Sep 14My Obsession with HurricanesAs I write this, Lee, a major hurricane, is slowly churning northward off the eastern seaboard. While it’s too early to tell where it will make landfall, it now looks like it will at least brush New England. I am following the storm closely, coming as I do from a…Hurricane3 min readHurricane3 min read
Jul 10Secondary Passions Promote Beginner’s MindI thought I had retired as a psychotherapist, but I continued on by other means writing a column every week for the Concord Monitor. While I told myself I just liked to write, at a subconscious level, I was trying to bring together warring factions in our polarized community in…Writing3 min readWriting3 min read
Jun 22The Donald ShowRemember “The Truman Show,” the hit movie starring Jim Carrey about “ a man who grew up living an ordinary life that– unbeknownst to him– takes place on a large set populated by actors for a television show about him.” Everybody knew the truth except Truman, who was tricked into…Trump3 min readTrump3 min read
Jun 16Something SnappedI was struck by a recent essay by Timothy Denevi in the NYT about the writer Joan Didion. On the surface, it seems strange that I should be so affected because Didion was a conservative supporter of Barry Goldwater and distrustful of the Kennedys. On the other hand, I am…Polarization4 min readPolarization4 min read
May 26Down the Rabbit HoleI wrote in my last column about the power of advertising to seduce folks into buying things they don’t need. I foggily remembered reading a great description of why that happens. To refresh my memory, I dug out what had once been my bible, “Your Money or your Life” by…Advertising3 min readAdvertising3 min read
May 18We all like “time-saving” devices, but what are we saving time to do?L. M. Sacasas is the author of an illuminating newsletter, The Convivial Society, tracing the intersection of technology, society, and morality. He states a well-known truth that the best way to sell new products in America is to advertise them as “time-saving.” He follows that up with an unanticipated question…Purpose Of Life3 min readPurpose Of Life3 min read
May 12Why We Need Hands: A RantMaking things with your hands gets a bad rap today. It’s so blue-collar. You’re a failure if you don’t go to college to get a white-collar job so you can lounge behind a desk. That’s so wrong, I could scream! To me, working with your hands is not only an…AI3 min readAI3 min read
May 4Trauma and TrumpI was taken aback when I heard she had written a new book. She had disappeared from sight over 30 years ago after a devastating injury. No, she wasn’t an old flame: I never met her, yet she has been a guiding light in my life. Her name is Judith…Trauma4 min readTrauma4 min read
Apr 27Who’s to Blame for Our Homeless Problem?Tolstoy wrote “What Then Must We Do?”back in 1887: ‘I sit on a man’s back, choking him and making him carry me, and yet assure myself and others that I am very sorry for him and wish to ease his lot by all possible means — except by getting off…Homeless3 min readHomeless3 min read
Apr 20Water the Flowers, Not the WeedsSince Donald Trump entered the national consciousness in 2016, he has harped on everything wrong with America. While it’s healthy to confess the bad things we’ve done as a country in order to do better in the future, it is also vital to remember the good stuff. Or, in the…3 min read3 min read
