Q: Dr. Hurd, is it wrong to lie on my resume? A: Yes, but mainly because of what it does to yourself. You assault your sense of pride and self-worth when you attempt to gain something for nothing, or something … Continue reading
Category: Daily Dose of Reason
Whose Holiday?
Q: Dr. Hurd, I want to spend Christmas on a Caribbean island with my husband. I don’t want to be with my family or his family; he agrees. Yet I feel guilty. Nobody will be left alone, or anything like … Continue reading
What’s Power Got to Do With It?
There are people who seek power through acquiring lots of things via hard work. There are people who seek power through manipulation or coercion of others. Then there are people who don’t seek power at all. They seek accomplishment; fulfillment; … Continue reading
Got Mortgage Blues? Clinton’s Your Man
“If we cannot reach a voluntary agreement, I will consider legislation to address the problem,” said Hillary Clinton to a group of Wall Street bankers. She’s referring, of course, to the crisis of subprime mortgages. Several years ago, thousands of … Continue reading
Taxed to Death
Whoopi Goldberg, on a recent edition of The View, got it right about the estate tax–although she might not agree with the wider implications of her own words. Criticizing the “death tax” on The View she said, “I don’t want … Continue reading
Action and Introspection
Inner peace cannot be achieved without action oriented towards the outside world. At the same time, action is meaningless, pointless and even destructive without any reference to inner thoughts, ideas, plans of action or emotions. Philosophy has always emphasized either … Continue reading
For the Love Of …
Love of what you do is what creates excellence. What about hard work, self-discipline and dedication? Of course these matter–but none of these are present without love of what you do. You can’t excel or “rise to the top” if … Continue reading
In the Service of Obama
Like many politicians, Senator Obama speaks from a podium with the sign: “A Call to Serve.” I’ve always noticed something. The more statist the politician, the more he talks of his passion to “serve.” He wants to inspire you to … Continue reading
What Would YOU Do?
People might ask you, “What would you do if you were in my situation?” If you have an answer, fine. But be careful not to accept the premise of the question. The premise of the question is that you would, … Continue reading
“It’s Mine”
“I have always voted for Chavez, but he wants a dictatorship like Cuba. I don’t want the government to take my small house. It’s mine.” I know we’re all trained to condemn selfishness, but this man (a voter in Venezuela) … Continue reading
They Think They’re Clever
The more gullible someone is, the more foolish they think you are.
The Heavy Lifters
In any society, there are those who do the heavy lifting. They’re always the minority. And, they’re not motivated by concern for all; they’re motivated by self-interest. They might (or might not) care about concern for all, but in all … Continue reading