I grew up in a household where having a different opinion was okay. You had to justify what you believe, but it was okay that you felt different. I remember countless arguments between my Sister and my Dad. Today, we live in a culture where silencing voices with whom you disagree has become the norm. Instead of debating ideas, too many resort to …
Political violence is, unfortunately, increasing. Each incident raises questions for me that go way beyond the individual at the center of the story. These moments are not just about one politician, commentator, or activist; they’re about the climate we’re all living in and the direction we’re sadly heading. Reuters has reported about 150 politic …
Amongst all the nuttiness that has been going on, this was news to me. Although not entirely surprising, it did give me pause. The New Hampshire House voted on a proposal last month that called for the state to secede from the United States. It actually stated the NH “peaceably declares independence from the United States and immediately proceeds …
Watching the Olympics last night gave me pause. It was not the pagentry, CGI spectacular, fireworks or even the speeches. It was the symbolic, yet real, unification of North and South Korea marching into the arena under one flag. It was heart warming and hopeful. This not the first time this has happened but it is the first time they will be fieldi …
I just reread a blog I wrote over 3 months ago. It was about being heroic...seeking to understand each other rather than punish or overreact. My intent, at that time, was to take a stride towards middle ground where anyone can speak their mind without being called names. To truly listen and respect each other's opinions. However, a recent post on …
Whether you’re Democrat, Republican or independent, the country’s unstable political climate, before and after the presidential election, has created political angst for many people. I stopped watching and reading the news for awhile because of the stress and anxiety I felt in listening and reading. However hiding from it won't make it go away. …
There are a lot of angry people in this country today. Unfortunately anger gets distorted. Handling it without destroying relationships is a skill that many of us need to learn. Here's a true story that illustrates what I mean..."One [of a therapist's] clients voted for Donald Trump for president, and the client’s daughter, who is gay, took her f …
My blog last week mentioned heroic conversations. Did you know that there is actually an heroic converstaions model? Adam Vane apparently created it or at least said he did. He describes it as "... a technique designed to reduce friction and increase productivity within an organization." I think all of us can benefit from less friction and confli …
This falls under a broad cateogry I've been calling "Trumpish." I define Trumpish as things people do in honor of Trump becoming our President. Case in point, a Washington state trooper ticketed a single driver trying to get through the carpool lane with a giant cut-out of Donald Trump's head. It cost the driver $136 but the trooper let him kee …
Half of all Americans rely on Facebook for their news source. Unfortunately it has been used as a political tool this past election for spreading falsehoods and lies. Facebook had fired their newstaff roughly 6 months ago so the social platform's news streams were unfettered and exploited. Fake news was published and displayed on individuals medi …
Here's something for you to ponder...according to the Constitution, chosen electors of the Electroal College are the real people who will vote for president, when they meet on Dec. 19th in their respective state capitals. There is technically nothing stopping any of the electors from voting their conscience and refusing to support the candidate t …
A 63 year oid man, Alan Sorrentino, sent a letter to a small (5,000 circ.) Rhode Island newspaper criticizing women who wear yoga pants in public. He described yoga pants as "stinky, tacky, ridiculous looking." "They do nothing to compliment a woman over 20 years old,” he wrote in the letter, which was published on Wednesday. “In fact, the look i …
What's left after a bruising battle, a war, a conflict, an argument? Raw feelings, resolution, terror....? Can we as a country feel unified? Did we ever? We are fed a stream of news that is divisive and lopsided, you can pick the side. Social media feeds us what we want to hear...not what we should hear. Yes...it's true. Social media keeps track …
This made me smile...India is creating a Ministry of Happiness. This new Ministry will oversea 70 programs. These include, not suprisingly, Yoga, spirituality and the arts. India is not the first country to do so with the UAE and Venezuela having already started happiness bureaus. Even Nicholas Sarkozy, during his tenure as the French President, …
As we all know by now, the UK voted to leave the EU. I found this funny and sad Instagram post and a very well written post to the Financial Times. This represents the bulk of social media over the past day.
It's Saturday...and anything goes.
