The next time you feel uncertain, don’t leap to: “Who can tell me what to do?” Instead, ask yourself, “What do I already know?” Then: “What remains unknown?” Next, focus on how to best answer the questions you don’t know–for … Continue reading
Category: Daily Dose of Reason
A Nation Missing in Action
America’s original leaders promised–and delivered–on creating a society in which everyone was both free and responsible for pursuing his own interests. Today’s leaders promise to provide medical care, retirement pensions and college tuition, and much more, in unlimited amounts for … Continue reading
How to Spot Confidence
Those with confidence and certainty, think and act. Those lacking confidence and certainty, denounce and manipulate. Confidence comes from the habitual use of one’s mind in a rational, sensible way. Angry, humorless moralism comes from a mind in the habit … Continue reading
Is Lying an Illness?
Is lying a mental disorder–or a choice? Lying is essentially a choice. However, it can become so ingrained and automatic that it no longer functions in the person’s mind—nor seems to outsiders—as a conscious choice. But it still started as … Continue reading
Obama’s Rules of Engagement
“You have nothing to say to us.” “You have nothing to say to us. We object. We do not agree to a relationship with you! We are not prepared to establish relations with powerful world devourers like you! The Iranian … Continue reading
Note to Multitaskers
Consider the fallacy of multitasking. You don’t become a master by doing 4,000 things. You become a master by doing twelve things 4,000 times. — Author unknown
A Candidacy About Nothing
“Senator Obama is very eloquent, but he is also going to be very, very expensive. It may turn out that an angry, inflation-pressed America just wants to vote for an aura. Feel free, so to speak. John McCain’s job will … Continue reading
How Not to Treat People
There are two ways to treat people poorly. One is to treat them with less respect than they deserve; the other with more respect than they deserve. The first leads to a sense of demoralization and improper humility. The second … Continue reading
Emotions are Beliefs
When you feel an emotion, especially a troubling one, write it down. This will make you identify what the emotion actually is. Then, look at the emotion as a belief. What belief does the emotion reflect? Is the belief true … Continue reading
Working for Yourself
When it comes to work, we usually think of two contexts: Working for yourself; and working for another. In reality, the proper motivation is to work for yourself at all times. The premise of work is that the activity is … Continue reading
Elusive “Closure”
“Closure” is a vague but popular concept. On the surface it means seeking a neat, painless ending–or hoping for the cool, detached perspective of time which cannot be rushed. Seeking closure usually doesn’t get you what you want. Closure is … Continue reading
Hostility to Criticism
People who can’t be criticized–and who react with great hostility at any hint of criticism–are revealing something important about themselves. They reveal that they don’t hold their convictions and viewpoints about various matters through carefully reasoned out, fact-based judgments. Instead, … Continue reading