1

The much-misunderstood Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution has to be seen in the light of America’s explicitly Christian founding. The reason the newly founded United States Federal Government was forbidden from establishing a national state church was that the majority of the individual states already had their own established churches. It was not because the framers of the U.S. Constitution were midwit agnostics—as the American public education system desperately tries to present them, but rather because the Baptists in Georgia and Congregationalists in New England and Catholics in Maryland did not want the Episcopalians in Virginia to set up Anglicanism as the established church in the US. The point of the Establishment Clause was to retain the distinctive Christian heritage of the American nation not to destroy it... Over the next four hundred years of Christendom on North American soil, American Christianity developed in unique ways. After the Second Great Awakening, the Established Protestant churches largely gave way to low church theology and ecclesiology that emphasized individualistic, personal conversion to the exclusion of membership in Christ’s Kingdom.

The craven, cowardly leaders of American churches will say they don’t “want to be political” or “fight the culture wars” but refusing to fight utter abominations is being political and is fighting the culture wars, but for those on the side of those abominations.

We have many spiritual weapons available to us: prayer, communal worship, fasting, and reading God’s Word to name a few. If you want to become a victorious warrior in the post-truth spiritual war the best way to do so is by using the spiritual weapons and gifts at our disposal.

God does not discriminate. The only “Chosen People” and “Chosen nations” are those who have chosen to follow Jesus Christ. Christianity is not a religion of racial supremacy where the race or ethnic group you are born into elevates you above the rest of us “cattle.” That’s not the Gospel message of Jesus Christ. John 3:15 says that whosoever believeth in him will not perish, but will have everlasting life. Galatians 3:28 says there is neither Jew nor Greek, we are all one in Jesus Christ. Anyone is welcome to join us if they repent and accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.

We must refuse to accept or embrace the evils of critical race theory, cultural marxism, and “wokeness.” We must hate these things and all forms of evil that seek to destroy us. (Ps. 97:10) We must refuse to compromise on the Gospel and the teachings of Christ in the name of the false gods of “tolerance” and “acceptance” and “diversity.” We must protect all life, most especially the unborn and the innocence of our children. We must speak the truth in love and share the Gospel boldly. (Eph. 4:15, 6:19) We must expect to be persecuted and shunned for these things. (John 15:20)

The tolerance of the generations before us has led to the subversive takeover of every facet of society and even the faith by the global elite. That does not mean that they cannot be defeated. I believe that God has a plan to do so, but it will take the organized, peaceful, and longterm commitment and effort of His people to accomplish this. We must never again tolerate evil and the spirit of the antichrist in our culture, governments, education systems, homes, and our own hearts.

Christendom (the collection of entire nations that existed under the Kingship of Jesus Christ) happened because Christians lived faithfully, proclaimed Christ’s Kingdom, discipled their children to live in Christ’s Kingdom, and spent their lives building Christ’s Kingdom. They were not pessimistic people who expected to fail. They looked to the promises in scripture, that God is faithful to His people for thousands of generations

His rule and reign on the earth has begun. Christ rose from the dead and received this throne at His ascension, sitting down and ruling over heaven and earth from His Father’s right hand. You are living in a world that Christ presently rules. Satan no longer has dominion over the world, Jesus has bound the strongman and plundered his goods (Matt. 12:28-29, Mark 3:26-27), the earth belongs to Jesus Christ and His Kingdom is slowly making its way like leaven through a lump of dough (Matt. 13:33) or like a tiny mustard seed turning into a massive tree (Matt. 13:31-33, cf. Dan. 4).

Jesus Christ is king over every square inch of this planet. His dominion stretches over every nation, tribe, and tongue, and He has called His people to do the hard work over generations of realizing His reign on earth as it is in Heaven. Jesus Christ was victorious on the cross and burst forth from tomb defeating death itself. He ascended into Heaven and sits at His Father’s right hand, and His father has given Him all the nations of the world as His possession. It is our duty as Christians to spend our lives evangelizing, discipling, and teaching our nation to obey all that Jesus Christ has commanded.

We must reform, repent, and bring our own hearts into focus on the Lord Jesus Christ. Then we must reclaim our family and point them to Christ too. The family is the backbone of any nation and thus it is also the backbone of Christian Nationalism built on the foundation of Christ.

the reformation [III]

I've wrapped up another 12-week circuit. Over the last 12 weeks I went from 132.5# to 129.5#. Weight loss is definitely slowing - I averaged .25 pounds a week - but I like this pace, because it preserves muscle. I averaged 1850 calories a day, and my TDEE is staying steady around 2000. I'm sitting around 13.5% bodyfat, which is considered lean and athletic. 

