Thursday, October 1, 2026

The World Needs a Renaissance, Not an Enlightenment

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The World Needs a Renaissance, Not an Enlightenment

Rising Tide Foundation

Oct 1

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Both the Renaissance and the Enlightenment are gravely misunderstood in the popular imagination. The Renaissance was the culmination of a millennium of thwarted attempts to revive not just classical arts, but the classical worldview. The Renaissance achieved this with the added benefit of Christianity, which emphasized the human being as both rational and creative.

To the Renaissance mind, by investigating the intricacies of the cosmos and nature, science and art only served to strengthen and clarify the relationship between the created and the Creator. The Enlightenment, for its part, was not a scientific revolution, but actually occurred during a gap in scientific progress. It seized the fruits of the Renaissance and removed God from the equation to build a worldview of cold, mechanical rationality.

The French Enlightenment in particular produced some of the most horrendous practical results. With developments in AI and other technology, we currently stand on the threshold of an age that could go either way. It is in the best interests of all humanity to follow the course of the Renaissance rather than the Enlightenment.

On April 26, 2026, the Rising Tide Foundation hosted special guest Adam Sedia (poet, lawyer, and essayist) who tackled these important topics.

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Tuesday, September 29, 2026

what you tolerate becomes the standard

September 29, 2026 | Read online

what you tolerate becomes the standard

you teach people how to treat you

There’s a difficult truth about relationships that most people eventually have to confront:

What you repeatedly tolerate becomes a very part of the relationship.

Not because you consciously chose it.

Not because you agreed with it…

But because every time a boundary gets crossed without consequence, every time you stay quiet to keep the peace, every time you abandon your own needs to avoid conflict…

You are teaching the relationship what is acceptable.

This doesn’t mean becoming rigid.

It doesn’t mean keeping score.

And it certainly doesn’t mean expecting perfection from the people you love.

It means recognizing that healthy relationships require two people who are willing to remain honest about what they need, what they value, and who they are.

The danger is that many high-functioning people become very good at adapting.

You accommodate.

You absorb.

You rationalize.

You tell yourself something isn’t worth the argument.

And eventually, you wake up inside a dynamic you never consciously chose.

This is where personal standards become so important.

Because standards aren’t just about what you expect from other people.

They’re about what you’re willing to participate in.

How you allow yourself to be spoken to.

How much of yourself you suppress to make things easier.

Whether you continue showing up as the person you respect when the relationship gets difficult.

The strongest relationships aren’t built by people who have no boundaries.

They’re built by people who can love deeply without abandoning themselves in the process.

And sometimes the most important question isn’t:

“Are they treating me well?”

It’s:

“Am I showing up in this relationship in a way that I respect?”

Remember:

Givers must let limits, because takers never do.

Your coach,

- James Michael Sama

P.S.: If you’re looking for a private advisor to help you develop these qualities, let’s talk.

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Monday, September 28, 2026

Geoffrey Chaucer and the Last Knight in England

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Geoffrey Chaucer and the Last Knight in England

Rising Tide Foundation

Sep 28

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Gerald Therrien sheds light on the real Geoffrey Chaucer as an epistemological warrior who used the power of the pen to shape entire kingdoms, subvert the growth of the Feudal Norman Barons and corrupting romanticism while also forming the english language.