Remind Them Why You Care (DE Wave)

…ep ourselves? My experience has shown that alcoholics tend to take this misguided philosophy to heart. “If I don’t want to live for others, then my life has no meaning. I’m not a good person. I might as well just drink it away.” This is usually not a conscious or deliberate conclusion, but if motives could speak, that’s what they’d probably say. When people criticize an alcoholic for wasting his life, they usually say, “How selfish of you. Instead… Continue reading

“If Human Nature is Flawed … What Does that Say About Me?”

…Biblical lore lived an effortless existence. They lived in a fictitious Garden of Eden, a place where no thought or effort was ever required. It was only when Adam and Eve defied blind allegiance to the word of Authority – God – that they “fell” to the level of having to toil, think, reason and work to attain survival and success. The parable infiltrates a child’s mind: “You’re basically flawed by nature, and you have to atone for that flaw.” The… Continue reading

Something Even Worse than the Ebola Virus

…cans face” from “racial tensions,” 61% of likely voters said “not too confident” or “not at all confident.” On an unstable job market, just 12% of likely voters said they were “extremely” or “very confident” in government’s ability to help. So what’s the answer? Anarchy? No, not anarchy. But we’d be wise to consider the words of Thomas Jefferson here: “That government is best which governs least.” The problem here is that the government is doing s… Continue reading

What Love Is (Ayn Rand)

…e is a matter of “the heart,” not the mind, that love is an emotion independent of reason, that love is blind and impervious to the power of philosophy. Love is the expression of philosophy—of a subconscious philosophical sum—and, perhaps, no other aspect of human existence needs the conscious power of philosophy quite so desperately. When that power is called upon to verify and support an emotional appraisal, when love is a conscious integration… Continue reading

Why Not to Call an Alcoholic “Selfish” (DE Coast Press)

…ep ourselves? My experience has shown that alcoholics tend to take this misguided philosophy to heart. “If I don’t want to live for others, then my life has no meaning. I’m not a good person. I might as well just drink it away.” This is usually not a conscious or deliberate conclusion, but if motives could speak, that’s what they’d probably say. When people criticize an alcoholic for wasting his life, they usually say, “How selfish of you. Instead… Continue reading

Excuses: Barriers to Self-Understanding

…ed and stop interacting with people who aren’t good for me.” This can be easier said than done, and it can take months (sometimes even years) to identify all the errors in thinking that lead one to be dissatisfied with personal or business relationships. However, it’s possible. Think about what “therapy” actually is. Therapy means interrupting cognitive, behavioral or interpersonal cycles that are erroneous, problematic or otherwise counter-produc… Continue reading

Public School Teacher Blames “Privatization” For Failing Schools

…ive to take hold and finally put schools in the position of innovating and competing for parents’ and students’ dollars. We do it with cell phones, computers, clothing and fast food. Indeed, we demand it. We’d never want the government controlling those industries. Yet with education — arguably, the most important enterprise of all — nobody dares question monolithic federal control. Not even this teacher who detests its results, and is driven to t… Continue reading

“I’m Resentful…But I Will Never Say Anything!” (DE Wave)

…c is the appropriate response to an injustice. To not be angry would be to deny reality. There is nothing healthy about denial and bitterness. So what do you do with the anger? Do you take suitable action, in proportion to the nature of the injustice? Or do you determine that it’s just not worth it? Facts and reason must be your guide. Sometimes we experience “displaced anger”; when you express anger over one situation when you’re actually angry a… Continue reading

“Helicopter Colleges” Confront Lack of “Grit” in Students

…o accede to student wishes lest they get low teacher ratings from their students. Students email about trivial things and expect prompt replies. Failure and struggle need to be normalized. Students are very uncomfortable in not being right. They want to re-do papers to undo their earlier mistakes. We have to normalize being wrong and learning from one’s errors. Growth is achieved by striking the right balance between support and challenge. We need… Continue reading

Congress Pulls the Trigger

…, not a skirmish. Years ago, when writing about Republican capitulation to Democratic presidents like FDR, JFK and LBJ, Ayn Rand wrote, A “mixed economy” is a society in the process of committing suicide. If a nation cannot survive half-slave, half-free, consider the condition of a nation in which every social group becomes both the slave and the enslaver of every other group. Ask yourself how long such a condition can last and what is its inevita… Continue reading

CISA: First New Legislation of the Post-American America

…ational interests,” and invoking this law to justify it? Do you think President Hillary Clinton or President Trump would resist the urge to authorize the FBI to go after enemies they deem a “specific threat”? It’s truly astonishing. Richard Nixon, back in the 1970s, was driven out of office for allegations of being the kind of soft dictator that this new law actually allows an American president to be. Will the Supreme Court strike it down? Not if… Continue reading

Getting Angry Over What You Cannot Control (DE Wave)

…my time. A person can’t have her beliefs changed for her. A therapist can guide her if she acknowledges something is wrong and is willing to correct it. But a mind will not change without its own consent. An unhealthy fixation on changing others can lead to a sense of isolation. A reader once wrote to me, “I feel conflicted about my loneliness. Sometimes I think the people who appear to be rejecting me are not worth knowing anyway. I want to know… Continue reading