[In answer to the question of whether it is appropriate for an atheist to celebrate Christmas:] Yes, of course. A national holiday, in this country, cannot have an exclusively religious meaning. The secular meaning of the Christmas holiday is wider … Continue reading
So there it sits, buried under crumpled Frosty the Snowman wrapping paper and pine needles: The gargoyle ashtray from Aunt Mimma (you haven’t smoked for 43 years). Not to mention the deviled eggs glaring back at you from the dark … Continue reading
Dear Dr. Hurd, My mother is in her mid-70s, and both my husband and I have a great relationship with her. When she comes to visit, she’s always anxious to go out and meet our friends. Christmas is here and … Continue reading
“I don’t agree with a word you’re saying. But I’ll fight to the death for your right to say it.” As recently as a couple of decades ago, this statement, and all that it implies, were a part of American … Continue reading
Texas GOP Sen. Ted Cruz is blasting the bipartisan budget deal that passed the Senate this week, saying the deal “went backwards” and would only worsen the nation’s spiraling debt. The budget compromise that had been championed by GOP Rep. … Continue reading
Dear Dr. Hurd, I’ve been in a relationship with the same woman for 10 years. (We haven’t married.) I love her, but I’ve met another woman who has swept me off my feet. We’ve been discreetly seeing one another in … Continue reading
A reader writes: Children lose the inner drive responsible for playing, and become bored if left alone to themselves after there is TV watching. Continuous daily TV watching completely erases the inner drive leaving the child in a bored, aimless, … Continue reading
The Soviet Union used new “mental illnesses” for political repression. People who didn’t accept the beliefs of the Communist Party developed a new type of schizophrenia. They suffered from the delusion of believing communism was wrong. They were isolated, forcefully … Continue reading
Several readers asked me to clarify the difference between short-term compromise and all-out self-sacrifice. More than one Life’s a Beach! column has emphasized that the latter should never be part of a marriage, or any partnered relationship. A short-term compromise … Continue reading
The Washington Post’s online blog declares: Pope Francis—Time Magazine’s just-declared Person of the Year—is doing something no politician this side of the Atlantic can manage: He’s uniting political adversaries. The Post is referring to the Pope’s recent condemnation of capitalism, … Continue reading
It’s never a good idea to mix business with friendship. It may seem perfectly natural to go into business with, or to employ (or be employed by) your friend, but those who have actually done that know that both relationships … Continue reading
Denverpost.com report [12/13/13]: The teenage gunman [Karl Pierson] who entered Arapahoe High School on Friday afternoon and shot two fellow students with a shotgun was outspoken about politics, was a gifted debater and might have been bullied for his beliefs, … Continue reading