Several years ago the Sociology Department at Duke University did a study on “Peace of Mind.” Nine factors were found to contribute to emotional and mental stability. 1.The absence of suspicion and resentment. Nursing a grudge was the major factor in unhappiness. 2. Not living in the past. An unwholesome preoccupation with past mistakes and failures…
No Longer Able To Provide A Bad Example
Old people like to give advice as solace for no longer being able to provide a bad example. — Francois, duc de La Rochefoucauld. Sometimes I can’t help myself. I’m around my children and now my grandchildren and I find myself offering advice, guidance, or sometimes telling them what to do and not do. I…
Short If You Sing It, Long If You Sigh
Little by Little, the time goes by — short if you sing it, long if you sigh. — Anon. When I was on sabbatical I collected a few quotes. I still have that journal of quotes, and from time to time I open it back up to remind myself of what I was thinking almost…
All This Obsession With Enemies
What was all this obsession with enemies anyway. — Ralph Ellison, The Invisible Man. Wouldn’t it be nice if we stopped labeling anyone with being an “enemy.” Certainly Ellison’s asks the right question, “What is this obsession all about?” I have found that we gravitate toward calling someone or group as an enemy because we don’t know…
Did God Really Say The Word Goofball?
Did God really call that famous leader a goofball? If he did, no need to worry about God anymore — He is doing just fine, and we are all a lot better off than I really suspected. — Tukaram. No, I am not trying to make a political statement. Tukuram was a 17th century poet/saint who…