Tag Archives: human

On Dying and Living

Posted on May 29, 2023 by Callen Harty

Let’s start with the basics. You need death to come into your life to know about mortality. Once you accept your own mortality, then you understand you are dying. And with the knowledge of your own movement toward your final … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged ability, adventures, alcoholism, alive, anxious, assured, being, bills, brother, cancer, car wrecks, childhood sexual abuse, choice, colon cancer, create, creation, crochet, death, deathbed, depression, dollars, Dr. Garland, dust, emotions, energy, escape, everlasting, existence, experience, father, fear, fearless, feel, gift, grandparents, grave, hate, heart attack, Heaven, here and now, human, illnesses, immortal, joy, life, light, living, llife, love, memories, meningitis, mentor, millionaire, miracle, moment, mortality, mother, mumps, negative, nutrients, old, plane, postive, realization, regrets, reincarnated, scared, scarlet fever, sleep, suicide, survivor, television, things, think, thriving, time, toddler, tomorrow, transforms, universe, vacation, Vietnam, wealth, weekend, wheelchairs, will to live | Leave a comment

The Promise of Spring

Posted on February 21, 2022 by Callen Harty

It was a beautiful day today with snow and ice melting, water rushing in the gutters, geese squawking as they flew overhead, songbirds singing, and the smell of spring in the air. While I know it’s still February and winter … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged colon cancer, February, geese, human, ileiostomy, insects, mammals, March, nature, recovery, snow, songbirds, Spring, wildflowers, Wisconsin | Leave a comment

The Problem with Monuments

Posted on October 12, 2020 by Callen Harty

Today is the traditional Columbus Day holiday, which in many places is now being celebrated as Indigenous People’s Day or Native American Day, among other names. For years, Christopher Columbus was celebrated as the person who “discovered” America. The reality … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged African-Americans, America, anti-Semitic, art, Atlantic, Baghdad, Bahamas, beliefs, Berlin Wall, Budapest, Central America, Charles Lindbergh, Christopher Columbus, citizens, civil war, coach, colonization, Columbus Day, Confederate leaders, Congress, diseases, enslavement, Eurocentric, fascist, flaws, founding fathers, future genrations, George Floyd, George Washington, government, heroes, history, holiday, honoring, human, Hungarian Revolution, ideals, Indigenous People's Day, insurrection, Iraqi history, Joe Paterno, leaders, legacy, majority, minority, modern standards, monuments, morals, nation, Native American Day, Native Americans, nature, NCAA, North America, pedestals, police brutality, politics, power, Presidents, protests, representation, revolution, Saddam Hussein, settlement, sexual abuse, slaveowners, slavery, South America, Stalin, statues, taxation, Thomas Jefferson, union, United States, voting, white male landowners, women | Leave a comment

Isolation 2

Posted on April 12, 2020 by Callen Harty

When I was a boy I could easily spend hours in my bedroom by myself, playing games with my toy cars. I wouldn’t race them on orange tracks with loop de loops or push them across the floor as fast … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged alone, ambulance, boy, bus, change, child, connection, depression, domestic violence, dump truck, dying, family, Firat, friends, games, Hot Wheels, hug, human, introvert, isolation, lonely, love, lovers, Matchbox cars, Mercedes, nature, people, pickup truck, police car, public speaking, recession, safer-at-home, shy, small talk, social constructs, social contact, social distancing, social settings, socially awkward, society, stories, suffering, taxi, theater, touch, town, toy cars, uncertainty, witnessing, writer | Leave a comment

My Heroes Have Always Been Human

Posted on January 27, 2020 by Callen Harty

We live in a world in which no one can be a hero anymore. There is always something problematic about those who are admired by others. There is always a past, a mistake, a misstep of one sort or another, … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged abus, adulation, adult survivor, championship, change, childhood sex abuse, culture, death, disappointment, fame, families, fault, forgiveness, healing, heroes, human, hurt, Kobe Bryant, love, misstep, mistake, offenses, penance, rape, redemption, sin, society, spiritual evolution, sports, stars, superstardom, victim, wealth | Leave a comment

Paths to Healing Keynote Speech

Posted on June 22, 2018 by Callen Harty

At this year’s Paths to Healing conference on male survivors of child sex assault I was the keynote speaker. This is the text of the speech I delivered today. Good morning. I’d like to start by thanking Chris Taylor, who … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged #MeToo, 9/11, A Single Bluebird, adult survivor, African-American, alcoholism, allies, altar boy, American Family Insurance, angels, anger issues, articles, arts, becoming, black man, blog, books, brotherhood, Canopy Center, casual sex, child sex abuse, child sex assault, childhoiod, Chris Taylor, class, collective spirit, color, come out, compassion, control, courage, creed, Dane County Rape Crisis Center, DEnim Day, depression, disabled, domestic abuse, drug abuse, emotions, empathy, Empty Playground, equality, essays, faith, Family Sexual Abuse Treatment, forgive, forgiveness, Friends of the State Street Family, gay man, gender, gender identity, harassment, Harvey Milk, hatred, healing, heart attack, Henry David Thoreau, Hmong, Ho-Chunk Nation, honest, hope, horror, human, human connection, human spirit, humanity, inner child, innocence, Invisible Boy, Irish-Catholic, Jesus, Journalism, journey, joy, justice, keynote speech, Latino, LGBT, Madison, male survivor, masculinity, memoir, meningitis, minority, monologues, mumps, Native American, neighbors, orientation, OutReach, Paradise, Paths to Healing, peace, perpetrator, person of color, personhood, plays, playwriting, poetry, positive energy, post traumatic stress disorder, power, promiscuity, prostitution, Proud Theater, queer, race, recovering alcoholic, reocvery, rights, scarlet fever, secrets, self-abuse, self-care, self-hatred, sex, sexual abuse, Sexual Assault Awareness Month, sexuality, shame, siblings, silence, social drinking, Solidarity with Child Abuse Victims/Survivors, sorrow, spirituality, State Capitol, straight, suffering, suicidal ideation, teach, therapy, threats, trans, trigger warning, truth, underserved communities, UNIDOS Against Domestic Violence, universal truths, Utopia, UW-EauClaire, victims, violence, Voices of Courage, Waylon Pahona, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Coalition Against Sexual Assault, writer | Leave a comment

