It’s difficult not to be discouraged. There’s no way to escape it. The problems of the world are huge. It seems like many people are hell-bent to make them worse. As records indicate that the Earth gets continually warmer each year and models for climate change prove themselves true, the… Read More »Discouraging Times: Can We Say All Will Be Well?
It was an invitation I didn’t expect. A representative of the Georgia Psychological Association asked if I’d be willing to speak on a panel. The topic is similar to one I see in many places: police and community relationships after Ferguson. It turns out that the person who asked me… Read More »Prejudice and the Culture of Fear
Many of my childhood Christmas memories blend together. Generally, I have happy memories of Christmas with family as a child. There were some funny moments, like when the artificial Christmas tree was taken from a storage closet and the box opened. In an instant, a mouse came running out the… Read More »Ethics. The Common Good. Personal Freedom. Vaccination.
Many people commonly associate it with old age, during a time in life when friends and companions have passed on and family members seem to have forgotten them. Developmental psychologists contend that it’s most common among adolescents who are attempting to form their own identity and have trouble differentiating from… Read More »Where Is Lonely?
Pilgrimage. The Merriam-Webster dictionary provides these two definitions of pilgrimage: • a journey to a holy place • a journey to a special or unusual place The heart of pilgrimage is a journey. Typically, the journey of a pilgrim is a physical one. In United States history we think of… Read More »Pilgrimage: Depart to Arrive
Like many others, I was stunned by the news of the violent attack at the offices of the French satirical magazine, Charlie Hebdo, on the morning of January 7, 2014. Two masked gunmen armed with assault weapons and a rocket launcher forced entry to the magazine’s offices. In the end,… Read More »Satire. Freedom of Expression. Prejudice. Charlie Hebdo.
It’s a striking image: a wild, dominant wolf, alone and on its own seeking prey while ruling its territory. This metaphor is not just popular among young men who seek to define themselves as rugged individuals. The lone wolf is also something of an analogy for a strong leader, a… Read More »The Myth of the Lone Wolf
New Year’s resolutions. I almost hate to admit this publicly, but I really don’t see the point to New Year’s resolutions. How many people make resolutions? How few people keep their resolutions past the end of January? A couple years ago, I wrote about using goal theory to help succeed… Read More »A New Year and Resolutions
