Past or present, old-fashioned or “progressive,” most parents still agree on one thing: Teach your child not to be selfish. If you ask me, this is the single biggest mistake a parent can make. Telling a child not to be … Continue reading
Category: Daily Dose of Reason
What’s Emotional “Safety” and Why Should You Care?
What does it mean to feel “emotionally safe” with someone? Usually, we think of “safety” as a physical matter. We seek or want safety from a violent criminal, or a terrorist, or perhaps someone who would steal our life’s savings. … Continue reading
Those Who Can, Do; Those Who Cannot, Win Political Office
Reuters reports: When it comes to power, politics trumps business, according to a new Forbes ranking on Wednesday that found heads of state occupying six of the top 10 spots among the world’s most powerful people, led by President Barack … Continue reading
Perspective Matters
I ran across a saying (author unknown) recently: “Sometimes when things are falling apart they may actually be falling into place.” In other words: Perspective matters. You cannot lie to yourself. You can’t pretend a bad thing is a good … Continue reading
Alexis de Tocqueville on 21st Century America
Alexis de Tocqueville, writing and observing the young American republic in the early 19th Century, had a lot of interesting things to say. For example: “Democracy and socialism have nothing in common but one word, equality. But notice the difference: … Continue reading
Conflict Avoidance in a Relationship
In their relationships, many people think they’re avoiding trouble by not fighting. They look at the absence of fighting as indication that the relationship is healthy. This is a dangerous way to approach things. The absence of fighting does not … Continue reading
The “Fiscal Cliff” is the People’s Fault
Both sides — the hapless Republicans and the taxing Democrats — take it for granted that tax increases will help with the national debt and deficit. They differ only on specifics. Republicans call for “closing tax loopholes,” which is simply … Continue reading
Purpose and Depression
Purpose is an objective requirement of happiness. If you don’t have a sense of purpose, life will start to seem pointless and unfocused. This is why retired people often get depressed. It’s not that retiring is wrong. You just have … Continue reading
The War of All Against All Has to End
H.G. Wells said: “If we don’t end war, war will end us.” It’s true enough. But what is war? War is the initiation of force or violence against others. This assumes war is not in self-defense (or retaliation against the … Continue reading
“Being Positive” While Surrounded by Idiots
There’s a lot of confusion, I find, about the question of “being positive.” A lot of people reject the idea of “being positive.” But when asked for a definition of being positive, they seem to assume that it means: ignoring … Continue reading
Iceberg Ahead for America’s Social Democracy
Dear Dr. Hurd: I think we are in a death spiral because of the entitlements [Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, Obamacare, etc.] The more entitlements someone receives, the less they do for themselves, and then the more they resent what others … Continue reading
Hostess Shrugs
The Hostess website reads as follows: We are sorry to announce that Hostess Brands, Inc. has been forced by a Bakers Union strike to shut down all operations and sell all company assets. For more information, go to hostessbrands.info. Thank … Continue reading