Mon, 10/23/2017 - 12:01
“Throughout history, poverty is the normal condition of man. Advances which permit this norm to be exceeded—here and there, now and then—are the work of an extremely small minority, frequently despised, often condemned, and almost always opposed by…
Thu, 07/27/2017 - 12:02
I recall, back in 1995, trying to decide whether to get an internet account. I only knew two or three people who had them. Email sounded like a cool idea, but you still needed to pick up the phone to get in touch with someone. (Remember when the…
Wed, 05/10/2017 - 12:02
This column is primarily about human motivation, particularly being motivated by envy, a subject I’ve wanted to write about for years. It is a negative emotion that has been condemned by all cultures throughout history, yet it is a powerful…
Thu, 04/06/2017 - 12:02
Recently I was contacted by a reader asking me if I would suggest some exercises that he could use to think more creatively. That request has inspired me to write about some fun ways that you, too, can exercise your creative mind.
The purpose of…
Mon, 03/20/2017 - 12:02
Fresh from making mud pies, Paul and I were coated in dirt from our elbows to our fingertips. We walked into the kitchen to clean up for lunch, where we found Rafe leaning against the wall, shaking, and crying uncontrollably. His face, wet with…
Thu, 10/27/2016 - 16:54
In the past two decades, I have been dumped by two friends who disagreed with my political opinions. The first because he didn’t like who I voted for in a presidential election; the other because I refused to sign a petition supporting a political…
Wed, 10/05/2016 - 16:22
Over the years, I’ve beaten myself up over business breakdowns, lost relationships, and countless other failures. I would only look at what I’d done wrong and where I was at fault. And, of course, this would only make me feel worse.
People would…
Tue, 08/23/2016 - 15:51
Running as fast as I could, I zigzagged across the field. I dodged and ducked, and stayed just out of reach from the grabbing hands. I stumbled and fell, but quickly rolled away from my pursuer and bounced back onto my feet before he could catch me…
Tue, 07/19/2016 - 17:00
I carefully filled the cake cone from the frozen custard machine, pushing it up at just the right moment to create a perfect ball. Then as I shut off the machine, I pulled the cone away with a circular motion to give it the company’s signature curl…
Mon, 03/21/2016 - 17:54
Last weekend, as I was clearing clutter, I found a copy of H. G. Wells’ The Time Machine. As I thumbed through it, I recalled that Wells, in his future world, describes man’s descendants as evolving into two distinct species: the Eloi and the…