”The Sounds of Silence” Ah, “The Sounds of Silence,” how we long for them… I am sure there’ve been times when you just couldn’t stand some jarring sounds in your vicinity, which were jangling your nerves and disturbing your peace of mind. “Noise in the System” is used to describe an engine, program or […]
One of my lifelong and dear friends died recently, which provoked in me a profound sadness. This is not an unusual event, especially as we get older, and I am sure you have also experienced this same sense of loss. It has also prompted me to write about close friendships We humans are a social […]
Human beings have always built border walls to repel unwelcome “others” from their domains, with the clear message “We don’t want you here!” Remnants exist of ancient fortifications like The Great Wall of China and Roman Empire walls, destroyed ramparts like the Berlin Wall, and many others. More tellingly are contemporary “active” walls separating people throughout […]
If someone calls you a “True Believer,” are you pleased or insulted? This term, which can be used to compliment or criticize, refers to a person who feels passionately dedicated to the absolute truth of his/her beliefs. True Believers (TB’s) can harbor strong beliefs in extreme ideologies (“-isms”) in politics (Communism, Fascism), fundamentalist […]
We all need our traditions. When the song ”Tradition” is sung by “Tevya,” the beloved and beleaguered milkman hero of “Fiddler on the Roof,” he brings the house down. The stirring musical has been performed in different languages and cultures, yet all audiences recognize themselves in the evocative music and lyrics. In “Tradition,” Tevya plaintively […]
Just who is Donald J. Trump? What kind of person is our President? As an informed citizen, an experienced social observer and writer, I’m going to try to capture Mr. Trump’s persona. Although I am a “card-carrying” psychiatrist, I will not use psychiatric terminology or offer a diagnosis. Nor will I comment here on his policies and politics. I will […]
If you happen to visit classrooms in public and private elementary schools in this country, you would (I hope) be pleased to see that in addition to academic subjects, our impressionable young children are being taught to be “Mensch’n,” a Yiddish word referring to people who are respectful, caring, kind, generous and trustworthy. Our children […]
(Dear Reader, Please recite this blog-poem, using a “hip-hop” beat). While walking this morning, on a secluded beach, I experienced a sense of profound internal peace. I drifted into a reverie, a strangely moving dream That I lived in an ideal world, where all was serene… There was not a mention of Syria, or incipient […]
Post-truths trump Facts: Truth: “The presidential election is over and Donald Trump is the President-Elect.” Post-Truth: “President Obama was born in Kenya.” The Oxford English Dictionary named its new word of the year 2016 as “post-truth,” meaning that our strongest political feelings can overwhelm and dictate our rational thinking, irrespective […]
The word “Believing” is used here as one singular cornerstone of the “Four B’s,” the criteria people use when they evaluate their lives. The other crucial B’s are, “Being,” “Belonging” and “Benevolence.” When all four are achieved, they culminate in an evolved human being. I recently wrote about Being and Belonging, and readers have asked for […]