All right, I want to take your temperature. I want to find out how well you know me and see if you've been paying attention. That's right. This is a straight up relational quiz that only has one

question. I'm going to put this in front of you. I think probably I've spoken to this before on the

podcast, but maybe not. I think you could probably triangulate to this answer anyway. All right,

that's all my setup. Here we go. Here's the trivia question about me. What was my favorite movie

from the time I was 18 years old until, I don't know, for most of my life? What was my favorite movie from the time I was 18 years old until, I don't know, for most of my life,

what was my favorite movie, a movie that is still near and dear to my heart? How many of you said

Braveheart? Because it was Braveheart. It was totally Braveheart. And that virtue, that central,

I mean, what word do you associate with Braveheart if you've seen it? It's freedom, right? That was a very powerful notion for me.

I grew up on after-school cartoons where fighting for freedom was always the right thing to do when

America stood for freedom. And I understand that that's turned weird since then. I understand

that we've spent a little time in a post-truth world where beautiful,

inarguably beautiful virtues come in and out of fashion.

Things like compassion and empathy and freedom are virtues that we actually debate,

depending on what side of the political aisle we tend to gravitate toward what in the world.

All of those things are good, by the way, just as a footnote.

But I loved the way that movie screamed freedom.

I mean, it was almost anachronistic how much it hit that.

Why am I saying almost?

It was anachronistic and how much it was hitting those American constitutional notions of libertarian freedom in an early 13th century Scottish setting.

I don't care if it's anachronistic.

I liked it.

Dang it.

...