Susan Arico

It’s The Friction, Stupid

Natural law teaches that engagement is better than disengagement. Removing friction from education and life may feel easier, but it undermines learning and human flourishing.

Tragedy: When The Letters Stop Coming

A reflection on handwriting, humanity, and why the loss of letters and postal systems in the digital age is a deeper tragedy than we admit.

Curiosity Can Be A Bad Thing

Consume More Digital Media and Have A Beauty-Less Life

My Tricky High School Decision

Reading Books Is Better Than Watching Movies

What Do I Need To Know About Knowing?

If You Refuse To Wait, You Refuse To Be Happy

You Do Not Own Your Dog

Our dog Angus died unexpectedly the day before our youngest child turn three. He was a yellow lab, smart and wily as they come, and fiercely beloved by the lot of us.

Friendship Is Better Than You Think It Is

A reflection on what true friendship means through the lens of natural law, explaining why real friends help one another grow in goodness, how using others falls short of love, and why authentic friendship remains one of life’s greatest treasures.

Why Bilbo Knows More About Happiness Than Billionaires Do

Reflecting on J.R.R. Tolkien’s words about food, cheer, and song, Susan Arico explores natural law, the basic goods of life, and what truly leads to human flourishing beyond “hoarded gold.”

If Juliet Were A Chatbot, Would Romeo Still Have Killed Himself?

On Being An Unpopular Mom

‘Sexiness’ Can Be Good, and Cell Phones Are Killing It

Fine Then, I Won’t Have A Party

This is normal, right? Not everybody can make it to everything – we all have busy lives. And not everybody is good at communicating. We can’t expect everyone we invite to show up for our thing, to help our idea materialize.

Decorum In Driver’s Ed? What The Driving Instructor Said

I have three teen girls who enjoy a good drama or rom-com, and we’re no strangers to the Pride and Prejudice movie with Keira Knightley (2005). It’s a fun watch, and there’s something intriguing and compelling about the period, costumes, balls, etc. The tale is set just over...

Bethlehem … Or A Fake Town in the Metaverse?

"Once in Royal David's City" is one of my favorite Christmas carols. When I was eight, my class…

Squid Game:  The ‘Bread and Circuses’ of Today

I talked to one of me teens recently about the Roman concept of "bread and circuses," things leaders used to…