For a full week after Christine Blasey Ford’s allegations against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh became public, I said nothing. While I have a healthy skepticism of politically-timed accusations, there was no way to know. So I kept my mouth shut and looked at the evidence, because that is what Americans are supposed to do. …
I’m sick of hearing this phrase. Every time it is said, it is an insult to silence. Chrissy Ford was “credible” in the same way that Black Panther was the greatest movie of all time. Everyone has to say it or you’re a racist. In this case, if you do not mouth the proper words, …
Admittedly, this has limited use outside of the cruise boat industry, but hey, it’s an idea and it is feasible. Currently to board a cruise ship, you present your ship card (looks like a credit card), to a security member who scans it and waits for confirmation as to who you are. Add a simple …
It was on this day in the year 86 AD, that Antoninus Pius, the man who would become best known as the stepfather of Marcus Aurelius, was born. Most people, even followers of Stoicism, don’t know much about Antoninus. This is sad because he was a truly great man. “Antoninus would have had the reputation …
In Aaron Thier’s novel The World Is A Narrow Bridge, one of the main characters is a runner. His wife teases him for his dedication to this hobby, which he claims settles his mind and makes him feel less crazy. She jokes that “it’s a craziness problem that makes you run and run.” His reply …
The line from Confucius was that “Virtue is never solitary; it always has neighbors.” What he meant by that was that good behavior and good thinking is contagious. In a way, virtue is like the homeowner who moves into a rundown neighborhood and through that investment and the cheerful improvements they make to their own …
There’s an enormous difference between being a story writer and being a regular person. As a person, it’s your duty to stay on a straight and even keel, not to break down blubbering in the streets, not to pull rude drivers from their cars, not to swing from the branches of trees. But as a …
What happens is six months go by after I finish a book and I start to go out of my mind. I have no hobbies, I don’t garden, I hate travel. The impetus is not inspiration, just a feeling that I better do this. There’s something addictive about leading another life at the same time …
It is said that comparison is the thief of joy and is, therefore, mostly to be avoided. This is true. You’re on your own journey with your own unique circumstances. Using what other people have or what they’ve done as a guiding light to chart your progress is rarely the way to happiness. The same …
On April 24th 1924, the pioneer writer Laura Ingalls Wilder got a note that her mother, aged 84, had died. It was a sad day, particularly since it had been so many years since she had been able to see or spend time with the woman who had raised and loved her. Wilder would address …
