The Folly of Pleasing

“During my 87 years, I have witnessed a whole succession of technological revolutions. But none of them has done away with the need for character in the individual or the ability to think.” – Bernard Baruch One of the reasons I chose a liberal education (thank you Hobart College) was my belief that the abilities…

Fear’s useless. Either something bad happens or it doesn’t: If it doesn’t, you’ve wasted time being afraid, and if it does, you’ve wasted time that you could have spent sharpening your weapons. – Sarah Brennan There’s a difference between fear/being-scared and recognizing danger. *** What’s more, in a meta sense, the ability to notice and…

Happiness is a journey, not a destination. For a long time it seemed to me that life was about to begin—real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to be paid. At last it dawned on…

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” – Martin Luther King *  *  * “The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.” – Mahatma Gandhi *  *  * “Forgiveness is the final form of love.” – Reinhold Niebuhr…

. . . make any New Year’s Resolutions. They. Don’t. Work. The whole thing is an artificial construct that only makes you feel about yourself (and gives you a bad impression of goal-setting and achievement). What should you do instead? Well, you shouldn’t do anything. (Do things because you clearly and authentically want to do them.)…

More genius from a mentor of mine, Steve Chandler: All fear comes from picturing the future. Putting things off increases that fear. Soon we are nothing but heavy minds weighing down on weary brains. Too much future will do that. Only a warrior’s approach will solve this. A warrior takes his sword to the future….