“Amazement” Does Not Equate to “Understanding”

Several years ago I got hooked on the wisdom of a writer named Neil Postman. He was a college professor at New York University. A dear friend of mine, Ross Baron, who is brilliant in his own right, had alerted me to the value of Postman’s writings. That same summer, I read seven of Postman’s […]

There are two voices within each of us. One of the voices beckons us towards stillness, calm, rest, repose, quietude. This voice accepts current reality. This voice is content. The other voice lights a fire within and spurs us on to reject current circumstances and to strive for something more. This voice represents ill-content. The […]

It’s a fact that there is a great deal of unevenness in this world. We hear about the “haves” and the “have nots.” Much of that is due to things like effort, timing, who you know, and even luck. Yet it is the extremes that catch my attention. In May 2024, Forbes magazine published a […]

Sharon Stone, who starred in such movies as “Basic Instinct,” “Casino,” “Silver,” and “Total Recall” isn’t all that active in the Hollywood movie scene these days. At age 66, it’s been more than a decade since she’s appeared in film, and while her net worth is said to be roughly $20 million, it may be […]

There seems to be a lot of people wearing a mask of certitude. They claim expertise on matters and pontificate on things with an air of confidence that may or may not be warranted. Remember both James Carville and Bill Maher told the world, using different words, that Donald Trump would definitely, unequivocally, lose the […]

The best college professor I ever studied under was Richard Draper at Brigham Young University. I took a New Testament class from him in the summer term of 1983. During our June 7th class session we were discussing the writings of the Apostle Peter, particularly his 2nd General Epistle. In examining the 3rd verse of […]

In an earlier era, I was very committed to giving out (and mailing) Christmas cards. I saw them as an opportunity to make a small difference in the life of the person receiving one. Over the years, I’ve gotten lazy in that operation. I give out very few, if any, Christmas cards. It’s not that […]

By habit, we often greet each other with the question, “How are you doing?” or some variation thereof (“How are you?” “How are things going?” “What’s going on?” What’s been happening lately?”) We generally don’t ask such questions with absolute seriousness. We’re just being polite. In many instances, we don’t really care how the person […]

In covering a topic this sensitive, I begin by offering a faith-based perspective which comes from my Latter-day Saint community and theology, and I do so to get it out of the way as a sort of preface, because this journal entry is not predominantly about that – not about religion or faith or theology […]

While I’m sure 4th Grade teachers in our public or private schools would not find their 9-year-old students amusing if said students were mouthy, disrespectful, and sassy, (and I concur with the teachers), I actually find a little sass somewhat amusing in the real world. While I would not tolerate disrespectful sass from subordinates in […]