Sam Buntz

Dartmouth College

I'm originally from Sugarloaf, Pennsylvania, but I now spend most of my time in the slightly more harsh and unforgiving terrain of New Hampshire, where I go to Dartmouth College. I'm currently studying religion (focusing on Asian religions), which means that I will continue to study religion well into the distant future, or else fall back on my guitar playing chops. In addition to guitar, during my spare time I enjoy reading, writing poetry and fiction, navel-gazing, and imagining exercise until I am suitably tired by the idea.

Articles by Sam Buntz

A People Without History September 1, 2011 We are too obsessed with the vulgar flicks and fidgets of history—with the fact that people in the past weren’t as moral as we are—and we downplay or ignore the steady course of great ideas and great literature that ultimately manages to determine the future direction of history.

As Though It Were Morning August 15, 2011 Many- including Bret Easton Ellis- believe that in our world, despair is the best option. But there is something inside of us that is greater than the ego—a basic yet unfathomed goodness—and it is from this source that life finds its purpose.

Why Western Culture Will Decline- Right Now August 1, 2011 Though things in this country and the world seem to be failing at an astonishing rate and people may wonder how mankind can possibly rebound from such catastrophe, history indicates that this is only the natural swing of the pendulum.

Why I Am Not a Nerd July 25, 2011 Throughout the course of my 22 years of residence on earth I have often been mistaken for a nerd. Though I wouldn’t bother to correct someone on this count, it isn’t true. Indeed, I’m bookish, introspective, awkward, and goofy—but those qualities compounded do not make a nerd. No, a nerd is much different.

The Blindspots of French (and American) Justice June 2, 2011 On the whole, the American judicial system is clearly more democratic—and more idealistic--than the French system. It insists that an individual should be willing to pay for his or her crimes in the clear light of public scrutiny—as evidenced by the media circus surrounding Strauss-Kahn, which the French find so barbaric.

On Being a Scholar and Not Selling Out May 27, 2011 Many of us have heard the epigram, "Those that cannot do, teach." I myself am planning on becoming a professor, and I can say that most people aren’t exactly encouraging when you tell them about your career plans.

An Apology for Infinite Immaturity May 2, 2011 The sci-fi writer J.G. Ballard once wrote, “The chief role of the universities is to prolong adolescence into middle age.” Now that I am nearing graduation and am on the cusp of immediately plunging into another two years of grad school, I’m starting to realize how true this is.