I'm not doing another 12-Week Circuit; rather, I'm doing a 'Summer Circuit' that lasts from June through September (about eighteen weeks). I'm aiming to keep my calories around 1850 calories a day to continue body recomposition, in which I slowly lose weight and slowly build muscle. Come October my aim is to do a 'winter clean bulk' in which I increase my calories to slightly above maintenance through the end of January 2027. 

Cincinnati: a brief history

Cincinnati's history begins with the indigenous peoples who inhabited the Ohio River Valley for thousands of years. Early American history for our area is fascinating, and you can look at it in three different stages:

The Mound Builders. These were like the Fort Ancient and Hopewell native Americans. They built massive burial mounds that can be seen all over the place (though plenty have been lost to development). Woodland Mound on the East Side is a popular tourist attraction. These mound builders built vast cities that have largely been lost to time and weather, as they did not build with hardier materials like stone. We have evidence of some major cities, like Cahokia in Illinois; at its peak, around 1100 AD (nearly 400 years before Columbus 'discovered' the New World), Cahokia hosted around 20k people. 

The Great Depopulation. Following Columbus' discovery of the New World, and subsequent explorations by the Spanish, the western hemisphere was inundated with lots of scary germs and viruses that the native Americans hadn't developed immunity for. This was part of the 'Columbian Exchange,' in which both hemispheres, now in contact, swapped things back and forth. The native Americans got to experience smallpox, and Europeans began experiencing syphilis; Europeans discovered tobacco and corn (known then as maize, a genetically altered crop that scientists to this day cannot decipher how they did it!). Horses, too, were introduced to the New World. Due to the spread of viruses, between 90-96% of the native Americans in Meso- and North America were killed. By the time the English began making settlements in the 1600s, the eastern seaboard was an apocalyptic graveyard - settlers describe finding abandoned towns and villages, fields unharvested and left to rot, and evidence of mass depopulation. We know now this was due to the Columbian Exchange.

An Apocalyptic Wasteland. By the time the English settlements started popping up, the native Americans we met were the survivors of the great apocalypse. By this time the larger native societies had fragmented, and in their wake you had smaller tribes who defaulted to hunting and gathering and a semi-nomadic lifestyle. When you think about the Shawnee, Cherokee, or Iroquois, remember that these are splinter-tribes rooted in survival in a post-apocalyptic wasteland. 

The modern city of Cincinnati traces its founding to late 1788 in the Northwest Territory. Land speculators Mathias Denman, Colonel Robert Patterson, and John Filson established Losantiville (meaning "town opposite the mouth" of the Licking River) on the northern bank of the Ohio River. Settlers arrived by flatboat, joining nearby communities like Columbia and North Bend. The following year, Fort Washington was built to protect the outpost from conflicts with Native American tribes, such as the local Shawnee, and served as a key military presence in the territory.

In 1790, the settlement was renamed Cincinnati. Arthur St. Clair, governor of the Northwest Territory, changed the name to honor the Society of the Cincinnati, a group of Revolutionary War officers. This rebranding coincided with the establishment of Hamilton County. The Society of Cincinnati was the oldest patriotic organization in the USA. The idea is often credited to Major General Henry Knox, who sought to maintain fellowship among the officers, provide charitable support for needy members and their families, and perpetuate the memory of the achievement of American independence. Knox was a hero who is best known for leading a train of heavy artillery from New York to Boston to bombard the British-held town. The Society of Cincinnati was named after the ancient Roman hero Lucius Quinctius Cincinnatus, a model of civic virtue who left his farm to lead Rome in a time of military crisis and who then voluntarily relinquished power to return to his plow. Revolutionary officers saw parallels between their own service and desire to return to civilian life after the war was won. George Washington modeled this - when he could have remained President virtually for life, he stepped down after two terms (from whence the tradition emerged of limiting presidents to two terms; this was later codified in the 22nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Cincinnati is a fitting name because the geography is eerily similar to that of ancient Rome: like Rome, we have seven hills ('the city of seven hills'), and like Rome we had a major waterway (Rome has the Tiber, we have the Ohio). 

The Treaty of Greenville in 1795, following victories like the Battle of Fallen Timbers, reduced Native American resistance and opened the area to safer and faster settlement. Up to Fallen Timbers, the people of Cincinnati had to contest with the Northwest Indian Confederacy, a confederation of ten native American tribes who fought against American encroachment. Their confederacy fell apart after Fallen Timbers, and the Northwest Territory - which includes the modern states of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, and parts of Minnesota - were open to westward expansion.

