Monthly Archives: February 2012

A well nourished soul is a defining aspect of happiness. The Joshua Bell scenaio is that we are increasingly becoming too busy to be happy. And there is no way for that to be a good thing. Continue reading →

If I could not trust that my white friend is not being racist in singing the word “nigger” along with a rap song that I am playing in her or his presence, then that (a) white person should not be my friend in the first place; accordingly, (b) I am exercising very poor judgment in supposing that the white person’s character is worthy of my friendship. It is dysfunctional for black people to play rap music replete with the word “nigger” in the very presence of their white friends and then hold that their white friends are racist merely because the whites sing the word “nigger” along with the music. Continue reading →

Some 14 million people have seen the video of the father lambasting his daughter, Hannah, and destroying her laptop by shooting 7 bullets into it.  Why did he do that?  Because she had posted on Facebook an absolutely obnoxious set … Continue reading →

There are several male students whom I taught, with whom Adam Schecter’s account of being a loving father will mightily resonate. These are Simon Saks, Christopher Poulos, Michael McKean, and Kevin Flint. These are all truly wonderful fathers. I am not sure if I have the right to be proud of each of them for being such a loving father. After all, it is not because of me that they are. Still, I am ever so proud of each one of them. There parental behavior gives deep and abiding meaning to the reality of tears of joy. Continue reading →

THE MAJESTY OF PARENTAL LOVE is without equal. In my Philosophy 191 class, I had a Korean student say “I love you” in Korean and then a Syrian student say those words in Arabic and then a Latino student say those words in Spanish. Finally, the words “I love you” were said in English and French. Most significantly, none of those utterances of “I love you” sound at all alike. Yet, every new born infant to whom those words are regularly spoken to in just the right manner will come to the most fundamental sentiments of her or his developing years, namely that she or he is unequivocally loved by her or his parents. And that ever so basic sentiment that actually defies explanation is none other than the ever so salubrious launching pad for that child’s development. If I am right that not even God can substitute for the majesty of the direct experiencing of parental love from both parents, then the evil that we are doing by allowing parents to place their own self-interests above the self-interests of their children can be rightly characterized as unspeakable. Continue reading →

Who makes the best friends? The answer is that those who have been profoundly loved. Companion friends bring something quite special to their relationship with one another, something that surely money canComnot buy. Part of what they bring, surely, is a most majestic sense of self—a sense of self which is anchored not in arrogance but in tremendous self-knowledge and which is mightily animated by a sense of gratitude. Nothing contrtibutes to that end like parental love. One reason for thinking that parental love is the basis for companion friendship is just the fact that parental love at its best is not about erotic love and friendship at its best is not about erotic love. Continue reading →