Living through your children is not the same as loving them. Living through your children means trying to control them, to set the course of their lives–all in the name of “doing what’s best” for them. It’s dishonest. It would … Continue reading →

A person is depressed when he/she feels that no action is possible to gain control over improving life. Bitterness is the result of anger piled on top of the depression. Bitterness is the attempt of the psyche to reassert itself–through … Continue reading →

“Depression” started out as a clinical, psychiatric term. It applied to a pervasive, irrational and consistent feeling that one is helpless and has no control over one’s life and existence. Depression applied to an unfortunate minority of the population. In … Continue reading →

Anyone who tells you that something is ideal, but impossible, has suggested that he has given up.

An emotion is a decision after the fact. You don’t decide to have an emotion, but its very presence in your psyche is proof that some thinking has already taken place that you can either choose to embrace–or choose to … Continue reading →

I don’t believe in mystical devils and possessions. But I do believe in their real-life equivalents. People actually create their own demons. No, they don’t mean to do so–but they still do. How? Mainly by refusing to face facts in … Continue reading →

Those who have arguments provide facts, along with conclusions. Those who have none, provide insults. Matching insults with insults doesn’t prove you grasp the truth. It doesn’t do justice to the truth. It only shows you have no arguments, either. … Continue reading →

Awareness makes honesty possible. Self-honesty is critical. You will not tell the truth to others unless you’re in the habit of telling the truth to yourself. Yet to be honest about the truth, you must be aware of the truth. … Continue reading →

Q: Dear Dr. Hurd: In today’s culture, it is easy to be cynical. How can one not succumb to cynicism while simultaneously not being naive to the negativity or ulterior motives of people? A: The term “cynicism” implies a departure … Continue reading →

Children cannot always be reasoned with, it’s true. But this is no excuse for a parent to take a shortcut and refuse to apply reason with a child. With a fellow adult, you would give your reasons in an attempt … Continue reading →

A friend who asks how you’re doing, instead of talking only about himself, is a friend with the mental well-being to think about something other than himself. Don’t applaud him for being selfless. Instead, applaud him for being well put … Continue reading →

Manners are a product of civilization.   Widespread rudeness is the result of a civilization in decline. A person should be polite, although not for the sake of others. Living for the sake of strangers leads, quite appropriately, to resentment … Continue reading →