Cincinnati grew steadily in the early 19th century as a river port. Steamboats arrived starting in 1811, dramatically expanding trade along the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers to markets in Louisville, St. Louis, and New Orleans. Up until the invention of the steamboats, transportation was limited to canoes and flatboats. The Ohio River is deeper now than it used to be; in pioneer days, travel was treacherous due to sandbars and shallow areas. Flatboats were needed to navigate the shallow parts. As the water deepened, steamboats were able to begin navigating the river. 

The city was incorporated as a town in 1802 and as a city in 1819. By the 1820s, the completion of the Miami and Erie Canal further boosted its economy, connecting it to inland regions and facilitating the transport of goods like pork, which earned it the nickname "Porkopolis."

Immigration and industry fueled rapid expansion before the Civil War. Waves of German and Irish immigrants arrived, bringing cultural influences that shaped neighborhoods, festivals, and industries. By 1850, Cincinnati had become the sixth-largest city in the United States with a population exceeding 115,000. It developed strong manufacturing in meatpacking, ironworks, and other sectors, while earning the title "Queen City of the West" for its prosperity and ambition.

The city played a complex role in the lead-up to and during the Civil War. As a border city with Southern commercial ties, it had divided sympathies, yet it was a major stop on the Underground Railroad, home to abolitionists like Levi Coffin. Cincinnati remained loyal to the Union. The war ultimately strengthened Northern markets for its industries. During the war, Cincinnati served as an embarkation (or 'jump-off') point for Union troops joining the war effort in the south. Just east of Cincinnati, there was a Union training camp for training new soldiers. This camp has since been reclaimed by Stepping Stones and is known as Camp Allen. Halfway through the war, Cincinnati 'hosted' an infamous Confederate raid by John Morgan. Called the Great Raid of 1863, it lasted six weeks. John Morgan and his troops raided Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, and West Virginia. Purpose was to draw Union troops away from Vicksburg, Mississippi and from the eastern theater where the Confederacy and Union were about to throw blows at a place called Gettysburg. In mid-July his raiders crossed from Indiana into Ohio, hoping to ride through or around Cincinnati to cause panic and distract Union forces. Union General Ambrose Burnside, stationed in Cincinnati, declared martial law, shut down businesses, and called up the 'Squirrel Hunters' (local armed militia) to fortify the city. Morgan learned of Cincinnati's preparations, and under the cover of darkness he led his men through the northern outskirts of Hamilton County. 

One night in July he stationed his men at a home on the east side of Cincinnati owned by John and Amelia Schenck. To deter the hungry raiders from demanding food and stealing livestock, the Schenck women disguised one of their family members in a nurse's uniform. They met the soldiers at the door, closed the shutters, and hung a sheet, warning the men that a child inside was quarantined with highly contagious smallpox. The deception worked perfectly. The soldiers remained outside, and Morgan himself later sat on the front lawn to eat breakfast served by the women, entirely unaware that the family was harboring escaped Kentucky slaves and prized horses safely in the parlor. Morgan failed to re-cross the Ohio River into the border state of Kentucky and was forced to surrender to Union forces on the Ohio border near Pennsylvania. He and his men were imprisoned in an Ohio penitentiary, but they tunneled their way out, took a train to Cincinnati, and crossed the river into Kentucky to rejoin Confederate forces.

Post-Civil War growth brought cultural and civic advancements. Rail connections revived Southern trade, and the population continued to rise. Landmarks like Music Hall (opened in the 1870s) reflected a flourishing arts scene influenced by German heritage. The city also saw industrial innovation and became known for institutions such as its observatory and early professional organizations. However, periods of political corruption challenged governance in the late 19th century.

The early 20th century featured reform, infrastructure, and demographic shifts. Progressive reforms addressed corruption, while the city expanded with new neighborhoods and public works. It weathered economic challenges, including the Great Depression, and contributed significantly to World War II industrial efforts. African American communities grew, building on earlier migrations, though facing ongoing social struggles. Mid-to-late 20th century brought urban renewal and challenges. Like many American cities, Cincinnati faced suburbanization, industrial decline in some sectors, and social tensions, including riots in the 1960s and 2001. Efforts focused on revitalizing the riverfront, preserving historic architecture, and diversifying the economy toward services, technology, and education. Major institutions like the University of Cincinnati and hospitals expanded their influence.

