Our daughter brought Sasha into our lives. The guys who originally owned her realized they didn’t have time to raise a puppy, so our daughter agreed to take her. But she was off to college, which meant that we would be raising her until summer. Sasha had the soft fur of a Golden Retriever with … Continue reading Of Good Dogs and Bad
Author: mmwordsmith
Who Am I? Why am I here? Why are any of us here? These are first-class essential questions. The kind of questions many people laughed about when Admiral James Bond Stockdale posed them in a vice-presidential debate in 1992. Who wants a politician to wax philosophical when he could act like he knows all the answers? Apparently, people like me. The need to question and reflect seems to be part of my personality - an inextricable part. I believe I need to take these kinds of questions seriously, but while doing so, try not to take my answers or myself too seriously. My guess is as good as anyone else’s, after all. Maybe the lesson, if there is one, is to struggle with questions like these, to stretch my capacity for understanding, to challenge my ability to tolerate divergent views, to look at life creatively, to remain unafraid to cling to old ideas when they are good and move on to new ideas when they are constructive. The great moral philosopher, Red Skelton, once said he believed we are put on earth “to create and not to destroy.” I sincerely hope my stories and musings will somehow help others grapple with their own questions and follow their best impulses towards creating a better world.
Notes on The Journey
An old friend called me a few days ago to tell me he was diagnosed with dementia. We are about the same age, so it was not hard to imagine myself in his shoes. Except he is a cancer survivor. 15 years ago he underwent a horrendous array of treatments – chemo therapy, a bone … Continue reading Notes on The Journey
War of the Words
Once upon a time, I had a guest speaker in one of my classes who made the following point. He told us he worked with interns who would say things like, “I know what I want to write, but I just don’t know how to put it into words.” His response was, “Then you really … Continue reading War of the Words
A Child’s-Eye View
When I was in elementary school, my parents gave me several “How and Why Wonder Books.” These books introduced the fundamentals of weather, stars, rocks and minerals, insects, reptiles, birds, rockets and missiles, flight, and many other topics. I was fascinated by the book, “Atomic Energy.” So much so that a couple of years later … Continue reading A Child’s-Eye View
Everybody’s Got a Job to Do
My college roommate worked as a brick mason’s helper. His job was to mix “mud” (mortar), haul bricks, and in general do all the back-breaking stuff his supervisor told him to do. He vowed to finish his engineering degree and eventually earned a doctorate, so he could work with his mind rather than his back. … Continue reading Everybody’s Got a Job to Do
The Game
When I was in college, we joked about how we had to learn “what to kiss and when.” Some of my classmates facetiously said their goal in life was to “amass great wealth and power.” Generally, we rejected the notion that college was all about making money and “climbing the ladder.” That was then. But … Continue reading The Game
When in the Course
I was born at the beginning of the Eisenhower era and was raised by Republican parents. Even so, they preferred JFK to Richard Nixon, so there’s that. I came of age during the Viet Nam war; however, I was too young to be drafted. Many who graduated high school before me paid a terrible price. … Continue reading When in the Course
180
We sometimes hear people say, “I’ve changed my opinion 360 degrees on that.” It’s likely they mean 180 degrees, or enough to reverse course, not spin completely around. I’m sure most just want to say they’ve changed their minds, so it’s not a big deal. However, it seems to me it’s a bigger deal when … Continue reading 180
Dualities
“Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists.” “If you criticize Israel, that means you are antisemitic.” “If you question the president, you must hate your country.” There are many examples. These statements represent the “either-or” fallacy. Of course, a person might not agree with everything their country (or their president) does … Continue reading Dualities
Good Council
(Overheard at the regular centenary meeting of the gods.) In attendance: Adonai – God of humans Cephalos – God of octopuses Cetaceus – God of dolphins Ornithos – God of birds Pachydus – God of elephants Adonai: I hereby call this meeting to order. I know each of you have concerns. Who would like to … Continue reading Good Council
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