Everyone is too literal these days. Literally.

What do I mean by this? It’s taken for granted that what you say is what you mean, despite the fact that this often isn’t true. Have you ever been in an argument with someone and blurted out something hurtful (typically out of spite), and instantly regretted saying it? Of course you have. You’re human, and you live in the real world; a messy place that tests the mettle of all living creatures. Others, however, spend their lives online, and in this virtual world, hurtful words are immortalized to be used against perceived enemies at any opportune time. The internet these days feels more like a record of your moral failings useful only to those that despise you.

Nuance is dead. Attempting to understand the arguments of your opponents is a crime,  the punishment of which is administered by social media mobs that hunger for self-righteousness. If they can’t destroy your life and reputation, these faceless ghouls aim to forever smear you lest you mend your ways, and return dutifully to the fold.

Maybe you think I’m being a bit dramatic. I’ve heard people say that cancel culture is exaggerated, that even if it does exist, it’s only being used against the truly deserving. The problem with this assessment is that it incorrectly assumes that we are properly equipped to judge others. By participating in it, we make ourselves judge, jury, and executioner by proxy.

This is where the power of metaphor comes in. A metaphor is a speech technique that demonstrates the moral truth of a proposition by using analogies. Rather than get bogged down in the weeds of reality (which is often messy and incomprehensible), a good metaphor can engage the reader the way a literal story cannot, for it eliminates the biases and preconceptions we have by giving us a neutral medium to express ideas. Aristotle said of metaphor that it makes learning pleasant. I contend that in today’s politically saturated world, it may in fact be the only tool to reach others and change minds

I’ve been devoting more and more time to storytelling rather than lecturing. In fact, peppered throughout the site are short stories that the reader will find are part of a larger project I am working on. As some of you can attest, rewriting the Bible has taught me the power of story, and more importantly, how metaphor speaks through multiple generations. I’m done arguing with people. Philosophy is dead, politics is poison, but stories are forever.

They say the website is dead. They talk of social media as the final evolution of the internet. They claim that without their gigantic reach, and their constant quest for attention, it’s impossible to resist the urge to use their platform. Well, fuck that. There are other ways.

Full disclosure: I have not blogged regularly in over a decade, or podcasted in the last few years. In my late 20’s and early thirties, I was making what people now called content at a furious pace. For me, it was just a form of self expression that eventually turned into activism (some might call it “evangelizing”). My voice became one of a handful of early adopters to podcasting, when just existing was almost a guarantee of listeners. The world of online atheism was exploding, and these were heady times. It wasn’t clear just how big things would get, and there remained an innocence and optimism that has since passed in these cynical years. Alas, it didn’t last forever.

When I finished writing “Bible Stories”, I was technically homeless, and my dreams that the book would provide the needed capital vanished in smoke. Sales were essentially zero, and my absence from the community, along with my general disdain for the politicization of belief drew me further and further away. By then, I felt my contribution to atheism had been largely completed, with the exception of my book trilogy still awaiting its final chapter.

I had to rebuild, and there was no time, or any real motivation, to continue on trying to emulate this new generation of “content” producers: a term that describes perfectly the mechanistic and artistically devoid process of creation for the youtube generation. The online world had changed, and money has a way of ruining everything. As advertising began to pollute the internet, it fundamentally changed the structure of how we live our lives. The dictates of chasing after views, and the endless quest for stimulation has driven people into a collective frenzy to produce endless materials in an effort to drive revenue for themselves. In other words, it’s less about sharing your thoughts, and more about catering them to the lowest common denominator. It’s what puts the “con” in “content”.

I wish to be free of these constraints. I want to reawaken interest in blogs again. I don’t want to share these thoughts for social media, or youtube, or any of the algorithms that dictate your lives. If you wish to know me and my work, then you will visit this place, and read my writings. I won’t promise to write every day. I am not that insightful. But I am interested in sharing some of my unusual thoughts, and maybe along the way a few may turn out to be insights.

If you’ve already heard of me, or listened to my shows in the past, this space will be where I answer your questions, and share some of my new ambitions as I prepare to show you all what I’ve been working on these past few years.

Perhaps this will fail, and I will have only been able to reach the bots that routinely try and hack websites. If that’s the case, then at least I won’t be alone. I’ll have plenty of friends trying to steal my identity.

Not much has changed for children in the rural parts of Nigeria where a toxic mix of belief leads to abuse, and even death. The organization that helps to provide relief for these kids always needs help, and more importantly, money.

Were you a backer of the book for 40$ or more? Then you’re entitled to receive your physical copy of Bible Stories. I’m sending these out right now to those that got in touch with me.

Now, it’s been a few years, and most people tend to move, so I can’t send the book out until you reach out to me. So be on the lookout for an email, or better yet, get in touch with me as soon as possible at news@jacobfortin.com

I can’t wait to have these babies in your hands and hearing your thoughts in the Forums, or even better, as reviews on Amazon.com

Not my everyday attire

7 years. That’s how long I’ve been absent from the web, trying to rebuild my life and have a little stability.

Being stuck at home has also given me time to look back on all the projects and ideas I’ve had over the years. Rather than let them rot away in a drawer, I’ve decided to publish them on the site, and use this content as part of my new show.

It will take a bit of time to get everything up and running, but in the meantime, if you’re new or returning to the site and would like to see all the different projects I’ve been working on, feel free to browse the site!

I’m also re-starting the Forums, and if you would like to get your login, please send me an email to news@jacobfortin.com so I reinstate your account. I want to hear from you!

I’m alive and well, and I’m happy to announce that I’m making a return to podcasting. In order for people to stay up to date with all the latest development, I’ve created a newsletter , and I’m encouraging all of you to sign up today!

Stay tuned in teh coming weeks for more information, and a sample of the new show. In the meantime, be sure to explore the site and all the new features, and the old stuff (like our old forums!)