What does it mean to call something (or someone) a ‘blessing’? Usually, the term has a religious or supernaturalist reference. In other words, to call something a blessing is to speak of it as an almost causeless wonder. In my … Continue reading
What’s interesting, and sadly unusual, about U.S. Senator Rand Paul’s victory over Obama on the issue of military drones is: His insistence on arguing from principle. This attention to fundamental principle is not something we saw at the time Obamacare … Continue reading
Conclusion of yesterday’s column ‘Social justice’ is usually code for ‘self-sacrifice.’ You would be encouraged by such a therapist to sacrifice, wherever possible, for the sake of ‘the social good’ as against the good of the individual; specifically ‘the social … Continue reading
A reader wrote and asked me if for a person with serious emotional issues related to his or her life situation, is there any help to be had from most therapists? He stated, ‘My experience when I was younger was … Continue reading
A reader recently wrote and asked if it’s true that even a pet’s love is conditional. He wrote, ‘From my own experience it is. Perhaps it seems so to people in general — that a pet loves them unconditionally — … Continue reading
It’s amazing. When Hollywood celebrities who support gun control or gun bans advocate these policies, we’re supposed to humbly and uncritically listen. Even when some celebrities, such as Rosie O’Donnell, support gun bans while claiming special exceptions for themselves, we’re … Continue reading
Is all anxiety bad, or based on faulty thinking? Of course not. Are all negative thoughts erroneous, just because they describe or embody negative ideas? No. Anxiety is a useful and necessary thing, when it involves a call to rational … Continue reading
Fights over money are fights over priorities. If one member of a family wishes to spend $500 on a computer or television, and another member of the family wishes to save it, or spend it on a vacation, it’s because … Continue reading
Conclusion of yesterday’s column. Can societies turn around? Surely, because societies are nothing more than a very large number of individuals. ‘Society’ refers to the dominant trends of individuals. But today’s trends are very bad. The fact that socialist Obama … Continue reading
‘A democracy is nothing more than mob rule, where fifty-one percent of the people may take away the rights of the other forty-nine.—— Thomas Jefferson In a way, it doesn’t matter what the ‘Left’ or any intellectual minority wants — … Continue reading
The ‘entitlement mentality’ is just as destructive to personal relationships as it is to society. First, let’s be clear about what the entitlement mentality actually is. It’s an irrational belief that one is entitled to things, people or relationships — … Continue reading
Dear Dr. Hurd: I have always found the following very difficult. When to discuss a subject, incident, action that upset me with the person involved? My thinking goes something along the lines of this: What do I hope to gain … Continue reading