Jonathan Ross
By my own admission, my path in life thus far has been perhaps less linear and obvious than conscious choice would dictate, a reflection I suppose of a writer’s temperament. This journey has provided me with a wealth of experiences ranging from opportunities to spend time at George Lucas’ Skywalker Ranch, to visits to the Pentagon and the air bases of key NATO allies in the performance of my duties. Since 2013, my “day job” has focused on Aerospace & Defense, where I am an executive specializing in strategy, program management, and business development for a privately held defense manufacturing firm, responsible for leading efforts internationally in Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe, and supporting such efforts in other parts of Europe and the Indo-Pacific regions. From 2017 to 2020, over a 39-month period, I helped lead a joint Lockheed Martin Aeronautics | Marvin Engineering Co. | University of Texas, El Paso Team, under U.S. Air Force sponsorship, to win a prestigious Nunn-Perry Award from the U.S. Department of Defense for our superior results in the OSBP Mentor-Protégé Program. I opportunistically continue to offer management and communications consulting services, including business and creative writing, building on past Los Angeles-based experience in the Entertainment and Technology fields serving in creative, program/project management, and marketing-oriented roles for a variety of employers. While waiting for my “real life to begin,” I’m also a dedicated martial artist (primarily Krav Maga and Traditional Wing Chun Kung Fu, with Xingyi Quan and Tai Chi Quan experience), outdoorsman (with a keen interest in tracking), guitarist, and on some level at least, aspiring alchemist. Since my adolescence, I’ve been fascinated by Eastern wisdom traditions including Ch'an (Zen) Buddhism and Taoism (married together through Shaolin Temple teachings) and Native American cultures, which in my own life and philosophy I’ve sought to reconcile with Western ideals of independence and self-reliance. I count among my inspirations the writer John Fusco and Jeffrey “Skunk” Baxter. Perhaps most importantly, I’m father to a child that I hope will be a far better human than me.
ENJOY MY PUBLISHED ARCHIVES
On the Pain of Life
"How can we expect to appreciate those moments where everything seems right or is going the way we want if we never experience the opposite?" ...
Dark Caverns of the Heart
"In the dark caverns of the heart
where truths lie concealed
awaiting discovery
or remain in soporific state
you will find me." ...
Reconciling our Contraditions
"Sometimes we have to make peace not only with the contradictions within ourselves but with others as well." ...
Echoes from the Year of the Pandemic
"On a personal level, like many others, I increasingly am forced to confront my own mortality, and to appreciate that none of us know the number of our days." ...