It isn’t necessary or possible to be great at everything. In fact, you cheapen the concepts “greatness” or “excellence” by expecting them as the rule rather than the exception, in yourself or others. Greatness and excellence are, by definition, the … Continue reading →

Honestly speaking, it’s not a person you’re loyal to — it’s your value system. When a person represents something important to you, then you’re loyal to that person because of who he or she is. In this sense, loyalty is … Continue reading →

Work is not a duty so much as a responsibility we all have to ourselves IN ORDER TO BE HAPPY. The traditional work ethic tells us to work for others, or for God, or for society. Religionists and socialists see … Continue reading →

In any conflict between good and bad, you ought to of course pick the good. In any conflict between bad and bad, you ought not to pick either. Instead, you ought to root for their mutual destruction. All of this … Continue reading →

Q: I’m an atheist and my family are all true believers. How can I convince them not to believe in God. A: If someone else believes in God and you don’t, you can’t convince them there is no God. This … Continue reading →

Just because you don’t like to think of yourself as exhibiting a certain characteristic doesn’t mean you aren’t. Being objective about yourself means being honest. It means being willing to consider that a particular action or attitude of yours conflicts … Continue reading →

When you drive over a bridge, you don’t say, “Oh, I hope the engineers were not too rigid in their approach to building the bridge correctly. That would be ideological, and extreme.” When you cook or eat a meal you … Continue reading →

I blame a lot of anger management problems on supernaturalism. Yes, you read that right. Supernaturalism refers to any variation of the belief that reality has a will and consciousness of its own. All of religion is based on this … Continue reading →

Achievement does not mean unfair power over other people. It’s simply proof of the power the achiever already has, over his own mind and actions. If someone exercises power improperly, they’re not achieving anything — and all they’re displaying is intimidation.

There’s nothing bad or wrong about making a mistake. It’s refusing to think that’s unhealthy and wrong. All any of us can do is act to the best of our knowledge. This is not excuse-making; it’s simply a fact. If … Continue reading →

The notion of “greed” mingles two opposite concepts. One is ambition — and I mean ambition in the widest sense, not solely for financial or career gain. “Ambition” in the widest sense means a zest for life, a commitment to … Continue reading →

If it’s true that integrity is what you exhibit when nobody’s looking, it’s also true (by implication) that integrity is something you do for your OWN sake. This means that morality, which integrity serves, ought to be self-interested and rational … Continue reading →