"The quickening" is an ancient term signifying the beginning of life, the first time an expectant mother feels her baby's kick. Modern technological advances have shifted the definition of life's beginning closer to the time of conception. Today, a new life is sometimes defined in terms of "viability," when a developing fetus can survive independently …
Out Of My Mind
Can you be free of your mind whenever you want? "I'm depressed!" "I'm stressed out!" "I'm upset!" Sound familiar? Let's step back for a moment and ask a simple question: Who is the I? People have pondered this question for thousands of years. "I" is usually assumed to be a product of thought, but this …
Happiness and Hard Times
I started kindergarten in the autumn of 1960. One of the first group activities our class of 30+ students learned was "duck and cover!" When the school siren sounded, we were taught to quickly get up, form a single file line, and move out of the classroom to the school's basement. There we would crouch …
The Good Life
“The good life,” any idea what that is? Advertisers suggest it’s hanging out with Snoop Dogg on a white-sand beach drinking Corona beer! Some say it’s retirement. Others say it’s a million bucks in an investment account! Still others are “Searching for some other place to be.” I was thinking about my definition of “the …
Ghosts
Summer is in the rearview mirror. Autumn’s blowing by us in the passing lane, and the ghosts of Round Lake have returned. Exiting Leder Bay on the last pontoon boat ride of the season, we passed the small island in front of our cabin. The popular beach was empty, but I could clearly see Bryan …
Better Together, Conclusion
I wrote this series out of concern for the future of our democracy. The most significant problem we face as a nation is our growing separation from one another. Previously trusted institutions, including government, business, and religion, fail to champion needed solutions. My thesis is that we’ve reached a point where change is required from …
Better Together, Part 4: “We Can Work It Out”
People rarely change without strong intentions and a lot of practice. We are habitual creatures. Even a modest change in behavior takes at least 40 consecutive days of practice to initiate a routine. I have no idea why 40 days is magic. Still, I’ve found that if I adopt a new behavior for forty straight …
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Better Together: Part 3, “Tell Me Why”
“Tell me why is it hard to make arrangements with yourself?” -Neil Young If you've hung with me to this point in the series, you know that I believe the most significant problem America faces is our growing separation from one another. It's a problem because "separation" is wired into our consciousness. Each individual experiences …
Better Together, Part 2: “To Our Children’s, Children’s, Children”
In the introduction and Part 1 of this series, I made two claims: The first was that our growing separation from one another is the most significant problem our nation faces. The second was that our disagreements are, in a sense, "wired in," arising from the unique context of our experience and predispositions. On the …
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Better Together, Part 1: “There’s Only You and Me, and We Just Disagree.”
How did we get to be so politically divided? It seems like a simple question, but I’ve yet to come across a definitive answer. I believe it comes down to the fact that it's impossible to put oneself in another's shoes. Perhaps our views would change if we exchanged backgrounds and life experiences with a …
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Towards A Life Well-Lived 