Every day features more outrages from the political-religious Right, so this blog features 50 quotes by freethinkers, secular-humanists, atheists, and agnostics who have birthdays in the month of February. The post Quotes by Freethinkers, Rationalists, and Reformers appeared first on Values of the Wise ..read more

I have incredible respect for "old-school" honor and integrity. I fear that it is either American decadence or simply a low point we are experiencing since 2000 that accounts for why people feel that their word doesn't mean much, that they needn't put in the effort required to be a person of high character and live a life that is totally in integrity. This is my lamentation lately! I am really let down today, emotionally. Am I being too hard on everyone I have ever met, or are honor and integrity too much to expect from people?  The post Old-School Honor and Integrity appeared first on Va ..read more

As Jake Johnson, the very capable staff writer for the brilliant site www.CommonDreams.org points out, Jeff Bezos of Amazon.com is off-the-charts wealthy. But he doesn't just want to vacation and buy booze; he bought The Washington Post. He also is down there with Walmart as far as employee pay and level of satisfaction. Here is a brief look at the man, the myth, the shapeshifter, Jeff Bezos, the richest man in the known universe. We are talking about uber-capitalism: outsize power and influence, self-concern and elitism. In the 19th century, political commentators and cartoonists would have d ..read more

Some Montaigne quotes, such as the following, are abstruse and unwieldy: “Difficulty is a coin which the learned conjure with so as not to reveal the vanity of their studies and which human stupidity is keen to accept in payment." Other Montaigne quotes are as accessible, substantive, and as beautiful as a ripe peach: "It is only a fool who never suspects he could be foolishly mistaken." His study of "the ancients" as well as his own works place quotations in their proper place: upon high.  This blog is a compilation of some of the pithiest and profoundest Montaigne quotes humanity i ..read more

This blog about the absurd race for high school graduates to gain acceptance at one of the top 50 colleges and universities in America – especially at the Ivy League institutions - is a continuation of the blog entitled "Is Education 2nd or 3rd Place at Elite Institutions?" In that piece, I look at education through a critical lens based on some very interesting stuff in a book entitled Excellent Sheep: The Miseducation of the American Elite. The book is an alarming indictment of the state of U.S. higher education, stretched and bent out of shape by money, the quest to "get ahead" (and avoid s ..read more

I was either born or molded into a perfectionist. I just wanted to put that out there. I also am, how should I say, not given to optimism. I do realize the power of an optimistic outlook. In fact, my stepfather is in his 80s and is known among friends and family as being able to ignore inconvenient truths and view the world through rose-colored glasses. Usually, I would look upon that with a certain disdain, as I studied psychological science and clinical practice, and took a number of classes at "the school of hard knocks," if you will. This blog is about the challenge of optimism (for me at ..read more

One's attitude makes a difference in health and well-being, but also literally in regard to heart attack risk. Hostility, anger, stress, and obsession kill, but optimism, relaxation, and mindfulness help us live happier, healthier, longer, more productive lives. So chill out! The post Hostility, Obsession, Stress and Heart Attack Risk appeared first on Values of the Wise ..read more

Psychology has met with great success Analyzing and systematizing… But can theories and statistics reveal What really lies deep in the heart of man? In this blog, I use the poetic form Shakespeare and Milton favored to explore Truth, Beauty, Goodness and Happiness: blank verse. I try to think through how one can find what it is they seek: one's truth, meaning, fulfillment, and other values. The post Where Can a Seeker Find Their Truth? appeared first on Values of the Wise ..read more

Freedom of speech is a liberty that is woven into the very fabric of the United States. We have a long history here of continuing the tradition and system set up by the founders of America, such as Thomas Jefferson and Thomas Paine. Except for certain periods of a marked diminution of free speech and dissent (such as the Alien and Sedition Acts, McCarthyism, and the juggernaut of the post-9/11 Middle East wars), one could rest assured that if they wished to stand on a soapbox and absolutely trash the POTUS, one would not be prevented from doing so. Of course, there are libel and slander laws ..read more

While jogging at sundown one day in April 2003, I had a very moving experience, one that may indeed have bridged my conception of the spiritual and the worldly. My wandering mind juxtaposed my impression of American Indian culture, spirituality, worldview, and morality with the current state of affairs and mentality in European-American culture. I experienced a combination of seemingly coincidental events that struck me as conveying great meaning: that we may come to face a startling reckoning for our legacy and lifestyle. The post A Nightmare About America appeared first on Values of the Wise ..read more