John Emerson Clark
@johnemersonclark.bsky.social
Writer, Teacher, Photographer
Some problems appear in our lives that terrify us. We can hide, or we can go to battle I wrote about this in a recent article:
open.substack.com/pub/courageo...
open.substack.com/pub/courageo...
The Courageous Path to the (Finish) Line
Solving formidable problems strategically.
open.substack.com
September 8, 2025 at 11:10 PM
Some problems appear in our lives that terrify us. We can hide, or we can go to battle I wrote about this in a recent article:
open.substack.com/pub/courageo...
open.substack.com/pub/courageo...
Reposted by John Emerson Clark
A sea turtle surfacing by a MASSIVE school of rays near Clearwater, Florida a couple days ago. Another post into the BluSky void. Maybe 2 or 3 people will see this one and my time won't have been wasted. I'll keep trying a little longer. #nature #animals #amazing #wildlife #awesome #ocean
September 1, 2025 at 2:18 PM
Do you show up for yourself? Or do you give up your power? I write about these very questions.
open.substack.com/pub/courageo...
open.substack.com/pub/courageo...
First, You Must Show Up for Yourself
Answering the question: Am I really worth it?
open.substack.com
August 31, 2025 at 6:45 PM
Do you show up for yourself? Or do you give up your power? I write about these very questions.
open.substack.com/pub/courageo...
open.substack.com/pub/courageo...
Reposted by John Emerson Clark
Denmark eliminates 25% book tax to combat declining reading
boingboing.net/2025/08/22/d...
boingboing.net/2025/08/22/d...
Denmark eliminates 25% book tax to combat declining reading skills
Denmark is eliminating its 25% book tax after finding reading skills in steep decline. Culture Minister Engel-Schmidt: "The gift of reading is something we should give to younger generations."
boingboing.net
August 23, 2025 at 10:55 AM
Denmark eliminates 25% book tax to combat declining reading
boingboing.net/2025/08/22/d...
boingboing.net/2025/08/22/d...
Reposted by John Emerson Clark
Frolicking beneath the Dolomites, northeastern Italy 😊
August 23, 2025 at 4:32 PM
Frolicking beneath the Dolomites, northeastern Italy 😊
Reposted by John Emerson Clark
The love of reading is an endangered species.
Just 16% of Americans do regular leisure reading—down from 28% in 2003. Only 41% of UK parents read daily to their toddlers—down from 64% in 2012.
Books aren't merely a source of flow. They're a gateway to empathy and lifelong learning.
Just 16% of Americans do regular leisure reading—down from 28% in 2003. Only 41% of UK parents read daily to their toddlers—down from 64% in 2012.
Books aren't merely a source of flow. They're a gateway to empathy and lifelong learning.
August 23, 2025 at 3:20 PM
The love of reading is an endangered species.
Just 16% of Americans do regular leisure reading—down from 28% in 2003. Only 41% of UK parents read daily to their toddlers—down from 64% in 2012.
Books aren't merely a source of flow. They're a gateway to empathy and lifelong learning.
Just 16% of Americans do regular leisure reading—down from 28% in 2003. Only 41% of UK parents read daily to their toddlers—down from 64% in 2012.
Books aren't merely a source of flow. They're a gateway to empathy and lifelong learning.
Why do we tolerate schools where conformity prevails? Why do we tolerate paying teachers so horribly?
substack.com/profile/1451...
substack.com/profile/1451...
The Courageous Human (@johnemersonclark)
It would take unfathomable courage to offer every child the opportunity to explore the depths of their minds, hearts, and souls.
When you shine white light into a prism, it explodes into its compone...
substack.com
July 22, 2025 at 5:58 PM
Why do we tolerate schools where conformity prevails? Why do we tolerate paying teachers so horribly?
substack.com/profile/1451...
substack.com/profile/1451...
Some soul-depleting bargains don’t come with flames—they come with comfort.
