When asked about my disappointment with not being selected for appointment to the city commission seat I once ran for, I said that’s not the end of the story. I still have to go to church with some of these people! As I get older, I realize that loss is a significant part of life, […]
There are many movies this time of year that my family enjoys watching. Home Alone, Die Hard, A Christmas Story, and many others. I always watch It’s a Wonderful Life, and The Wizard of Oz. There is an underlying theme in these films that we may not fully comprehend. Each deal with facing fear, standing down […]
When recently asked what my greatest failure in life has been, I realized my view of failure is different from others. History teaches us, from Thomas Edison to Walt Disney, that failure is often a necessity for sustained success. The year 2012 was a tough one for my family. I lost an election for the […]
One of the best things we can do as Americans is get outside our own country and see the differences in how other people live. I learned a lot about our culture 25 years ago when I spent a semester abroad in Japan. I traveled across the country and several cities and never once ran […]
With the current state of our government, we have witnessed a corresponding rise in thuggish behavior. Our diversity, which in good times is recognized as a strength, is portrayed by opportunistic barkers as something to be afraid of. There are several ways to counter this, including two things we see now: public protest at major […]
I remember the term usury being used growing up, yet I hardly every hear it discussed anymore. Unfair enrichment is how some would define it. It is spoken of in almost every world religion on the practice of lending money at high rates. In its simplest form, it is taking advantage of people for monetary […]
In my lifetime, I do not remember a funeral like we saw with Senator John McCain’s. The pomp and circumstance displayed over several days gave witness to a nation mourning much like it would the death of a President. That has intrigued me. Are we mourning just the man, or is it the loss of […]
There is very little demanded of us in the United States. There is no mandatory public service, and most obligations, even paying taxes and serving on a jury, are full of loopholes and wiggle room. We complain of the things we are expected to do, and we are free to do as little or as […]
Within one week, the greatness of America has included pipe bombs mailed from Florida, talk of blackface, the mass execution of people going to pray, and racist robocalls to influence our state elections. What is it in ourselves that we sense the need to separate to experience wholeness, or is it this: when we don’t […]
There is no other amendment to the United States Constitution with more worldwide appeal than the first amendment. Sensing potential problems with keeping the new country afloat, and not wanting to repeat the mistakes of the past, the first amendment addressed problems associated with being under English control: a freedom from state religion and a […]