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  It was early last March, the day after my Aunt Marie’s funeral. My cousin Amy and I were returning to our hotel after spending a few hours clearing out her mom’s apartment at the assisted living facility where she had lived. It’s always a big job, and Amy had set a modest... Read More →

  A long time ago, when I attended community college, I’d show up for classes I liked and either drop or take “incompletes” for those I didn’t. Later, I drifted over to State U, where, bolstered by stupidity and pride, I tried to fashion a degree program unaligned with... Read More →

  When Jesus, asked about inheriting eternal life, affirmed the need for the Great Commandment to love God before all things and your neighbor as yourself, the expert in Jewish law (“wishing to justify himself”) then asked, “And who is my neighbor?” (Luke 10:25-29). Jesus... Read More →

  In his prime, professional wrestling legend Hulk Hogan was one of the most recognizable strongmen on the planet. His recent passing made national news even in Japan, where he was beloved by generations of fans. As a world-famous muscle-flexer and, in his last year,... Read More →

  The conventional meaning of being “pro-life” is related to the abortion issue. Whereas abortion advocates identified themselves as being “pro-abortion” or “pro-choice,” those who opposed abortion responded by calling themselves “pro-life.” Being “anti-abortion” was a tag... Read More →

  Charly is a 1968 sci-fi movie based on the 1966 novel of the same name by Daniel Keyes (which itself was based on the author’s 1958 short story “Flowers for Algernon.”) Charly Gordon is an intellectually disabled man, and Algernon is a laboratory mouse. Scientists have... Read More →

  In the book of Leviticus, God calls on the Israelites to accept thoroughly, and follow willingly, the Divine blueprint for living given to Moses on Mt. Sinai (26:3 – 27:34). The Almighty commands the nation of Israel to embrace this new way of life so that they may... Read More →

  The name Hans Vaihinger is virtually unknown today, but we Americans very much live in his world. Vaihinger, a German philosopher, created a minor sensation more than a century ago with the publication in 1911 of The Philosophy of ‘As If’ (the English translation, The... Read More →

  My father had a signature to rival John Hancock’s. The “J” of his “John” was just as intricate and imposing as the well-known one on the Declaration of Independence. And the “f” in his “Caulfield” was a unique series of... Read More →

  Trendy people make no secret of their trendiness. They proclaim it as if it were worthy of imitation. In my reading, which is not always pleasant, I came across a sentence that rises from the very heart of trendiness: “Lifestyle always overpowers traditional morality.” It is a... Read More →