But the “Cave of False Comfort” isn’t safety - it’s silence.
I finally wrote about mine.
🔥 Read: “The Courage to Control Your Life”
open.substack.com/pub/courageo...
But the “Cave of False Comfort” isn’t safety - it’s silence.
I finally wrote about mine.
🔥 Read: “The Courage to Control Your Life”
open.substack.com/pub/courageo...
The Courage to Control Your Life
How to cancel a soul-depleting bargain and reclaim your voice
open.substack.com
July 20, 2025 at 5:53 PM
Some soul-depleting bargains don’t come with flames—they come with comfort.
But the “Cave of False Comfort” isn’t safety - it’s silence.
I finally wrote about mine.
🔥 Read: “The Courage to Control Your Life”
open.substack.com/pub/courageo...
But the “Cave of False Comfort” isn’t safety - it’s silence.
I finally wrote about mine.
🔥 Read: “The Courage to Control Your Life”
open.substack.com/pub/courageo...
Is your child quietly disappearing inside the college admissions machine?
It happens more often than you think.
A thread for parents who feel the pressure—and don’t want to lose their child’s inner flame in the process. 🧵
It happens more often than you think.
A thread for parents who feel the pressure—and don’t want to lose their child’s inner flame in the process. 🧵
July 18, 2025 at 4:28 PM
Is your child quietly disappearing inside the college admissions machine?
It happens more often than you think.
A thread for parents who feel the pressure—and don’t want to lose their child’s inner flame in the process. 🧵
It happens more often than you think.
A thread for parents who feel the pressure—and don’t want to lose their child’s inner flame in the process. 🧵
Parents: If your child walked away from an Ivy League offer… would you be proud? Or terrified?
July 14, 2025 at 11:53 PM
Parents: If your child walked away from an Ivy League offer… would you be proud? Or terrified?
Are you tired of being afraid? Of letting fear prey on your dreams? The world needs you to reclaim your voice and your courage. Join me as I celebrate the power of courage to ignite the human spirit.
john-emerson-clark.kit.com/f0f2dd2d9d
john-emerson-clark.kit.com/f0f2dd2d9d
Tired of having fear prey on your dreams?
john-emerson-clark.kit.com
July 7, 2025 at 11:33 PM
Are you tired of being afraid? Of letting fear prey on your dreams? The world needs you to reclaim your voice and your courage. Join me as I celebrate the power of courage to ignite the human spirit.
john-emerson-clark.kit.com/f0f2dd2d9d
john-emerson-clark.kit.com/f0f2dd2d9d
Courage is not a character trait - it is a behavior. It requires confronting fear and moving through it. Now, more than ever, we need YOU to demonstrate courage. Become a Courageous Human.
courageoushuman.substack.com/p/becoming-a...
courageoushuman.substack.com/p/becoming-a...
Becoming a Courageous Human is Risky, Painful Business - Become One Anyways
Step One: What Is It that you don’t want people to know about you?
courageoushuman.substack.com
June 29, 2025 at 8:05 PM
Courage is not a character trait - it is a behavior. It requires confronting fear and moving through it. Now, more than ever, we need YOU to demonstrate courage. Become a Courageous Human.
courageoushuman.substack.com/p/becoming-a...
courageoushuman.substack.com/p/becoming-a...
It’s okay to be afraid - but you don’t need to be hopeless. Painful times like these squeeze the buried courage out of YOU. Your voice matters. Show up and rise up. The children are watching. 🙏❤️
June 27, 2025 at 2:45 PM
It’s okay to be afraid - but you don’t need to be hopeless. Painful times like these squeeze the buried courage out of YOU. Your voice matters. Show up and rise up. The children are watching. 🙏❤️
Reposted by John Emerson Clark
Reposted by John Emerson Clark
This book is riveting and so, so infuriating. It follows 5 families in Atlanta who are struggling to remain housed and paints deeply compassionate portraits of each unit. It reads almost like a novel but is outstanding journalism
June 25, 2025 at 1:38 AM
This book is riveting and so, so infuriating. It follows 5 families in Atlanta who are struggling to remain housed and paints deeply compassionate portraits of each unit. It reads almost like a novel but is outstanding journalism
A compassionate heart is not enough. It takes courage to step up and offer the gift of kindness.
happinessreimagined.substack.com/p/compassion...
happinessreimagined.substack.com/p/compassion...
