If a car is left in the garage, it’s not running or working. It can harm the car to be used too little, just as it can harm the car to be used too much, or in the wrong way. … Continue reading
How to Avoid a Passive Attitude
Category: Daily Dose of Reason
The Perils of Not Being Yourself
People can sense it when you’re not being yourself, and that you’re trying to merely get a reaction out of them, or gain their approval. This indicates low self-confidence and weakness on your part, and some will strike back when they sense … Continue reading
No Change in Your Pocket–OR in Washington
Two things they won’t tell you about government spending to “stimulate” the economy: 1) It adds no wealth to the economy. When there’s real economic growth, wealth is created by business, meaning: by the private sector. The private sector consists … Continue reading
There Ought to be a Law!
“Al Gore makes bold proposal,” brag the headlines. What’s so bold about his proposal? Essentially, he’s saying: “Oil is too expensive. It’s also–I claim–dangerous. Therefore, we should find a better source of fuel. And to make sure it happens, we’re … Continue reading
The Conditions of Love
I think what people really yearn for is not so much “unconditional love” — since we all love for reasons — as “uncomplicated love.” The purest form of love is NOT love without a self, love without reasons, or love … Continue reading
Private Profit, Socialized Risk
I love how the Wall Street Journal said it in an editorial the other day. I’ll paraphrase here, from memory: “Dishonest socialism is when profit is private — and risk is socialized.” They were referring to the federalized mortgage lenders … Continue reading
Think Your Way to Reality
How you think about something does not change reality. But it does change the way you interact with, and act in, reality. This will often lead to real-life consequences. For example, you hear about “the self-fulfilling prophecy.” This is not … Continue reading
A Nation of Whiners?
Are Americans becoming a bunch of “whiners,” as one of John McCain’s top advisers suggested–an advisor whom McCain himself promptly denounced for saying it? There’s no question that most of our media engages in whining. They paint a picture of … Continue reading
Who Holds the Mortgage on Your Life?
Q: Dr. Hurd, what’s so bad about the welfare state? A compassionate society takes care of its own. Conservatives and liberals agree on this point, morally speaking. When I see a homeless person, I hardly think of such a terrible … Continue reading
Be Careful What You Reward
Don’t reward the wrong behavior–and don’t reward the wrong attitudes, either. To “reward” means to respond to something wrong or unhealthy by saying or doing something positive for the person who’s wrong. Don’t do it. Try to pay attention to … Continue reading
A Taste for Living
Self-discipline, self-esteem, and mental health all require a basic love of life. You either love life, or you don’t. If you do, you will take life seriously–and you will exhibit characteristics of self-discipline and good mental habits. If you don’t … Continue reading
Is The Brain All There Is?
It used to be that parental influences were thought to be all determining in an individual’s personality. Freud, and his successors, focused on such factors as the mother-child relationship and alleged infantile sexuality as the determining factor in human nature. … Continue reading