Q: Dear Dr. Hurd: Is it true, as some people believe, that you don’t need religion to know right from wrong, that all you need is empathy? A: Religion is faith-based and refers to the supernatural. How is one to … Continue reading
Conclusion of yesterday’s column: Reporter: I think lots of people confuse happiness with fun, and the dangers there are obvious. People who are always looking for that moment-to-moment ‘high’ are, it seems to me, far less likely to find long-term … Continue reading
Dr. Hurd recently engaged in a discussion with a journalist about issues related to happiness, self-esteem, psychology, self-help, and much more. What follows are some excerpts from that discussion: Reporter: It seems to me that we have a fundamental confusion … Continue reading
All the talk of a ‘fiscal cliff’ come January 1 is misleading. It implies that there’s something politicians can do to avert disaster in the new year — and that if they do it, all will be well. The fact … Continue reading
One of the most annoying qualities a person can display is smugness. Smugness distinguishes itself from confidence in that it’s based on the unearned and undeserved, rather than the honestly achieved. As a result, smugness is pretentious and self-conscious, while … Continue reading
‘Christmas is always a wonderful time of the year because it’s a time when people instinctively, intuitively turn to family,’ Cardinal Donald Wuerl, Archbishop of Washington, DC. said. ‘They also turn to the whole experience of love in their lives. … Continue reading
The fact that there’s even a debate among Republicans about replacing their House Speaker, John Boehner, shows just how deeply conflicted and troubled this party is. Let’s review the facts. Speaker John Boehner, after two years of promising to never … Continue reading
Conclusion of yesterday’s columnHow to Act During a Breakup Learn—or relearn—the value of scheduling your personal life. When you were married or coupled, you defaulted to the relationship. You did what you wanted to do together, sometimes scheduled and sometimes … Continue reading
Everyone knows that breaking up is hard to do. But few know how to do it right. What behaviors are rational under the difficult circumstances of a breakup? And what sort of thinking is required to make it possible to … Continue reading
I don’t know about you, but I am sick of Obama, and I am sick of the Pope, talking about forgiveness for the guilty. Mass murder on school grounds? More government funding! And ban guns — for the nonviolent! Punish … Continue reading
Colorado Rep. Cory Gardner: ‘I’m frustrated, [and] my constituents are frustrated, because they see Washington doing the same exact thing,’ he said. ‘This was the most predictable crisis anybody could ever imagine. So, months ago we knew this was going … Continue reading
A reader asked me to comment on an article written by the mother of a would-be killer, a violent young person with no conscience whom the mother felt should be entitled to mental health services to correct his low character. … Continue reading