Musical Notes

Posted on June 3, 2018 by Callen Harty

Singing brings joy to the human heart. Perhaps there are those few who hear the joy of song and react negatively because they have hardened themselves to their own happiness. And perhaps there are those few whose souls withhold … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged a capella, actors, audience, band, barriers, Bill Bailey Won't You Please Come Home, Born Free, Brian, Capitol, character, chorus, clarinet, embarrassment, experimental plays, funerals, God, happiness, heart, high school, human, If, instrument, Irish, Jay Indik, joy, karaoke, languages, Madison, music class, musical, musical theater, notes, open mic, Perfect Harmony Men's Chorus, perfect pitch, Proud Theater, quartet, rotunda, shame, sheet music, singing, Sister Mary Carlo, Solidarity Sing Along, Somewhere My Love, songs, theater, Til There Was You, Tiptoe Through the Tulips, university, voice, We Shall Overcome, weddings | Leave a comment

The Gift

Posted on April 18, 2018 by Callen Harty

April 18, 1989. A gay bar in Denver, the Triangle. A can of beer in hand, cigarette in the other. I was there alone, so I wasn’t there to be with friends, I wasn’t there looking for someone for the … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged alcohol, alcoholic, bar, beer, blackouts, childhood, cigarette, Colfax Avenue, Denver, depressed, downward spiral, drink, drugs, drunk, emotions, faith, gay bar, gift, good will, hair of the dog, hangovers, human, human rights, insecure, Irishman, jobs, joy, just laws, life, love, mistakes, mixed drinks, numbness, pain, pleasure, public speaking, rock bottom, sobriety, social drinking, sorrow, stubbornness, suicide, theater, trauma, Triangle, understanding, Wisconsin, worthless, writing | Leave a comment

On Trump and Racism

Posted on January 12, 2018 by Callen Harty

Donald Trump is a racist. That is it. Period. Donald Trump is a racist. There should be no further discussion. It is a fact. But in this day and age there apparently are no “facts,” only “fake news,” lies, … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Africa, African countries, African-Americans, America, apologists, Aryans, black communities, capitalism, Charlottesville, Chinese, co-workers, colonialism, culture, Donald Trump, economy, emigrate, Europe, exploitation, fake news, friends, Haiti, Hmong, huddled masses, human, immigrants, Irish, Italians, Lady Liberty, melting pot, Mexicans, Muslim, neighbors, neo-Nazi, newspapers, Norway, politiicians, Presidents, race, racism, racist, Richard Nixon, shithole countries, the F word, Twitter, United States, Watergate, websites, white nationalists | Leave a comment

Voices of Courage Closing Remarks

Posted on April 26, 2014 by Callen Harty

I was invited to give the closing remarks at the Voices of Courage luncheon, an annual event honoring those working in the sexual assault field. The event is sponsored by the Wisconsin Coalition Against Sexual Assault. Here is what I … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged abuse, allies, celebrate, compassion, courage, forgiveness, human, humanity, inner strength, joy, love, peace, recovery, sexual assault, survival, therapy, uniqueness, victimhood, Voices of Courage, Wisconsin Coalition Against Sexual Assault (WCASA) | Leave a comment

Say It Ain’t So, Ryan

Posted on July 23, 2013 by Callen Harty

Dear Ryan Braun, As you know your suspension from baseball for using performance-enhancing drugs has disappointed many, many people, not only Milwaukee Brewers fans, but all of those who believed you when you insisted that the allegations you were juicing … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged athlete, Baseball, character, Facebook, fans, hero, heroes, human, illegal drugs, Jake, jerseys, juicing, kids, Lance Armstrong, Little League, Major League Baseball, Milwaukee Brewers, mistakes, peformance-enhancing drugs, penance, punishment, redemption, Ryan Braun, Shoeless Joe Jackson, trust, union, Wisconsin | Leave a comment

On Becoming an Orphan

Posted on June 10, 2013 by Callen Harty

Little boys can have all sorts of unimaginable fears. There can be monsters in the closet or under the bed, temptations of the devil, bullies on the street, bad guys in general, even the horrors of spinach or other foods … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged brothers, dad, death, dementia, emotions, family, father, fears, grandparents, hero, heroic, human, little boys, living, love, Mom, mother, orphan, sister | 6 Comments