Today, Cincinnati blends its rich history with modern vibrancy as a regional hub. With a population around 300,000 in the city proper (and more in the metro area), it boasts a thriving arts scene, professional sports (including the Reds, the oldest major league baseball team), and landmarks like Findlay Market. The "Queen City" continues to honor its frontier roots while evolving as a center for innovation, culture, and community in the Midwest.

the reformation: one year

This past year I went from 161# in May 2025 to 129.8# in April 2026. My goal for the summer is body recomposition, maintaining muscle while trimming down a little bit each month. Because my body fat is sitting around 13%, the fat loss will be minimal; but it should show itself more in ways it didn't when I was overweight. Here's to another year! *breaks champagne bottle*

161 pounds; May 2025

156 pounds; June 2026

150 pounds; August 2025

145.5 pounds; September 2025

145.5 pounds; October 2025

139.8 pounds; November 2025

136 pounds; December 2025

135 pounds; January 2026

133 pounds; February 2026

131 pounds; March 2026

129.8 pounds; April 2026

Themistocles: A Life

Themistocles was born in ancient Athens in 524 BC. Unlike most aristocrats, Themistocles came from a mixed background: his father belonged to an aristocratic family with deep roots in Athens, but his mother was likely a non-Athenian concubine. Coming from this background, Themistocles had his feet in two worlds: he rubbed shoulders with the aristocratic High and Mighty while at the same time feeling compassion and care for the underprivileged common folk. He shocked his aristocratic friends when he intentionally moved into a working-class district centered around the making of ceramics. There he opened a law firm and began cultivating a positive reputation with the down-and-out working class. He was elected archon - the highest political office available in Athens - in 493 BC, and he immediately began fortifying the harbors at Piraeus, a nearby seaside down linked to Athens. His reasons were likely two-fold: increase Athens' maritime prowess while at the same time preparing for future foreign threats.

In 492 BC, the mighty foreign power of Persia, under King Darius, invaded Greece, setting its sights on Athens. The Persians were defeated at the 490 BC Battle of Marathon (pictured here). Most Greeks viewed the victory as the end of the Persian threat, but Themistocles disagreed; he believed the Persians would try again. The Greek armies were centered around citizen soldiers, known as hoplites, with contingents of light cavalry and some minor missile troops like slingers; the Persians, however, had excessive cavalry and archers. Themistocles was convinced that next time the Persians came around, they would bring the whole weight of their power against Greece; he didn't think the Greek land warriors could withstand the onslaught. He advocated building a powerful navy of fast triremes - three-banked warships with bronze rams - and argued that sea power was the answer to countering Persia: by dominating the seas, the Greeks could harm Persia's supply lines and even prevent her from landing her armies on the Greek coast. Most of the Greeks didn't like this idea; they were proud of their hoplite armies and high off their victory at Marathon. If it isn't broken, why fix it?

If Themistocles wanted a fleet, he not only needed to win over support from his aristocratic friends; he also had to find a way to pay for it. In 483 a rich silver strike at the Laurium mines created a monetary windfall. Though custom dictated distributing the surplus as citizen bonuses, Themistocles persuaded the Athenian Assembly to invest it in constructing 200 triremes instead. The assembly didn't share his concerns about Persia, but they were nervous about some of their Greek neighbors; Themistocles played to their fears, stating that a 200-strong Athenian fleet would keep their Greek neighbors subdued. The Assembly agreed to build the fleet. The Greek historian Herodotus calls Themistocles a 'trickster' because of how he manipulated the Assembly to get what he wanted - and it was fortunate he did.

When King Xerxes I of Persia invaded in 480 BC, Themistocles coordinated the Greek response. He cobbled together a massive force that included hundreds of ships and thousands of troops and set them towards the Persians. He convinced the Athenians to evacuate their women and children from the city and, if needed, to abandon the city altogether. At the town of Artemisium, the Greek fleet delayed the Persians and then executed a strategic withdrawal into the narrow straits of Salamis, near Athens. Facing a Persian fleet twice their size, Themistocles sent a trusted slave with a false message to Xerxes; the slave informed the Persian king that the Greeks were divided, demoralized, and planning to flee. He added that Themistocles was willing to defect. Xerxes fell for the deception, and Xerxes threw his fleet after the Greeks: but the large Persian ships crowded and ran into each other, while the Greek triremes rammed the stalled Persian ships, disabling them, and then Greek hoplites boarded the enemy ships to engage in 'land warfare' on the slippery decks. The September 480 BC Battle of Salamis was a decisive Greek victory that left the Persian fleet all but decimated. Xerxes retreated from Greece with most of his army, leaving a reduced force under his subordinate Mardonius that was later defeated at the Battle of Plataea the next year.

The Battle of Plataea

Themistocles had his detractors, but after Salamis, he was Greece's rising star. The ancient historian Plutarch called him 'the chief savior of Greece.' Not only did Themistocles' Athenian fleet repel King Xerxes, but it also became the backbone of Athens' growing maritime empire. The fleet was the first step in Athens becoming an empire, and it enabled her to eventually dominate the Aegean. On the downside, Athens' future empire would put her at odds with the Greek city-state of Sparta, and the two of them would be locked in a three-decade war known as the Peloponnesian Wars - but we're getting ahead of ourselves, and far ahead of Themistocles!

