Colin Shuran • 22 November 2023

A Real Superhero's Journey: How the Classroom Saved My Life

"Lord, who am I to teach the way
To little children day by day,
So prone myself to go astray?"

Leslie Pinckney Hill’s poem “The Teacher” is a piece capable of stabbing even the purest of hearts. Who are you? it accuses. How dare you? it suggests. Already, in just the first three lines, I feel stripped to nothingness, my staggering soul on humiliating display.

Colin Shuran • 15 April 2023

We Have a Crisis of Empathy, and Here's How to Fix It

In 1979, President Jimmy Carter proclaimed that America was suffering from a “crisis of confidence.” Today, writer and filmmaker Colin Shuran believes that we are instead suffering from a “crisis of empathy.” With societal challenges on the rise, Shuran proposes a solution to this crisis by revolutionizing human connection as we know it.

Colin Shuran • 4 July 2023

It's the Little Differences

I recently took a trip to Guatemala, as a delegate with my hometown church. It was a mission trip, in which the common question asked was, “What are you guys gonna build?” When people hear about a mission trip, they automatically assume delegates are building houses.

Our delegation’s reply, though?

We’re building relationships.

Colin Shuran • 5 February 2023

The Cigarette Incident

We sit outside on the trailer’s back porch, looking down a steep hill to a backdrop of pines. I sit in my lawn chair, perfectly fit for a six-year-old, and I soak in the sun’s rays. Grandpa lounges in his outdoor-fitted La-Z-Boy, undoubtedly the product of southern ingenuity. Society demands of him nothing in the sticks, he tells me. There’s no conformity in the woods; thus, his outdoor recliner. I simply nod my head in agreement.

Colin Shuran • 31 December 2022

My Plight

I am in a plight. I can not form words from my pad of common symbols, as a solitary button is stuck. It consists of a popular icon from our ABCs. I could show you what symbol it is, but I can’t. So allow moi (that’s français for you know who) to act brilliant.

Colin Shuran • 25 December 2022

The Power of a PB&J Sandwich

Outside a homeless shelter in Nashville, there was a statue of an elderly man holding a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. The bronze figure’s hand was outstretched with the sandwich, almost as if he was handing it to me. His golden smile told me that it was a friendly gesture. It was the middle of summer, and beads of sweat raced down my face. A PB&J sandwich sure would be nice right about now, I thought to myself.

Colin Shuran • 15 August 2022

How Napoleon Can Help Us Fight the Revolution Against Instant Gratification

In the waning years before the 19th century in France, Napoleon Bonaparte became general. Now, I won’t get into specific details about it because this isn’t history class . . . But what I can tell you is that Napoleon quickly rose to prominence as a military genius, seeing much success because of his tactical brilliance. And there are many reasons why he was wildly successful—namely his charisma and his prudence—but the attribute I found most interesting was an aspect that today’s society has seemed to forget: delayed gratification.

Colin Shuran • 4 July 2022

The Fourth of Ju-Fly

The Founding Fathers seemed to have had it all: the courage to break off from England; a unifying vision for the future; an auspicious passion for the new country. The bravery of these men are why America exists. How lucky we are to have had fervent souls accomplish such a feat! But there’s just one thing these resilient men couldn’t shake: horseflies.

Colin Shuran • 15 January 2024

A Dream Which Knocks Us Off Our Feet

Did great men like MLK or Abe Lincoln prepare or expect to do the great things they did? They both had dreams, but they also got knocked off their feet. So, we can’t just plan out our lives, for we might be beaten down and abandoned. We have to do what we can, with what we have, and in the present moment.

Colin Shuran • 1 February 2024

The Courage to Try (and Fail)

Imagine yourself on your deathbed, and surrounding you are all the ghosts of who you could have been and the things you could have done. Do you feel regret? Shame? Perhaps you’d be better off not seeing these images at all. But it's better to try and fail than not try at all.

Colin Shuran • 1 January 2024

The World Moves On

Abe Lincoln is my hero. Here's how some of his advice could help us in the New Year, and even beyond.

Colin Shuran • 1 February 2024

The Power to Be Heard

In April 2023, I had the great honor of standing on the TEDx stage, an experience I never thought would come my way. For six months, I researched and drafted what would become my presentation on the Art of Listening. Yet, with so much material and so little time, a pivotal aspect of my speech had to be cut. That is what I’ll focus on in this article.

Colin Shuran • 1 January 2024

Mitfreude: Make the World Happy Again

After witnessing a brief exchange at the grocery store, Colin has some thoughts on how to add more happiness to the world, and to ourselves.