Matt Lane Matt Lane

No Such Thing As Nothing

An exploration of why true nothingness is the only genuine impossibility, examining how the very concept of absence requires presence to exist. Through the lens of depression, stimulation-seeking, and an irrational fear of bears named Frank, the essay argues that existence is both a nightmare and an unsolvable miracle. Written from the edge of a cosmic paradox, it suggests that something has always been and always will be, that we're not built to hold this truth, and that the best we can do is claw at the edges of it together.

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Matt Lane Matt Lane

When Reality Reads Like a Rough Draft

An exploration of why reality feels increasingly fictional, examining how our era's overwhelming contradictions and impossible timing might indicate we're living inside the most sophisticated form of entertainment ever created. Through the lens of an artist born at the dawn of the technological revolution, the essay argues that what feels like chaos is actually creative abundance—suggesting our existence might be a cosmic narrative so advanced we've forgotten we're experiencing a constructed story.

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Matt Lane Matt Lane

People Before Profits: How Social Democracy Can Rescue the American Dream

An examination of how extreme wealth inequality has transformed America into a nation of billionaires and food banks, where healthcare bankrupts families and education creates debt slaves. Through contrasting Nordic social democracy with American hyper-capitalism, the essay exposes how trickle-down economics has failed while progressive taxation, universal healthcare, and living wages have succeeded elsewhere. Arguing that capitalism needs guardrails rather than replacement, it presents social democratic reforms as the path to rescuing the American Dream from oligarchy and restoring human dignity over corporate profits.

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Matt Lane Matt Lane

Sanctuary of Almost

So many days spent in coffee shops, telling myself I’d write, but never etching a single word. I always thought the café would be the key to unlocking me. Turns out, living in a prison of anxiety does a great job of locking up the creative process. So, I had to come up with an escape plan. And, in a way, it was a literal one.

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Essays, Journals, The Arts, Humor, New Work Matt Lane Essays, Journals, The Arts, Humor, New Work Matt Lane

Cash for Convicts: An American Injustice

An examination of how America's for-profit prison system has transformed justice into a business model built on human suffering. Through the lens of occupancy quotas, recidivism cycles, and corporate profit margins, the essay exposes how rehabilitation takes a backseat to revenue generation. Contrasting punitive American approaches with successful Nordic rehabilitation models, it argues for dismantling a morally bankrupt system that enriches shareholders while breaking communities, ultimately calling for justice reform grounded in human dignity rather than quarterly earnings.

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Matt Lane Matt Lane

And So It Goes

Israel continues its deadly actions in Gaza with the backing of U.S. tax dollars. This is the moment that broke me. The two-party system is a joke; both sides are complicit in the violence. Biden standing by Netanyahu is not something I can support. We say we care about human rights, but are we really okay with this? If we aren’t demanding a ceasefire, do we even have convictions? It’s time to wake up and demand change.

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