The Myth of Individualism 

The Myth of Individualism 

  By Tom Robotham No man is an island, / Entire of itself, / Every man is a piece of the continent,  A part of the main. ~ John Donne  I didn’t watch this year’s Republican convention—I couldn’t stomach the thought—but I did see the opening montage, which...
The Myth of Individualism 

ESSAY: Thoughts and Prayers

  By Tom Robotham Let me ask you a question: Do you pray? If so, for what and to whom?  I used to pray a lot. Throughout my childhood, I attended services at a lovely old Episcopal Church virtually ever Sunday, and for several years I served as an acolyte. In...
The Myth of Individualism 

Living with Books

  By Tom Robotham  As my friends and family members know, I own a lot of books—somewhere in the neighborhood of 2,000, by my estimate. Many people have a lot more than that, of course. Years ago I did a feature story on a retired Norfolk librarian who had about...
The Myth of Individualism 

Social Distancing

  By Tom Robotham On March 6, I was scheduled to depart for Rome in the company of Jeff Maisey, the publisher of this magazine, and another friend. It was the beginning of my spring break, and I’d been looking forward not only to connecting with history, but also to...
The Myth of Individualism 

The Future of Journalism

  By Tom Robotham Recently I had the opportunity to moderate a panel discussion on the state of journalism. The event was timely. That very day, news had broken that The Virginian-Pilot building had been sold to a condo developer, and that longtime PBS news...