Immigration and The American Dream         On a walk last week, I stopped in front of a large building construction site, where I noticed a group of hard-hatted workers who were taking a lunch break from their labors. They were obviously immigrant young (20’s-40’s) men, speaking animatedly with each other in a mixture of Spanish and […]

    Hope: A Human Need and Powerful Life Force     “Where There’s Life There’s Hope,” said J.R.R. Tolkien, in The Lord of the Rings.      Hope is a universal and powerful human need and Life Force, and an integral part of all our lives.           The word “Hope” has been the central name or theme of countless works of […]

You’ve probably heard someone say with some degree of confidence, “I am not religious, but I am spiritual.” If so, were you in any way enlightened by those assertive words?   Can a person be spiritual and not religious? How about religious and not spiritual? Can someone be both, or neither? How do you define yourself […]

     Have you ever felt utterly alone? If not, you are indeed a fortunate soul, because feeling lonely has become common in these times of ambient threats, like a pandemic and quarantines, ominous signs of global warming and other stressors.       I’ve always been impressed by the sheer number of popular songs about this sad human emotion. […]

    “To Sleep, Perchance to Dream,” are the famous words Hamlet uttered during that exquisite Shakespearean play.      Beautifully written and stated, they touch a nerve with all of us who have had the magical, wondrous, yet sometimes disturbing world of dreaming.     I happen to be an inveterate dreamer. I am not here referring to wakeful trances or common […]

      The phrase, “The Human Condition,” has always fascinated me.       It was coined in 1958 by the political thinker Hanna Arendt, and summarizes for me the complexities, and both the rewarding and difficult experiences of being a human being.        Of all earthly creatures only we humans can describe through words our sensed perceptions, thoughts and feelings, […]

               I’m sure you would agree that we are living in very uncertain times.     Many people are feeling stressed or confused about the prevalent uncertainties in our lives. Some are unhappy about the present, or dreading a dangerous or even perilous future.     Recent polls and health research data have shown that […]

         Once upon a time, the words we used had dependable and agreed-upon meanings. Words describing people, events, beliefs, acts and other experiences were either facts and truths, or they were fictions and falsehoods.          Lately, though, it’s as if we’re living in a never-never land, where the meanings of words have become misleading and confusing, sometimes […]

                      It Is the Best of Times, It Is the Worst of Times      You are likely familiar with the title words of this column, which were ‘borrowed’ and modified (with apologies) from the author Charles Dickens,      Dickens began his 1859 masterpiece “A Tale of Two Cities” with the memorable poetic words, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of […]

     Have you ever been transfixed by wonderment and awe during an overwhelmingly inspiring experience?       In the course of our lifetimes, we have all been moved by many positive personal and cultural events. Heart-warming or wondrous experiences enhance and enrich our lives by bringing us joy and fulfillment, especially helpful in difficult times. They also renew […]