My name is Chris Charuhas, and in most ways, I’m an average middle-aged guy. I work a regular job as a tech writer, and enjoy an occasional night out with my chums. In one way, however, I’m different: I undertake independent study.
Topics of study
While other folks are watching Netflix, I’m reading about history, philosophy, and anthropology. That’s unusual, I know, but it equips me to write at least somewhat knowledgeably on the pressing problem of our time: how to move ourselves beyond our current demoralizing, decivilizing way of life.
I’ve also studied a variety of indigenous spiritual traditions. I began investigating them to make sense of some spiritual experiences I’d had, and found them fascinating. Surprisingly, this led me back to the faith of my fathers, the Catholic Church.
Background and education
I grew up in a small Maryland town that a friend of mine called “Mayberry,” after the idyllic setting of the old Andy Griffith Show. My childhood was spent mostly riding bikes and fishing, while my teen years were spent playing football, chasing cheerleaders, and reading science fiction novels.
From there, I went on to the College of William and Mary, where I majored in History with a concentration in East Asian studies. I was also in the ROTC program, and after I graduated in 1990, I completed the Army Officer Basic Course.
I moved to Virginia, served in the Army Reserve for five years, then caught dot-com fever. As part of that, I joined the Netpreneur Exchange, one of the first tech startup incubators. There I learned a bit about business from some of the tech luminaries of the early internet era.
Work and play
In 2003 I got married, moved back to Maryland, and started a company that published online computer tutorials. In 2014 I sold the company, and since then I’ve been preoccupied with social concerns. Namely, figuring out what makes societies thrive.
I played club rugby for years, and after my career as an enthusiastically mediocre player ended, I took up cycling. I like riding and building retro-style bikes with steel frames and fat tires. These days I do all my traveling around town by bike, and for fun I ride on backroads and trails in the woods.
