Young people are often the energetic and idealistic avatars of the future. They are iconoclastic, criticize society’s deficiencies and inequities, and frequently at the forefront of social change. But a few decades ago thousands of young people (older adolescents and young adults) seemed enthralled by unfamiliar, sometimes flamboyant, religious groups. They captivated the imagination and […]
If We Humans Are So Good, Why Are We So Bad?! Given that homo sapiens is the most evolved of all the species on planet Earth, we humans can indeed be immensely proud of ourselves. Over the millennia of our existence on Earth, around 250,000 years, our brains and bodies have enabled us to withstand […]
My brother Steve (“Stevie”), who died a couple of years ago, had a lasting impact on my life. Stevie was born just as I was turning 13, having my Bar Mitzvah, and thereby “becoming a man.” He “arrived” on this earth as a beautiful infant with bright red hair (like his siblings), and an innocent […]
The Character of Our Leaders: Important or Irrelevant? Do you think that – policies aside– the leader of a democratic country should be a person of decency and integrity, an upstanding citizen, a Mensch? Need he/she be ethical, respectful and knowledgeable, an inspiring role model whom youth […]
The recent death of one of my oldest and closest friends hit me hard. But even before mourning his loss, I’d been ruminating about many other friends who had passed away, as well as my own mortality. Within this last decade, I’ve had the painful experiences of losing eleven wonderful friends from my life, all […]
The Ominous Resurgence of Anti-Semitism “I’ve been aware most of my life that I am hated by many people around the world.” A strong statement, I know, especially coming from a psychiatrist. I certainly have frailties and faults, but ”hated”?! Like you, I think of myself as a decent person, personally well-liked by many, loved […]
I Never Liked Pets… I have an admission to make: When I was younger, I didn’t like pets. Actually, nobody owned pet dogs or cats when I was a child in my poor immigrant neighborhood. Dogs were considered frivolous or dangerous, and were expensive. The feral cats in the local alleys seemed furtive and weird, […]
Do you happen to hate certain people without their having done anything offensive to you? If so, are you certain of the facts which justify your hatred? Have you personally experienced hatred directed at you simply because of your identity? The target of prejudicial hatred is an “other,” a stranger who is perceived as dangerous […]
Wrestling with Religion and Spirituality As a practicing psychiatrist, I am often confronted by dramatic examples of life’s “bipolar” vicissitudes.” I am not referring to the diagnosis as much as to the dramatic range of affect-laden situations and moods, ranging from loss and tragedy to love and exultation. Whether searching, or in despair or celebration, […]
I tend to be an optimist, usually retaining hope that things will turn out for the best. But I have despaired of late that… We are becoming a nation of “Two Solitudes*,”each with widely different experiences in living, thinking, perceiving and believing. There is palpable anxiety “in the air,” related to an increasingly prevalent atmosphere […]