Out of the eighty-seven pieces we published this year, these five stood out to our staff.
David Corey
Politics, Friendship, and the Search for Meaning
Anne Snyder: We are living through one long telos crisis, forgetting what anything good is for. This piece is a tour de force through one of the most precious goods of human life—friendship—recovering its riches to dazzle even the most suffocating political frame.
Jeff Reimer: As he wrestles with how to talk to his son about sex, Kurt manages to be both humble and generous while remaining clear-eyed about our dysfunctional sexual culture. This is the longest piece Comment published this year, but I wouldn’t cut a word of it.
Beca Bruder: Our common understanding of authority leans on either force or persuasion. Cassandra, instead, with the help of Hannah Arendt, associates true authority with allowing others to grow in virtue. She provides the most helpful framing and constructive language around the topic.
Kathryn de Ruijter: Leah encourages us to embrace the give-and-take nature of relationships and to take the long view of friendships. She challenges us to see ourselves—and our possessions—as part of the intricately woven fabric of community. Learning to open our hands, to both give and to receive, is an act of trust in God’s care for us and our neighbours and an act of weaving ourselves deeper into our community.
Matt Crummy: Memories can flood our present in a way that feels like being transported. Irena vividly captures this phenomenon as she retells her experiences of war in Croatia. She poignantly describes the power of God’s accompaniment in the face of systemic dehumanization and intense vulnerability. I'll never forget the juxtaposition of her intimate reflections with social media videos of Ukrainians defending Kyiv in 2022.
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