Fame, however, is a fickle mistress; with the Persians gone, Themistocles' fame began to wane. His aristocratic colleagues despised how he catered to working-class people and advocated for commoners over against aristocratic interests. As his rivals gained influence, they called for him to be ostracized. Athens had a law that if a certain majority of the Assembly voted for someone to be expelled from the city, for whatever reason (or even no reason at all!), then that person had no choice but to leave the city within ten days and to return no earlier than ten years. They retained their property in Athens, but they weren't allowed to enjoy it until (and if) they returned. Themistocles was ostracized and kicked out of Athens around 471 BC.

Themistocles first went to the Greek city of Argos, but his Spartan detractors began spreading rumors that he was secretly collaborating with Persia against Greece. It was a ridiculous accusation, but one that could warrant a death sentence. As the accusations intensified, Themistocles had no option but to leave Greece. He first traveled to Macedon just north of Greece (the Macedonians considered themselves Greeks, but most other Greeks viewed them as northern barbarians, and their way of life was much more rustic and battle-hardened than those of their southern 'pure' Greek neighbors).

From Macedon Themistocles continued traveling east until he reached the court of King Artaxerxes of Persia, the son of Xerxes and grandson of Darius. The Persians granted him asylum and protection from his Greek accusers, likely because they respected him and wanted to capitalize on his invaluable knowledge of Greek affairs. Themistocles learned Persian customs and language, and the king appointed him governor of the Greek city of Magnesia, which was in modern-day Turkey and under Persian control. 

Themistocles lived out the rest of his days as governor of Magnesia, dying around 460 BC. No one knows for sure how he died; some ancient historians argue he died of natural causes, but others have argued that he died by suicide by way of drinking bull's blood to avoid betraying Greece. During his latter days, Themistocles was all but hated by the Greeks; they believed that his seeking sanctuary in Persia was proof of his collaboration with them all along! But decades following his death, as tempers cooled and no evidence of collaboration ever came forth, the Greeks softened towards him. Eventually he became an Athenian hero, the chief savior of Greece, who did not betray Greece to the Persians but who was betrayed by Greece instead.

the reformation [II]

 

sitting around 132.5#

In January of last year, our household shifted to 80% whole, unprocessed foods and 20% allowance for everything else (good luck getting an organic, preservative- and chemical-free donut, and we love donuts). I began losing weight almost immediately, but it really increased in May when I ceased drinking bourbon every night (I have since gone from a daily three shots a night drinker to enjoying a shot or two about twice a month). In January I hit 135#, which was my goal weight (this was also my weight my senior year of high school). Because I've focused as much on building muscle as losing weight, me at 135# at (almost) age 40 looks markedly different (and in a better way!) than me at 135# in high school. I never thought I would be able to get down to 135# again, so the fact that I'm now even below it is remarkable. Here's my weight change since starting tracking in 2018:

Having wrapped up my latest 12-week circuit, and having reached my goal weight, my focus on the next 12 weeks is going to be on increasing muscle while continuing to lose fat, albeit it at a smaller rate. Over the last 12 weeks I went from 137# to 132.5# (four and a half pounds) for an average weekly loss of .375 pounds a week. I averaged 1750 calories a day over those 12 weeks, putting my TDEE around 2000 (which is fairly standard for a short guy like myself). I'm sitting around 14% body fat, which is considered lean and athletic. Launching into the next 12 weeks, I'm aiming to keep my calories around the 1750-1850 range, so that I'm still slowly losing weight but still able to build muscle. I'm not quite ready for a clean bulk. I've been reading a lot of books by fitness guru Michael Matthews, and with his information in mind, here's my plan:

Flexible Dieting. Matthews advocates flexible dieting, and I know it works, because that's what I've been doing for a year. For this 12 months I'm shooting for, say, 1800 calories a day; that puts my weekly caloric target at 12,600. Flexible dieting means that I can have a day I eat 2100 calories, but I need to make up for that elsewhere. If I'm faithful to the plan, then even if I have three 'cheat days' in a week (such as holiday weeks!), so long as I reduce my calories on the other days to hit 12,600 a week, then that's a successful week and I'll still be losing weight. Also wrapped up in this 'flexible dieting' motif is the idea that you don't have to completely restrict yourself from foods you love; you can have those foods so long as 80% of your diet is wholesome, unprocessed foods. The main focus is ensuring that I get good ratios of protein and carbohydrates to fuel energy and muscle synthesis.

