We’ve Lost Community

But We Can Build It Back I don’t think anyone would disagree that our society in the last few years has gone crazy. So many factors are involved, but I think one of the keys is that we’ve lost our sense of community. This is not “just” an American problem. But the situation in the …

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Christian Nationalism Isn’t Christian

We Have a Much Higher Calling Christian Nationalism is simply nationalism and nothing more. How else could churches in both Ukraine and Russia celebrate Easter while calling themselves right and their opponent wrong? Yes, that is a form of Christian Nationalism, albeit not what we usually mean in the U.S.A. We have forgotten what the …

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War and Humanity

Fear and the Hunger for Power Affect Us All Less than twenty-four hours ago as I write this, Russia attacked Ukraine under Putin’s orders. This should come as a surprise to no one. Putin felt threatened by (read: fearful of) Ukraine’s desire to align with Western Europe and away from his sphere of influence. Fear …

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Rudeness Can Kill But Kindness Can Save

Don’t Believe Me? Read On Anyone who doesn’t live in a bubble has noticed that “common courtesy” seems to have been abandoned in the last several years, giving way to aggressive entitlement. Road rage, out of control airplane passengers, street fights and violent death are all on the rise. Now the pandemic seems to have …

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Labels as Descriptions Not Definitions

Labels Don’t Tell the Whole Story Labeling is a basic survival activity of our brain. We need labels such as danger, safe, sweet, bitter, and scary. Some of these we learn before we can formulate words for them. Consider the infant who bonds to their mother as a source of food and comfort but startles …

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Is There Still a Place for Heroes?

Yes, but not on pedestals of false glory. Real heroes are real people, warts and all. There’s been a lot of talk about heroes this last year. Much of it has been good, as we’ve recognized healthcare workers and first responders for going above and beyond what most of us are willing to do. But …

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This Good Little Consumer Wants Out

The pandemic has revealed to me both the pitfalls of consumerism and my slavery to it Like so many others, my job fell victim to COVID-19 and the economic repercussions. Soon burned out on the news, I spent a lot of time reading. I like history, suspense, mysteries, fantasy, and books about how the brain …

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It’s Time to Cancel Cancel Culture

We All Lose When We Don’t Allow People to Change I grew up in the 1960s and 1970s with protests, boycotts and strikes. The purpose for these activities is to effect change. And they often work. People, corporations, and governments do make changes and find alternative ways of functioning that everyone can agree on. But …

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It Didn’t Have to Happen

His name was Cristian Pavon, and he was 11 years old. He was found dead in his bed Tuesday morning, 23 February 2021, after playing in his first snow ever on Monday. It didn’t have to happen. I’ve been nursing a slow rage for a few days since I first heard this story. I learned …

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Hell Has Frozen Over in Texas

Paradise has frozen over, too, along with Notrees, Sun City, Pasadena, Miami, Cactus and Egypt. OK, in full disclosure, there is no Hell, Texas, but all those other names are legit. So, what gives? Unless you’ve been off the grid for the last 5 days (I bet even Antarctica has heard the news), every county …

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