Wednesday, June 17, 2026

A note from Rome

June 17, 2026 | Read online

A note from Rome

Thoughts from The Eternal City

I’m writing this from Rome.

There are few places in the world that make you feel the weight of time quite like this city.

You walk through streets where empires rose and fell. You stand in front of structures that have outlived governments, fortunes, wars, trends, and generations of ambitious people who believed their moment would last forever.

It forces you to think differently…

Not just about success, but something else you and I speak about often:

Legacy.

About what actually remains.

So many people spend their lives chasing the next achievement, the next number, the next title, the next visible marker that tells the world they are doing well.

And of course, achievement matters…

Money matters, progress matters, ambition matters.

But Rome reminds you that the deepest question is not simply, “What can I accomplish?”

It is, “What am I building that will still matter when the moment has passed?”

That question changes everything.

It changes how you lead.

How you love.

How you raise your family.

How you carry yourself.

How you make decisions.

How you spend your time.

How you define success when no one else is watching.

A well-built life does not happen by accident.

It requires standards.

It requires discipline.

It requires the humility to look honestly at yourself and ask where you are living below your own potential.

And it requires the courage to make changes before life forces them upon you.

Being here has reminded me that legacy is not reserved for emperors, artists, founders, or families with names carved into marble.

Legacy is built every day through the way you show up, the way you think, the way you protect what matters, and the way you refuse to let short-term comfort rob you of long-term impact.

If you are in a season where you are carrying even more responsibility, making even bigger decisions, or realizing that success alone is no longer enough…pay attention to that feeling.

It’s a signal that you’re ready for the next phase of life.

And if you’d like private guidance in creating that phase, apply to work with me here.

I’d be happy to have that conversation.

Talk to you soon,

- James

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Tuesday, June 16, 2026

Your tone matters more than your words

June 16, 2026 | Read online

Your tone matters more than your words

It's not what you say, it's how you say it...right?

Most people focus on what they say:

The right phrasing.
The right argument.
The right explanation.

But communication is not driven by content alone…it is shaped by tone.

Tone carries emotion, it carries intent, it carries certainty…or lack thereof.

And people respond to that before they even process your words.

You can say the right thing with the wrong tone and create resistance.

You can say something simple with the right tone and create alignment.

This is why two identical sentences can produce completely different outcomes.

One feels grounded while the other feels forced.

Tone determines perception.

When your tone is rushed, you appear uncertain. When your tone is defensive, you appear reactive. When your tone is calm, you appear in control.

Control builds trust.

Strong communicators understand this.

They do not just choose their words, they regulate their delivery of those words:

They slow their pace.
They remove unnecessary tension.
They allow space between thoughts.

This creates clarity, and clarity reduces resistance.

People listen differently when your tone is steady.

They feel less pressure.

They feel less conflict.

And as a result, they become more receptive.

Tone also reflects internal state.

If your mind is scattered, your tone will reveal it, and if your emotions are elevated, your tone will carry it into the conversation.

This is why communication begins internally.

Regulate your state → then express your message.

Not the other way around.

Your words matter, but your tone determines whether they land.

Refine how you deliver.

The impact will follow.

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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228 Park Ave S, #29976, New York, New York 10003, United States

Humanity's Struggle for a City of God: From Plato to Thomas More

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Humanity's Struggle for a City of God_ From Plato to Thomas More [RTF Lecture Matt Ehret].mp4

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Humanity's Struggle for a City of God: From Plato to Thomas More

Rising Tide Foundation

Jun 16

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In this third installment of a trilogy of lectures on the topic of ‘Humanity’s Struggle for a City of God’, Matt Ehret recapitulates the story with the migration of the Babylonian oligarchy and it’s network of cults to Persia, and thence to Rome after Alexander the Great’s victory over his father Philip of Macedon and the leading forces of Persia.

This parasitic growth of oligarchical migration was contrasted with the opposing struggle to establish upon this earth, a society premised on Natural Law, Justice and Goodness as advocated by Solon, Plato and later Cicero who each attempted to create institutions capable of creating philosopher kings.

Such was the fight waged by Augustine of Hippo as outlined within his City of God, and such was the objective of Charlemagne’s advisor Alcuin who led the Augustinian reforms of the Carolingian Renaissance of the 8-9th century AD.

We follow the growth of Augustinian Statecraft to the halls of the Abbasid Dynasty of Haroun al Rashid, the Jewish Khazarian Kingdom and the Tang Dynasty of China which established a win-win foreign policy premised around peaceful cooperation of diverse cultures, rather than divide-to-conquer wars or wealth extraction.

Why was this beautiful ecumenical alliance of cultures sabotaged by the newly reconstituted oligarchy then centering itself upon a new host within Venice?

How did Thomas More play a vital role in the combat to purge this center of evil from the face of the earth 1000 years after Augustine died during the 1509 League of Cambrai? What was More doing when he wrote his own Platonic tract called ‘Utopia’ in 1516?

These questions and much more will be answered in this lecture.

Watch Part one of this series: (Plato’s Republic vs Klaus’ Great Narrative: Who Guards the Guardians?) here:

Watch Part two of this series: St Augustine’s City of God vs the Rot of the Roman Empire) here:

The Rising Tide Foundation (RTF), a non-profit based out of Montreal, Canada, operates as an intellectual current dedicated to the rigorous re-examination of Universal History and the principles governing the cyclical appearance of Renaissances and Dark Ages in human civilization.