The incredibly astute comedian, George Carlin said:
Archive for the ‘Social Issues’ Category
Volunteering is good for your psyche
Thursday, May 2nd, 2013
People have often asked me why I spend so much time volunteering with various community service organizations. There are many different answers to this question. The simplest is that it makes me feel good about myself.
Stepping up in a crisis
Monday, April 22nd, 2013
I was amazed and impressed by how many people ran toward the bomb sites during the Boston Marathon! I felt the same sort of amazement during the 9-11 attacks in New York. Not only did first responders put their lives at risk running into the Ground Zero area to care for the injured, but ordinary people, instead of running as far away as they could, joined in wrapping their jackets around shivering folks at the scene. Just when I was wondering about the state of our country after frequently hearing reports about people either watching or walking away when seeing someone being beaten, raped, or robbed, something like this happens and people step up to the plate and put themselves in harm’s way.
‘Tis the Season
Monday, December 24th, 2012
OK, so here we are, Christmas Eve. This is supposed to be the time of year when we sing “joy to the world”; ’tis the season to be jolly. I find it particularly difficult this year. Christmas is a time for children. How can we feel jolly when the families and friends of Newtown, Connecticut are grieving the loss of their 20 babies.
No safe haven
Sunday, December 16th, 2012
The news of the massacre of 20 children and six adults in an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut came at the same time that a dear friends received the results of the test pronouncing him cancer-free. How was I supposed to process these extreme emotions?
Being grateful…Thanksgiving and every day
Tuesday, November 20th, 2012
In a couple of days this nation will be celebrating Thanksgiving Day. When we look around this great land and look at our own lives, there is much for which to be grateful. Despite hurricane Sandy and its horrific disruption to the lives of so many; despite the high unemployment and the continuing sluggish economy; and despite the many illnesses that each family must endure. Yes, there is much for which we can feel grateful.
Let’s talk infidelty
Tuesday, November 13th, 2012
Former head of the CIA General David Patreaus is but the latest public figure to have been discovered to have had an extra marital affair. He joins the ranks of a long list of politicians in the U. S. who have done so, e.g., Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bill Clinton, John Kennedy, to name but a few of the most notable. When we add the list of celebrities to the list of politicians, the numbers are staggering. Public figures involved in extra marital affairs is not a new phenomenon; sex “scandals” extends back throughout history. Because of the expansion of the media over the century we are just becoming more aware of the frequency with which infidelity occurs in our society.
Anger vs. Vengeance
Saturday, November 10th, 2012
Is anger always bad? I think not. However, there are distinctions to be made between, for example, anger and vengeance or anger and rage. Anger can also be a cover for fear or hurt.
A Humanistic Perspective on Politics & the Economy
Sunday, October 7th, 2012
I have argued that people too often define themselves by what they do for a living and by their possession. This leads to what I have referred to as “outside-in” living. The danger of living life from the outside in is that when one loses one’s job, can no longer perform in his or her career, or loses one’s wealth, they lose a sense of their identity. I have suggested that a psychologically healthier approach is to define oneself on the basis of one’s values, ethics, and morals. No one can take these away; these cannot be lost. Rather than defining oneself by what one does for a living, I have suggested that people define themselves by who they are as a person. This leads to living life from the “inside out.”
Friendship, family, and politics
Thursday, September 6th, 2012
Several patients have begun their psychotherapy sessions with me struggling with their concerns over the economy and the upcoming presidential election. They have expressed their dilemma in terms of the presidential candidates indicating that Romney and the Republicans represent their concern over the state of the economy, developing and maintaining wealth, and supporting big business, while Obama and the Democrats represent their concern over social issues, e.g., abortion rights, gay marriage, environmental sustainability, dream act, affordable health care, gun control, etc. This presidential election reflects their own internal struggles regarding their desire to make as much money as they can versus their desire to live an ethical, humanistic life.
