Category Archives: Life

What You Find When You Move

Posted on August 15, 2020 by N.S. Palmer

Since my apartment building caught fire, I’m in the process of moving to a new place. And I’m cleaning out my dresser drawers to see what I can throw away. But some old things are just too much fun to … Continue reading →

Posted in Life | Tagged Fun, Homework, Mathematics, Memories, Moving, Problem solving | 2 Comments

Powers and Abilities Far Beyond

Posted on August 8, 2020 by N.S. Palmer

“Strange visitor from another planet, who came to earth with powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men.” — Voiceover from the 1950s “Superman” television show I’m going to tell you two stories. The first is known to be … Continue reading →

Posted in Human Relations, Life, Psychology | Tagged Feminine, Femininity, Feminism, Goals, Inspiration, Lincoln, Masculine, Masculinity, Power, Yin and yang | 2 Comments

The Day After the Fire

Posted on August 1, 2020 by N.S. Palmer

Yesterday, of course, my apartment building caught fire. When I posted a photo of the fire, there was no way for me to know how the situation would turn out. The good news: nobody was killed or seriously injured. Most … Continue reading →

Posted in Life | Tagged Optimism, Positive attitude, Priorities, Sentiment | 4 Comments

Normies Don’t Care About Ideology

Posted on July 28, 2020 by N.S. Palmer

Politically-aware people of all stripes often think about how to talk to “normies:” that is, normal people who don’t pay much attention to politics or other social issues. Normies don’t read The New York Times or Breitbart. They don’t spend … Continue reading →

Posted in Life, Psychology, Society | Tagged Civic virtue, Families, Healthy society, Ideology, Morality, Normal people | 3 Comments

A Visit with Esther and Joe

Posted on July 25, 2020 by N.S. Palmer

Did you ever wish you could thank some people from your past who helped you when you needed it? For me, two of those people were Esther and Joe. They owned a little “mom and pop” grocery store around the … Continue reading →

Posted in Life, Psychology | Tagged Dreams, Family, Gratitude, Happiness, Judaism, Kindness, Moral Choice, Parenting, Psychology | 2 Comments

Self-Esteem Versus Self-Respect

Posted on July 19, 2020 by N.S. Palmer

“Self-esteem” means feeling good about ourselves. And it’s nice to feel good about ourselves. It’s a cheap and easy pleasure. But it’s better if we have reasons to feel good about ourselves. That’s an important difference between self-esteem and self-respect. American President … Continue reading →

Posted in Life, Psychology | Tagged Abraham Lincoln, Achievement, Self-esteem, Self-Respect, Wisdom, Work ethic | Leave a comment

Things to Know and See

Posted on July 16, 2020 by N.S. Palmer

In the famous words of Emil Faber, “knowledge is good.” That’s because it helps us to live successfully and happily. It’s no guarantee. And it’s not always what we want to hear. But in general, it’s better to know the truth … Continue reading →

Posted in Life, Political Science, Psychology, Science | Tagged COVID-19, George Floyd autopsy, George Floyd cause of death, Health risks, Lockdowns, Over-counting Covid-19, Permanent crisis, SARS-CoV-2 | Leave a comment

In Defense of Misguided People

Posted on June 28, 2020 by N.S. Palmer

Misguided people are all around us. Of course, which people we call misguided depends on how misguided we are, ourselves. So I want to say a few words in defense of misguided people. They might not know the facts I … Continue reading →

Posted in Human Relations, Life, Philosophy, Psychology | Tagged Charity, Division of labor, Forgiveness, Honesty, Human motivation, Humility, Knowledge, Limits of knowledge | Leave a comment

Why People Are Not Things

Posted on June 17, 2020 by N.S. Palmer

Is it ever justified to treat people unequally? Before you try to answer, notice something about the question: It’s not a factual question. It doesn’t ask what is, but what ought to be. We might include facts in our answer, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Human Relations, Life, Philosophy, Political Science, Society | Tagged Crime control, Difference in degree, Difference in kind, Human Dignity, Human Rights, Humanity, Justice, Moral persons, Personhood | 2 Comments

Memorial Day 2020

Posted on May 25, 2020 by N.S. Palmer

This is a beautiful video celebrating Memorial Day. I’m proud to be an American. I’m grateful to those who founded our country and fought for it. May it always endure.