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Category Archives: Psychology
Why My Father Was Never Sick
In “Unbreakable” (2000), Bruce Willis played a middle-aged man who discovered that he was an invulnerable superhero. Obviously, superhero movies require our suspension of disbelief. In “Unbreakable,” the hardest thing to believe was not that Willis’s character was invulnerable, or … Continue reading
Posted in Life, Psychology, Society
Tagged Attitude, Constructive attitude, Courage, Determination, Good luck, Grit, Luck, Lucky
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A Tool’s Got to Know Its Limitations
What do DNA, psychological questionnaires, and my new car have in common? DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) is a molecule in which plants and animals encode the basic characteristics of their bodies. It’s what makes a rose a rose instead of a … Continue reading
Visit a Foreign Country
“The past is a foreign country,” advised British novelist L.P. Hartley. And it’s true: Most of us have quite enough trouble keeping up with the present. We’re too busy to think much about the past. Of course, there are different … Continue reading
Posted in Bible, Christianity, Human Relations, Judaism, Political Science, Psychology, Society
Tagged Classic radio, Common good, Courage, Heroism, Lone Ranger, Morality, Patriotism, Rule of law, Self-reliance, Westerns, Wisdom
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Abnormal Isn’t Normal, But It’s OK
“Abnormal” is not an insult. And “normal” is not a compliment. People bend over backwards these days to avoid calling anything “abnormal.” Apparently they think it might hurt someone’s feelings. For example, Robert Plomin’s recent book about human DNA argues … Continue reading
Not Hard To See It Coming
Viewed from 2018, the world of pre-9/11 America looks like a model of peace and sanity. It wasn’t, of course, but compared to what we’ve had since then, it seems that way. As of now, America’s crisis du jour is … Continue reading
Posted in Political Science, Psychology, Society
Tagged Caravan, Globalism, Globalization, Migrants, Nationalism, Open borders, Soros
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Challenge Makes Us Stronger
I just finished reading The Coddling of the American Mind, an excellent book by lawyer Greg Lukianoff and psychologist Jonathan Haidt. The subtitle is How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure. The book’s main thesis … Continue reading
We Can Have Unity Without Unanimity
Winston Churchill (1874-1965) was Prime Minister of England during World War II. He rallied his people to fight back against Nazi Germany even though some of them advocated surrender. Faced with such disagreement, Churchill said something that’s still relevant in … Continue reading
Give Thanks for Thankfulness
On the American holiday of Thanksgiving, we give thanks for a lot of things. In developed countries, we’ve got food. We’ve got shelter. Even the poorest among us have access to resources and luxuries that were unimaginable only a hundred … Continue reading
It’s What You Don’t See That Misleads You
Often, it’s not what you see that misleads you. It’s what you don’t see. In economics, it’s called “the broken window fallacy.” Broken windows create jobs for people who replace windows. Therefore, the fallacy concludes that broken windows are a … Continue reading
Understanding Control and Perspective
It helps a lot if we understand two principles: control and perspective. First, there are some things we can control and other things we can’t control. When we get upset, it’s often because we mistake one kind of thing for … Continue reading
Posted in Philosophy, Psychology, Society
Tagged Mindfulness, Perspective, Positive attitude, Reframing, Serenity, Stoicism
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The Thousand-Year View 