Prudence: Character Matters
“It wouldn’t be prudent. Read my lips. No new taxes. A thousand points of light.”. If you are old enough to remember Saturday Night live in 1989, you can likely remember Dana Carvey’s impression of George Bush Senior. I can picture it. I haven’t heard anyone use the word prudent since then. Prudent. It is…
Scholarship: Character Matters
In this post, I invite you to embrace your inner word nerd. Because I want to talk about scholarship, and it is about to get semantic in a totally nerdy way. We’ve been having a discussion at work about core values and moral virtues and character strengths. (Sounds totally exciting right?). It turns out that…
Civility: Educating for Sanity
Civility: a concept that seems to be waning in the United States. From the Latin, the literal meaning is “as befitting a good citizen”. It carries connotations of professional, ethical, respectful and courteous behavior. Incivility, thus translates as behavior unbecoming of a citizen. It is behavior of the barbarians. Incivility runs the gamut of behaviors…
Press For Freedom: Educating for Sanity
I have to admit that I am a compulsive reader. Each morning I try to consume articles from several newspapers on a variety of topics. I vary my sources both nationally and internationally. So I was surprised again and again, over the last seven or eight years, when many of my friends developed very strong…
Empathy: Educating for Sanity
It has been a hard ten days. The turmoil in this country, the barrage of executive orders, the anger and accusation is exhausting. To be clear, I reject bigotry of all forms. I am saddened by the targeted attacks on public servants and the incivility on display by government officials. Most of all, I am…
Relationships and the Common Good: Educating For Sanity
To be human is to be in relationship. All that we are, all that we think, all that we do has been shaped by our interactions with other people. Neuroscience confirms that the pathways in our brain are wired by interactions with others. Happiness is linked to personal interactions that produce endorphins. It is no…
Epistemology: Educating for Sanity
Ever wonder how two people can look at the same issue, the same facts (transcript, video tape, testimony, etc.) or have the same exact experience and come away with completely different views about what happened? For centuries, humans have been wrestling with the question, “how can we really know anything.” As a freshman college student…
What is DEI?: Education for Sanity
You can’t turn on the news lately without someone saying DEI. Unfortunately, it is often used without context or even completely out of context. This leaves both those who have had a lot of training and experience in the field as well as those who haven’t had any scratching their heads in confusion. Let’s unpack…
Executive Order: Educating for Sanity
The last few weeks have seen a flurry of executive orders. As the national debate rages about the appropriateness of the orders, it is important to understand what an executive order is and its limitations. Executive orders are directives issued by the President to manage the federal government in its enforcement of laws. They derive…
The Nation of Immigration: Educating for Sanity
So much discussion, attention, and emotion…. Immigration talk has flooded our media sources, emerging as an American campaign issue in 2016 and again in 2024. Let’s move beyond the rhetoric and attempt to understand the topic more deeply, starting with basic definitions. An immigrant is someone who moves permanently to live and work in a…
Is it true, is it necessary, is it kind?: Educating for Sanity
Peter 2:1: “So get rid of all evil behavior. Be done with all deceit, hypocrisy, jealousy, and all unkind speech.” So much rancor in the world. So much unrest. There have always been people who say provocative things for notoriety, money, entertainment, influence, revenge, attention or because they are simply cantankerous. The point is to…
Character Matters
Over the years, I have met some characters. I have definitely been accused of being a “character” and probably was guilty as charged. But this week, I have been training adults (my day job) and I have discovered an uncomfortable truth. Okay, discovered is dramatic. I noticed once again a pattern among humans. The Ancient…
Information Warfare: Educating for Sanity
Since the history of warfare began, military’s have sought to gain advantage over their opponents. This has been done through both physical and psychological attack. With the advent of the internet, opportunities for attack are infinite. Physically attacks (known as cyberattacks) can cripple a business or industry. But information wars are designed to destroy the…
Character Matters: Educating For Sanity
When we talk about “character,” we’re referring to the values and traits that guide how a person thinks, feels, and acts. It’s the compass people use to navigate relationships, challenges, and decisions in school, at home, and out in the world. A person of strong character consistently chooses to do the right thing—even when it’s…
Prisoner of Hopes 