Compassion and Kindness Are Not the Same Thing
It takes courage (and sometimes skill) to step up and do something.
happinessreimagined.substack.com
June 22, 2025 at 3:22 AM
A compassionate heart is not enough. It takes courage to step up and offer the gift of kindness.
happinessreimagined.substack.com/p/compassion...
happinessreimagined.substack.com/p/compassion...
If ever there was a time for you to manifest courage in your life, now is that time.
open.substack.com/pub/happines...
open.substack.com/pub/happines...
Change Is Easy When You're Not The One Doing It
Introducing the Courage Chronicles
open.substack.com
June 14, 2025 at 5:13 PM
If ever there was a time for you to manifest courage in your life, now is that time.
open.substack.com/pub/happines...
open.substack.com/pub/happines...
There is much darkness in our world and not enough candles. You can change that.
open.substack.com/pub/johnclar...
open.substack.com/pub/johnclar...
Choosing to Touch Hearts and Change Lives
Becoming a candle in the dark
open.substack.com
May 17, 2025 at 4:40 AM
There is much darkness in our world and not enough candles. You can change that.
open.substack.com/pub/johnclar...
open.substack.com/pub/johnclar...
Reposted by John Emerson Clark
Friday tradition: ending the week with some shared joy.
Tell me something good.
What good thing happened in your life this week?
Caught up with a friend or caught up on your sleep, either works. Just something good.
Tell me something good.
What good thing happened in your life this week?
Caught up with a friend or caught up on your sleep, either works. Just something good.
April 11, 2025 at 4:12 PM
Friday tradition: ending the week with some shared joy.
Tell me something good.
What good thing happened in your life this week?
Caught up with a friend or caught up on your sleep, either works. Just something good.
Tell me something good.
What good thing happened in your life this week?
Caught up with a friend or caught up on your sleep, either works. Just something good.
Reposted by John Emerson Clark
Not a lot of people understand this... but you actually don’t have to have an opinion about everything. You don’t have to decide if something is good or bad. Marcus Aurelius says limiting the amount of opinions we have is one of the most powerful things we can do in life.
April 11, 2025 at 2:53 PM
Not a lot of people understand this... but you actually don’t have to have an opinion about everything. You don’t have to decide if something is good or bad. Marcus Aurelius says limiting the amount of opinions we have is one of the most powerful things we can do in life.
Reposted by John Emerson Clark
Here's the reality: they've backed themselves into a corner. If they bring him home there will be hell to pay. It's clear that they believe that the lesser hell is not bringing him home. So we need to make that hell the worse hell. Start calling and screaming at all of your representatives now! 1/2
April 11, 2025 at 4:53 PM
Here's the reality: they've backed themselves into a corner. If they bring him home there will be hell to pay. It's clear that they believe that the lesser hell is not bringing him home. So we need to make that hell the worse hell. Start calling and screaming at all of your representatives now! 1/2
Reposted by John Emerson Clark
It's easy to talk about courage, but another thing to live it minute by minute.
happinessreimagined.substack.com/p/everyone-i...
happinessreimagined.substack.com/p/everyone-i...
Everyone is Courageous...in Their Dreams
What are you willing to do to change everything?
happinessreimagined.substack.com
April 11, 2025 at 11:44 PM
It's easy to talk about courage, but another thing to live it minute by minute.
happinessreimagined.substack.com/p/everyone-i...
happinessreimagined.substack.com/p/everyone-i...