Monthly Archives: December 2017

What else are we to do? Regardless of what I am doing, I find it helpful to ask, “what else would I be doing if I were not doing ___________.” There is a big lag between the big picture questions that we ask and the day to day activities which occupy the vast majority ofContinue reading “What else would I be doing?”

The most compelling thing about most stories, whether that be movies, TV series, books, even video games or comics, is that there is a gradual progression that happens within the main character. Stories of fiction and nonfiction both compel us with this transformation.  Throughout the Harry Potter series by JK Rowling we see Harry beginContinue reading “A Dynamic Character”

Life is hard. Sometimes we make it harder than it needs to be. Actually, often we make it harder than it needs to be. In daily life this can be for a handful of reasons including: The sense of the importance of each tasks becomes inflated. Simple tasks like picking up groceries can become stressfulContinue reading “Hard for the sake of being hard”

Marx is often quoted as saying “Religion is the opiate of the masses.” More accurately and articulately he said: “Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people. The abolition of religion as the illusory happiness of peopleContinue reading “Pursuing happiness”

Make your own compass, find your own north star. Two books, read in combination, make this poignant point. In Arrowsmith by Sinclair Lewis, Martin Arrowsmith, a medical student who becomes a physician and a scientist struggles between the pursuit of scientific rigor, treatment of suffering patients, and the expectations of society around him. In AtlasContinue reading “Make your own compass, find your own north star.”