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 […]
None of us is genuinely liked by absolutely everyone. Similarly, none of us likes everybody without reservation or exception. We are a complex species, some might even say perplexing. Each of us is capable of experiencing and expressing inspiring warmth and love, as well as harboring and displaying antagonism and hate. Even the most benevolent […]
“Donald Trump and The Dalai Lama” While they are two remarkably different men, “The Donald (Trump)” and “The Dalai (Lama)” are both immersed in international fame as well as controversy. Frequently seen on television, newspapers and social media, they each have the distinction of being vigorously admired and criticized. They are revered by millions of […]