A Thanksgiving Meditation I miss the random, informal meetings I had as a college professor. Not the faculty meetings, department meetings, or committee meetings, but the meetings with students, between classes and lessons, during office hours or when I happened to be in the building. We were required to publish times when we were sure … Continue reading Indoctrination →

A brief reaction to the election results. Some expected a “red wave,” others hoped for a “blue wave,” although neither happened. Many believe “our country is more divided than ever,” but this could be a matter of perspective. There were lots of close races and several of the more extreme candidates were defeated. Both houses … Continue reading The Center →

“Old habits die hard,” the saying goes. The longer we do something, the more difficult it becomes to change. One of my teachers told me, “We can never really break a habit. We can only replace it with a better habit.” Even if we play a passage correctly 990 out of 1000 times, there is … Continue reading Good →

“You can be whatever you want to be.” This statement either has limited meaning or is a myth. It’s fine to say we can choose the kind of person we want to become – honest, ethical, caring, generous, or dishonest, unethical, cruel, self-centered. Even so, it’s unlikely that everyone can become a fighter pilot, brain … Continue reading The Salt of the Earth →

A reaction to the firing of an NYU chemistry professor. Some courses of study are difficult. Others are relatively easy. Over four years of college, these tend to balance out. So, I was told 50 years ago. I knew several pre-med students who all said things like, “I can’t spare the time now, I have … Continue reading Feedback →

Based on a true story… A corporate vice president was assigned to run a large manufacturing division. Because the operation was in the red, his first task was to restore profitability. One might think all he had to do was to increase sales, but one would be wrong. Because the products were priced too low … Continue reading Stop Digging →

"To make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe." – Carl Sagan When I was in High School, we read some studies involving rats – rats in a maze, rats on different diets, rats in overcrowded cages, and so on. Back then, it struck me that just as caged rats turned … Continue reading Where Everybody Knows Your Name →

I mentioned my cardiologist in a previous post, Intelligence. In another of our conversations, when we were both in our late fifties, he said words to this effect: You know, not that long ago, if someone made it into their fifties, that was considered a long life. Life expectancies were shorter, and most people could … Continue reading 100 →

From an Essay written in 2013 “Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art…It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things which give value to survival.” – C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” – Jesus of Nazareth (John … Continue reading The Needs of the Many →

Parenting is hard. Old school. At a parent-teacher conference long ago, the father told the teacher, “Look, if Tommy steps out-of-line, I want to know about it. We don’t put up with that kind of thing at home and we don’t expect you to, either. Believe me, whatever punishment you dish out here, Tommy will … Continue reading The College Try →