There are some people who believe that the opposite of love is hate. I used to believe this, too. I used to believe that thinking about someone, hating them, and wishing they would change somehow, is just desserts for being somehow, awful. My anger then, was an inability to accept the other person as they truly are. My hate was an obsession, and obsession is just another fancy term for addiction. Hate is an addiction.
I have had people tell me to my face that they hate me. I know what that feels like, but looking back, I now see…
The purpose of attaining and asserting dominance in any realm, is to avoid accountability.
In the past month, I read a few very interesting articles on what appears to be an aristocracy in America. First, there is “The 9.9 Percent Is the New American Aristocracy”, a long, thorough accounting of how a wealthy aristocracy came to be in modern-day America. An aristocracy that is thriving today.
Then there is this article, “Land of the Lawless: How power in America has turned the rule of law into a mere myth”, by Ralph Nader, a man who ran for president a few times, and who has detailed numerous examples of corruption in America. …
How an open mind can clear the way for gratitude.
I just finished watching the HBO documentary, “The Bee Gees — How Can You Mend A Broken Heart”. I enjoyed the entire documentary. I especially liked learning that their falsetto singing style was improvised and adopted later in their career in pursuit of a new sound. I also learned that the Bee Gees wrote many songs for other artists, too.
I took note of the following statement in the beginning by Barry Gibb, the last remaining brother:
“I am beginning to recognize the fact that Nothing is true. Nothing. It all comes down to perception.”
I was surprised that someone…
Scientists tend to err on the side of caution. I wonder why.
I know someone who refuses to get vaccinated. He’s a relative and that makes this harder. He’s doing all kinds of research to justify his decision not to get vaccinated. I feel for him, I really do. I will defend him to the end. Even when he makes a mistake. But I think this one, this could be his undoing. And I really want to see him for Christmas.
I was like him once. I was fueled with conspiracy theories. I was the ultimate contrarian. For every argument you have in favor of your position, I could find two or…
Unless your name is Jeremiah Johnson, you derive your freedom from everyone else.
In this world, we all have some level of freedom. For many of us, we’re free to travel, free to be left alone, and free to take care of ourselves. Many of us have found freedom in our minds. But there are still some people who think they should be free to not wear a mask, to not get vaccinated during a pandemic. The willfully unvaccinated and unmasked seem not to understand that their freedom is dependent on the freedom of everyone else.
There are people who would have us believe that it is their right to put others in…
When big business fills the vacuum left by a shrinking government.
There is a common sentiment within conservative circles that the government that governs least governs best. But for the most part, conservatives have been silent on the role of private business as a form of governance. They are also silent on the role of churches, business associations, and other groups. Beyond government the only other exception is unions. Conservatives have some rather unflattering things to say about unions.
And lately, the conservative crowd has expressed deep unhappiness about the business of social media and internet search. I find it seriously ironic that they had to run to the big government…
The cause is often our lack of awareness, skills, or capacity.
As a general rule, I don’t take aspirin or Tylenol unless the pain is severe. I want to know exactly what’s going on in my body. I accept the pain that I feel as an indicator of what I need to do next. Numbing the pain reduces my awareness of my condition. I only use pain killer as a last resort to minimize the disruptions to my awareness of my condition. I think of pain as sort of a compass, guiding me through life.
This idea that pain is the signal, not the cause, is something that I learned a…
The best we can do is encourage the unvaccinated to get vaccinated.
I have observed the way people deride those who will not get vaccinated. It’s plain to see the insults, the veiled threats, and the not-so-secret death wishes. Pointing out the conservative radio hosts who have died from covid just to say, “I told you so” is probably not the most productive use of our time and energy. In the debate over vaccines, there is fear on both sides and not much compassion.
My brother won’t get vaccinated. He’s totally convinced that he understands the science and that he’s right not to get vaccinated. He believes he has a right not…
Underestimate your skills. Err on the side of peace.
I’ve been driving since I was 16. When the opportunity to get a learner’s permit came up, I got it. When I found that I might have enough money to buy a car, I found a way to buy one. For almost all of my adult life, I’ve had access to personal transportation.
During that time, I’ve never been involved in a fatal accident, or even a life-changing accident with serious injuries. …
Trump did not anticipate the possibility of election fraud and did nothing about it until after the election. Why not?
There is something sorely lacking amid all of Trump’s claims of election fraud. First, no solution is offered by the offended party. Second, the aggrieved has unclean hands. This is particularly true of Trump.
Consider that Trump has been aware of how politics works since he was a young man. He was aware that he could buy favors from both sides. He was made aware of how elections work from his first victory. He certainly had access to all of the information he would have needed to know about elections from the day he set foot in the White House.
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