Nathan Box
Bio
I am a reader, writer, hiker, cinephile, music fanatic who finds himself constantly searching for the next grand adventure.
Stories (23)
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(24 Hour Challenge) Welcome to the Nonprofit Sector. We Hope You Brought with You…
As part of the 15th Anniversary celebration for Natetheworld.com, I am hosting a 24-hour writing challenge. Starting in January 2024, readers began submitting essay prompts. My goal is to tackle as many of these prompts as possible in a 24-hour period.
By Nathan Boxabout a year ago in Longevity
A Letter to the Men of Pi Kappa Alpha
This year’s letter is for anyone lucky enough to call themselves a chapter president, flirted with the idea, or aspire to hold a title one day in the future. If that is not you, I invite you to come on this journey anyways. Even if you haven’t or don’t want to climb to the highest leadership run on our organization’s ladder, I hope you can still see some of yourself in this essay.
By Nathan Boxabout a year ago in Motivation
A Small Town Education
Growing up in Frederick, Oklahoma, you might assume I graduated from high school with a deep understanding of the Tulsa Race Massacre. You might assume that I understood the true heartbreak associated with the Trail of Tears. You might assume I learned about the segregation my ancestors allowed to permeate every facet of our society. You could assume my education offered nuanced views of America’s strengths and an honest assessment of the aspects of our union still in need of perfecting. You could assume failing to grasp these concepts is the byproduct of living in a deeply red state. This might lead you to assume this is not a systemic challenge. Your mind might think, “this is not a challenge facing our bluest cities.” You could assume all of this, but I would fervently argue that you are wrong.
By Nathan Box2 years ago in Education
To the Next Generation
These words are my own. I write them as a card-carrying member of the millennial generation. Coming of age during the turn of the century was both a terrifying and exhilarating experience. Like generations before me, both domestic and global events, coupled with the fallout from a constantly connected world, defined my life and the lives of my generation.
By Nathan Box3 years ago in Journal
A Thousand Words On... My Siblings
ears ago, I was in Oklahoma for the holidays. After we cleared empty plates from the dinner table, we moved through the next stage in the ritual. Gathered around the Christmas tree, gifts were being opened in an orderly fashion, wrapping paper tossed aside, gratitude exchanged, and then a quick version of show-and-tell. Surrounded by my parents, siblings, nieces and nephews, I took stock of the room and the people in it. In that special place, I began thinking about family and the circumstances that shape them. Among these people, I grew up. This place and these people shape me. With or without their knowledge, they placed me on a path that is still unraveling itself in fantastic ways.
By Nathan Box3 years ago in Families
On the Fringes. Top Story - June 2022.
As we debate approaches to solving the complex challenges of homelessness in American cities, what is often missing from the conversation is empathy. As the middle class continues to shrink, many of us are a single financial disaster from housing instability. This calamity can come as job loss, foreclosure, repossession, medical emergencies, or a thousand other ways a financial system such as ours can bleed you dry. Couple this reality with our poor approaches to mental health and substance use treatment, and you discover anyone of us could become homeless.
By Nathan Box4 years ago in Humans
A Letter to the Graduates of the University of Central Oklahoma (2022)
I really should not be allowed to watch documentary films. I can think of countless films that forced me to climb a new soapbox and preach. From human trafficking to protecting dolphins in Japan, these films have a way of exciting a dormant passion living within me. This passion has translated into signing petitions, emailing my elected officials, and even a few protests. Then, my energy wanes. The flame that made me want to change the world slowly flickers and dies without an organization to harness my passion.
By Nathan Box4 years ago in Education
A Short Story On... Being Afraid of the Dark
No one is immune to fear. Fear is an innate part of the human condition; an evolutionary gift meant to ensure our survival. Even the strongest person you know possesses a fear that shakes them to their core. For some, this fear manifests itself when peering over a ledge. For others, we might find it while flying, speaking publicly, or a spider crawling up your living room wall. These fears can often be irrational, but we can also ground them in real-world experiences.
By Nathan Box4 years ago in Confessions
Absolute Freedom
I wholeheartedly reject the tyranny of the expected. I have typed these words before. I have said them to friends and colleagues. They have hung in the air and existed on the web for anyone to find. They are a mission statement for my life. These words define so much of who I am, but I remain a creature of routine. The world expects certain things from me, and, more often than not, I oblige.
By Nathan Box4 years ago in Journal