Weight Lifting. Matthews advocates hitting each muscle group 10-20x per week for maximum muscle hypertrophy while also building in two rest days (I prefer the term 'growth' days) every week. He also advocates a deload week every 6-8 weeks on a cut and every 8-10 weeks on a bulk (since my plan falls somewhere in the middle, I'll do a deload week in the middle of the 12-week circuit). I'm continuing to focus on the major muscle groups: chest, shoulders, back, biceps, triceps, core, and legs. In building out my workouts, 80% will be compound exercises and 20% isolation finishers. 

Supplements. No, I'm not talking fat burners here. I'm keeping it simple: omega-3 fish oils, magnesium taurate and magnesium citrate, vitamin D, a men's multivitamin, and zinc. 

I'm excited to see where I'll be at the beginning of summer. Maybe I'll even look good in a bikini. 

Alcibiades: A Life

Alcibiades was born in the ancient Greek city of Athens around 450 BC. Athens was just one of nearly a thousand Greek city-states. We call them city-states because each city had its own government. It was rare for cities to be linked together under the same government. This can be hard for us to imagine, because it's not what we're used to. Take Ohio for example: you have Cincinnati, Dayton, Columbus, Cleveland, and Toledo - all are major cities, but they all operate under the Ohio government. If we were fashioned like ancient Greece, then Cincinnati would be its own city-state with its own government, Dayton would be its own city-state with its own government, and maybe we like the people in Dayton and maybe we don't! Some years maybe we'll be nice with them, and trade with them, but other years we might go to war with them. That's what it was like in ancient Greece during the time of Alcibiades.

The city-state of Athens had just entered into what has been called the 'Athenian Golden Age,' a period of about half a century in which the economy grew, arts and culture flourished, philosophy reached new heights, and in which Athenian democracy was strengthened. Athens hadn't always been so high-and-mighty; just thirty years before Alcibiades' birth, Athens was almost overrun and razed by the Persians! Thankfully the Greeks were able to kick out the Persians, and in their victory, several Greek cities entered into an alliance called the Delian League (the alliance was officially established on the sacred island of Delos, from which we get Delian). Athens was the head of this league, and the purpose of the league was to form a defensive alliance against Persia. If Persia wanted a bite out of Athens - and she did! - then she would need to deal with all of Athens' friends, too. Athens, as head of the league, provided most of the ships and material needed to patrol the Aegean Sea and to use in case of an attack; the other member states - they eventually reached over 100 members! - provided cash to the league's treasury. Athens, as head of the league, had control over the treasury, and lots of that money went to elevating Athens.

One of the main architects of this so-called Golden Age was a statesman named Pericles. He was able to draw from the Delian League's treasury, and he did so with abandon, guiding the city through unprecedented cultural, intellectual, and artistic flourishing. It was he who commissioned the building of famous Greek temples, including the Parthenon, a temple dedicated to the Greek goddess Athena. Pericles led the way to Athens becoming the educational and cultural center of the Greek world; he fostered philosophy (you've certainly heard of Socrates and Aristotle!) and drama (plays by Sophocles and Euripides are still cherished today). He strengthened Athenian democracy by introducing pay for public service (like jury duty) and reducing the power of aristocratic lawmakers who had a tendency to lord it over the poorer citizens. Under Pericles' leadership - with significant assistance from the Delian League's treasury - Athens moved from just another city-state to the head of an Athenian Empire that dominated the Aegean. It was Pericles who orchestrated much of this - or at least created the environment in which a Golden Age could thrive - so he was called 'the first citizen of Athens' by the later Greek historian Thucydides. When we picture classical Greece, it's likely the picture we envision is that of Athens in its Golden Age).

Athens during its Golden Age

But where does Alcibiades fit into this? Alcibiades was born into a prestigious, noble family, but he was orphaned as a boy. He then moved in with a relative of his, none other than the Pericles we've just leaned about. Pericles was pretty busy running around the city to provide much fatherly guidance, leaving Alcibiades largely unsupervised. It's no surprise, then, that he developed a reputation for extravagance, self-centeredness, and wild behavior. It takes the loving discipline of a parent to smooth out our hard edges and to train us how to be an asset rather than a liability to society; Alcibiades didn't have this, and his character flaws would plague his life as an adult.

