J’essays

These short pieces of spirituality from the streets are my j’essays, a mashup of “journaling” and “essay.” I’m honored you’re here and hope you enjoy the experience.

Joshua Williams Joshua Williams

One dreep after another

It takes a no limit spiritual soulja to refuse to tolerate a life of one DREEP after another.

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I hear you

I don’t know whether humans born with penises should get to compete in sports against humans born without one. But I do know we should at least hear everyone out.

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Dreep

Dreep is an old Scottish word meaning “to lower oneself.” DREEP is an acronym I made up to help men rise to spiritual freeeeeeeeedom! And yes, Mel Gibson is an antisemite so I don’t rock with him, but Braveheart was a mega banger so I’m keeping the battle cry and leaving the dude.

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Retarder

Trump loves kicking around the R-word, so I looked up the definition and it turns out the shoe kinda fits.

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Will (paper)work for food

I was a mid-high-flying lawyer who lost his mojo and couldn’t get a job that paid a living wage. Now I’m just grateful I can do paperwork again to feed my family—at least until the Trump administration selects me as the tribute from District 8.

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Daddy a thug

It recently hit me that my fancy, estranged daughter—now a woman grown, whom I used to spend Thanksgiving with but haven’t seen in six years—thinks I’m out here livin’ that thug lyfe like ’Pac.

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Three amigos

Three friends around my age died unexpectedly this past year, and it’s already been three years since Takeoff—from my favorite non–old-skool rap group, Migos—passed. Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it. 

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American revolution

As a Hamilton head, I was struck by an interview where documentarian Ken Burns argued the American Revolution was driven less by ideals and more by land and money. While Lin-Manuel Miranda may have taken some historical liberties in Hamilton, he understood a deeper truth: history doesn’t repeat—it rhymes.

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Pubes ‘n’ porn

Somewhere in the middle of our candid discussion about STIs, my teenage boys and I formed a pretend alt-rock band called Big J and the Burning Sensations.

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What’s happening?!

Warriors head coach Steve Kerr is one of my heroes. But his recent quote conceding to corporate values had me asking what’s happening?! Maybe that’s why ChatGPT made him look so grim in this here illustration.

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Seven sinners

S&P 500 corporations sin way worse than Smoke and Stack from Sinners—and the Smokestack Twins stayed booked and busy in that department.

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BlackRocked

I thought BlackRock sounded like an awesome company because I love both blacks and rocks, but turns out it’s a mega predatory corporation that collapes communities. 

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My father’s eyes

Until recently, I was way more focused on capturing photos of my kids for the ‘gram than on actually being present as a parent.

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Reality check

I saw Stevie Nicks in concert, and while I loved the show, I’m still wrestling with the reality that she somehow sounded better live—at seventy-seven—than she did on the studio recordings from her prime.

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Regret

Sike! I don’t regret not voting for Kamala one bit, as I believe she would’ve been a way worse president than Trump, who also didn’t get my vote.

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Hella greedy

I’m so greedy that if was a cartoon I’d be Greedy Smurf.

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