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Look, I know that phrase “Cultural Revolution” is loaded. It conjures up images of chaos, censorship, and state control. But hear me out. I’m not talking about re-education camps or purging intellectuals. I’m talking about something deeper: a radical, soul-level reset of our national values and direction. Because whatever path we’re on right now? It’s not working. We are a failed state.

We’ve made enemies out of friends. We’ve turned collaboration into competition, peace into posturing. We police the world under the illusion of moral superiority while letting our own people struggle, divide, and fall through the cracks. How long can we keep telling ourselves we’re the good guys if we don’t act like it?

Say what you will about China, but they are a culture many years older than ourselves. They build, they plan, they evolve , not always in ways we agree with, but with a fierce commitment to national identity and long-term vision. I like what Charlie Munger once said about China, “It doesn’t matter if the cat is black or white, but wheter it catches mice is what matters.” I’m sure I misquoted the great Charlie Munger. In the meantime we’re tearing ourselves apart from the inside. Our politics are performative. Our media divides. Our economic system lifts the few and crushes the many. And God forbid you suggest we need systemic change suddenly you’re unpatriotic or “radical.”

So yeah, maybe we do need our own version of a cultural revolution. Not to erase who we are, but to remember who we could be. One rooted in humility, responsibility, and service to something bigger than ego or profit. I’m looking at you President Trump. You can’t hide from your beautiful tax bill. If you want revolution then you are definitely asking for it – stop putting down the working class in favor of yourself and billionaire cronies.

Imagine a country that stops looking for enemies in the dark and starts looking for neighbors in the light. A nation that protects its people and also helps lift others, not out of obligation, but because it’s the right damn thing to do. One that doesn’t fear China’s rise, or Russia’s posturing, or Iran’s resistance but instead asks, “What could we build if we stopped wasting our energy on war and used it to heal the world?”

We don’t need to dominate the globe. We need to show up for it. With empathy. With integrity. With the courage to admit we’ve strayed far from our ideals and the will to change that.

Maybe it’s time. Let’s start this fucking revolution. I’m tired of this. We the people of the United States are much better than the leaders we have. It is time we become the citizens of the world our philosophers told us we should be. Happy Birthday America – you ugly, beautiful, messed up, righteous ideal. I love you.

Patriotism isn’t just about waving a flag, quoting the Constitution, or calling out what’s broken. Those things have their place, sure. But real patriotism? It starts with the stuff that doesn’t make headlines. The quiet, unglamorous, everyday choices we make to improve the world we actually live in.

We talk a lot about what our government should do. What leaders should change. And we’re not wrong to demand better. We should stand up for what’s right, push back against injustice, and protect the values we believe in. That’s part of being a citizen. But if we’re not willing to change and do better ourselves, what are we really asking for?

It’s easy to spot the problems. It’s harder to be part of the solution.

So if you’re wondering what you can do, start small. Seriously. Pick up trash that isn’t yours. Check in on an elderly neighbor. Visit a nursing home and talk to someone who hasn’t had a visitor in weeks. Buy a pizza and share it with someone sleeping on the sidewalk. Coach a local softball team. Sit through a city council meeting even if it’s painfully dull. Vote. Show up. Be there. Contribute.

Because if we can’t do the small stuff, the stuff that builds trust, care, and community, then we don’t stand a chance fixing the big stuff.

Being a patriot isn’t about waiting for someone else to save the country. It’s about showing up like it’s yours to protect, every damn day.

As a hero of mine (Leo Gisi taught me in my youth) leave the world a little better than how we found it.

I’m not even an optimist, but every little bit counts.

In today’s interconnected world, proxy conflicts often serve as pressure points in larger geopolitical rivalries. One of the more subtle, yet increasingly plausible narratives centers on how the United States may be using its alliance with Israel to indirectly apply pressure on China by targeting Iran, a key energy player in China’s long-term strategy.

At the center of this theory is the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow chokepoint through which nearly a fifth of the world’s oil flows. Iran, situated at its northern flank, plays a pivotal role in maintaining or disrupting this artery. China, heavily dependent on Middle Eastern oil to fuel its economy, has grown closer to Iran in recent years through energy partnerships and strategic investment initiatives such as the Belt and Road Initiative.

Israel’s escalating actions against Iran, whether through cyberattacks, targeted strikes, or diplomatic isolation, are often framed in terms of national security. These moves also serve a broader U.S. interest by destabilizing Iran enough to cast uncertainty over oil flow through the Strait of Hormuz. While the U.S. maintains its own energy independence, China remains deeply vulnerable to such disruptions.

From this angle, the Israeli-Iranian conflict can be viewed not just as a regional power struggle but as part of a larger U.S. strategy to encircle and weaken China indirectly. By backing Israeli actions and ensuring Iran remains under pressure, the U.S. subtly wields oil logistics as a geopolitical weapon without needing to confront Beijing directly.

This interpretation isn’t universally accepted, but in an era where economic warfare often takes precedence over traditional battlefield engagements, the ripple effects of regional alliances and targeted pressure on supply chains deserve close attention.

The U.S. doesn’t need to fight a war over Taiwan, it’s already waging one, commanding the only true deep-sea navy capable of protecting or severing China’s lifeline to Middle Eastern energy.