As a young man, Alcibiades befriended the philosopher Socrates, who noted that this wild ruffian was also quite intelligent and quick-witted. The two of them became fast companions, even fighting in battle together. When Alcibiades was just twenty years old, war erupted in Greece again: this time Greece wasn't fighting against the Persians but against each other! The Delian League had grown powerful, and many Greek city-states who didn't join the league wanted to curb that power. Another league was formed, called the Peloponnesian League, and this one was led by the Greek city-state of Sparta. The two leagues went to war with each other, and they fought for 27 years! This isn't the place to dig deep into the Peloponnesian War, but suffice it to say, it was a war marked less by classic land engagements and more by raids, counter-raids, sieges and counter-sieges, skirmishes, and naval encounters. Due to the guerrilla nature of the campaigns, there are few set-piece battles; indeed, the Peloponnesian War has been referred to as 'the Vietnam of the Greek Age' for this very reason. The Peloponnesian War eventually ended with the fall of Athens: her city walls torn down, her empire dissolved, and her democracy replaced with an oligarchy in which the rich call all the shots. But even though Sparta won, she was just as winded; in fact, all of Greece was exhausted and burnt out. Only decades later, the Greek city-states, still recovering from the internal war, fell easy prey to a hybrid outsider named Philip II of Macedon. His son, Alexander, is a story for another day.

But back to Alcibiades. He and the philosopher Socrates became good friends, despite Socrates being twice Alcibiades' age. Just a year before the outbreak of the Peloponnesian War, Alcibiades received his first taste of combat outside the Greek city of Potidaea. Potidaea sat on the Chalcidice peninsula in northern Greece; it was originally founded as a Corinthian colony, but it had become part of the Delian League. Potidaea paid tribute to Athens, but it still received annual magistrates from Corinth; this created an awkward situation, as the Corinthians were allies of Sparta. As tensions between Athens and Sparta ratcheted up, Athens became increasingly worried about Potidaea's mixed loyalties. Athens issued a decree that Potidaea demolish parts of its defensive outer walls, hand over hostages, and expel the Corinthian magistrates. The Potidaeans balked at this demand and, with support from Corinth and some nearby towns, severed their ties to the Delian League. At the same time, Corinth dispatched volunteer soldiers and a military commander to garrison the city. Athens responded by sending a fleet and troops to suppress the revolt.

Onboard those ships were Alcibiades and Socrates. In the summer of 432 BC, about 3000 hoplites disembarked onto the Chalcidian peninsula to face off against a combined enemy force of Potidaeans, Corinthian volunteers, and local allies. The two sides drew up for battle outside the city walls and threw themselves at each other. The rival phalanxes clashed; while the Corinthian left wing was initially successful at pushing back the Athenians, the Athenians compensated by winning the field elsewhere. During the battle, Socrates reputedly heroically rescued a wounded Alcibiades, carrying him to safety behind the front lines. The Potidaeans broke and sought refuge behind the city walls. By the end of the clash, the Athenians lost 150 men (including their general) while the Potidaeans and their ilk lost twice that.

With the rebels ensconced behind the city walls, Athens blockaded the city by both land and sea. The siege would last about two and a half years; in the process it drained money and manpower from the Delian League, and at one point Athenian relief forces brought the plague to the besieging troops. The city capitulated in 429 BC. Athens executed all men of military age, enslaved the city's women and children, and later resettled the city with Athenian colonists. Corinth was outraged by the affair, and they used this travesty to further woo Sparta towards war with Athens. Indeed, complaints about the siege of Potidaea and Athenian aggression come up repeatedly in Spartan debates of the time, and these issues directly contributed to their declaration of war in 431 BC.

Alcibiades, no doubt thankful that Socrates saved his life, returned the favor eight years later at the 424 BC Battle of Delium. At this time, the Peloponnesian League was allied with the Boeotian League. The Boeotian League was led by the city-state of Thebes. The Athenian generals Demosthenes and Hippocrates (the latter was the nephew of Pericles and thus distantly related to Alcibiades) came up with a plan: weaken Thebes by seizing territory in Boeotia and fomenting democratic revolts across Theban-controlled lands. To accomplish this, Demosthenes would attack Boeotia's southern coast by sea; Hippocrates would take and fortify Delium, a temple site on the coast near the Attic border. Delium would become a springboard from which Boeotian rebels could be supported.

The Spartans learned of the Athenian strategy and alerted the Boeotians. The coastal town of Siphae, Demosthenes' target, was reinforced, and Demosthenes was repulsed. Hippocrates was thus left alone, and he started out with some success in capturing Delium. He was just beginning to reinforce its fortifications when a Boeotian army led by General Pagondas of Thebes approached the temple town in November or December of 424. Both sides matched each others' numbers, bringing about 18,000 men each to the field. The Athenian army consisted of seven thousand hoplites, ten thousand light troops, and a thousand cavalry; the Boeotian army consisted of the same, except they had an additional five hundred peltasts. The armies clashed outside Delium. The Athenian wing initially pushed back the Boeotian left, but Pagondas had a trick up his sleeve: he held back a cavalry reserve and committed it at a decisive moment against the Athenian left. The shock cavalry charge - one of the earliest recorded deliberate uses of cavalry reserve in battle - panicked the Athenians; the army collapsed and was routed. During the retreat, Socrates kept his cool, steadying others and refusing to break formation. Alcibiades, on horseback, allegedly protected him multiple times during their retreat. Some soldiers fled into Attica; others towards the sea; and others sought refuge in Delium. The Athenians lost over a thousand slain, including Hippocrates, while the Boeotians lost just half that. The Athenians who had sought safety in Delium found themselves surrounded by a besieging army determined to wrest back their temple town. Delium fell to the besiegers seventeen days after the Battle of Delium (the Boeotians reportedly used a flame-thrower to burn the wooden fortification).

Socrates hoped that Alcibiades would develop into a virtuous politician - if there is such a thing! - but Alcibiades spurned this route for one that was more appealing: become the kind of golden-tongued, two-faced politician that Athenians loved. For the Greeks, the ultimate goal for any person was called eudaimonia, which means 'a fully-flourishing life.' It was Aristotle, a student of Plato (who was himself a student of Socrates), who put meat to this idea. The idea behind eudaimonia is that we are all searching for the best kind of life, and this life is found in living virtuously and fulfilling one's sacred duties to the gods, to one's family, and to one's city. It isn't to be found in the pursuit of pleasure but in a purposeful, duty-bound, virtuous life. This was the guiding light behind Socrates' Socratic method: he saw it as the best way to shape a whole person (body, mind, character, morals, and soul). The goal was to produce a well-rounded, virtuous individual who could participate fully in the city-state, think critically, appreciate beauty, stay physically fit, and live a good, ethical life.

Alcibiades entered the Athenian political scene in his late 20s, and he made a name for himself: he was a gifted orator and showman. Alcibiades was gifted, but he had a disability: he had a speech impediment called rhotacism, in which he pronounced his 'R' sounds as 'W' sounds. In other words, he sounded like Elmer Fudd: 'Come here you wascally wabbit!' His political enemies often called attention to it, and ancient playwrights mentioned it a lot. Alcibiades didn't seem bothered by his 'lisping charm' (as the historian Thucydides put it); in fact, it looks like he wore it as a badge of honor and made no effort to hide it! He had his goals in life, and he wouldn't let something as silly as a disability get in his way. He entered seven chariots at the 416 BC Olympic Games, winning three different medals. Around 420 BC, at the age of thirty, he was made an Athenian general; he pushed for enhanced aggression against Sparta on the island of Sicily. He wanted to conquer Syracuse, the premier city in Sicily, and expand Athenian power. He was appointed co-commander of the expedition, and he was scheduled to sail with the fleet. Just before they departed, scandal erupted: all across Athens, sacred statues of the Greek god Hermes had been mutilated, and Alcibiades was accused of sacrilege. Alcibiades knew that if he was summoned to Athens to stand trial, the democratic processes would condemn him and he'd be killed. While Socrates was the sort who would gladly kill himself for the benefit of the state, Alcibiades didn't have such virtue: he turned on the Athenians and escaped to his enemy, Sparta.

In Sparta, Alcibiades switched sides, becoming a military strategist for the Peloponnesian League. He seduced the wife of the Spartan king and fathered a child with her. This wore out his welcome, so he fled again, this time to the court of the Persian governor in Asia Minor. He lavished in Persian luxuries while advising the Persians on how best to settle the score with their Greek rivals. While he was doing this, the Athenians were doing awful in Sicily - Sparta learned from Alcibiades how to target Athenian weaknesses - and dealing with government coups. Alcibiades saw an opening to return to Athens. He knew he needed to get in good with the citizens there, and to this end he aided Athenian forces loyal to democracy, winning several important battles. The Athenians begged him to return, and in 407 BC, at the age of 43, Alcibiades returned to Athens as a hero and was given supreme command of the war effort against the Peloponnesian League. He seemed unstoppable, but when the Athenians were defeated at the naval battle of Notium, he was blamed for it (even though he wasn't present), and he had to flee again, this time to a castle in Thrace far to the north. Shortly after this, the Spartans destroyed the Athenian fleet at Aegospotami, sealing Athens' fate. Alcibiades, hearing the news, returned to Persian territory in Asia Minor to escape any angry Athenian assassins hungry for his blood. Just a year into his Persian stay, the Persians decided they didn't want him, either: Persian assassins set fire to his home. Alcibiades ran out of his home wielding swords and ready to fight, and fight he did, though he died in the process at the age of 46.

Alcibiades was beloved by ancient historians and philosophers. They found in Alcibiades a chilling theme: you can have immense talent, but that talent can be undone by your own flaws.