Dublin's Grafton Street, credit jamegaw via iStock Living abroad, I did not miss home but found it. As the poet Philip Larkin put it: Lonely in Ireland, since it was not home, Strangeness made sense. The salt rebuff of speech, Insisting so on difference, made me welcome: Once that was recognized, we were in touch/ . . . To prove me separate, but not unworkable./ Living in England . . . no elsewhere underwrites my existence. Moving to Venezuela initially made me feel out of place, but back in America, my native country, I struggled to feel I belonged. My heart remained in one place while my ..read more

from Science and Invention, July 1925 “Time is money”—we can't afford to waste it. It is careless to become distracted or lost in thought. When we have free or empty time, we fill it with checking emails, scrolling through social media feeds, rearranging our phone apps, or, more responsibly, revising our to-do list. Saving time is a more serious matter on the job, prompting creative solutions to maximize productivity. A century ago, the visionary writer and noted inventor Hugo Gernsback launched "the Isolator" to protect against all possible distractions. This invention may have been slightl ..read more

Photo courtesy Shutterstock In a speech, Apple's Vice President of Diversity, a black woman and 20-year Apple veteran, argued that a group of "white, blue-eyed blonde men" could be diverse because they bring different life experiences and perspectives to the workplace: diversity is the human experience. It shouldn’t be exclusively associated with people of color, women, or the LGBTQ community. Her comments sparked derision. She apologized, stating that what she said was not what she meant, even though it was. Apple asserted that she did not face termination and left on her own; she had littl ..read more

Image credit: Pandagolik via iStock What have I accomplished today? Why do I waste so much time? The famous Nike slogan says, "Just Do It." The fridge magnet is a good reminder: "Success is 90% perspiration, 10% inspiration." Stop turning life into a yawn. Practically, worthiness requires activity and expression. I can't even be useless without writing about it. Silence isn't part of listening but figuring out what to say. And when you say it, "Don't beat around the bush!" Emily Dickinson's line belongs at afternoon tea: "Tell the truth, but tell it slant." Immediacy, transparency, and clari ..read more

Learning mountaineering: a woman's hand checks the reliability of belay, rope, and carabiners. Credit: Zhanna Danilova, iStock. Easter's celebration of new life and resurrection transcends its religious roots. It testifies to the enduring power of Creation, the power of life itself, that no sin or evil, suffering or injustice, belief or disbelief, or death or hell can ultimately survive. In Christ, God reveals what is already true: grace imbues nature, and the resurrection signifies the restoration of humanity to receive it. God's judgment is mercy, which hell denies. Resurrection is a promi ..read more

Credit: lemono, iStock The return of public shaming and vigilante justice, of viral videos and tendentious Tweets ("X's"), algorithmic biases, and digital gangbanging, makes guilt and shame worth renewed attention. Guilt is about doing something wrong or feeling bad about doing something wrong. Shame is feeling bad about getting caught. While shame is an inward, negative perception of ourselves, guilt stems from a recognition of violating our standards or hurting others. Shame is other-directed, while guilt is inner-directed. Confusing the two breeds emotional turmoil.  Thinking about c ..read more

Cupid and Psyche - Antonio Canova (1793) - marble.Louvre, Paris - Public domain. For centuries, marriage was used to ensure survival, continue family lines, and fulfill social expectations. Love and affection could still exist, but personal compatibility was a secondary factor. Marriages were “arranged” with little consideration for the individual desires of the couple. Romance was nice but not necessary. Today, we view love and desire as finding a partner who reflects our needs. Love is more of a personal feeling than a responsibility. Divorce rates and the number of broken families have ne ..read more

Melancholy - Edvard Munch (1892) - oil, canvas 64 x 96 cm. National Gallery, Oslo, Norway. Inspired by Åsgårdstrand, the coastal town where Munch often sought solace and experienced significant personal loss. For over 100 years, well-known painters have made Åsgårdstrand famous as an artist enclave. Public domain. Several years ago, I found a poignant and insightful Reddit reply offering a unique perspective on grief. Someone had asked for advice on the topic, and this response resonated. The original post read: "My friend just died. I don't know what to do." The response could speak to the ..read more

Sunset over Lake Leman - Gustave Courbet 1874 - oil, canvas. Musée Jenisch, Vevey, Switzerland. Public domain. Your house is talking to you. Give your plants the gift of silence (or soothing music) for healthier growth. Your chair just moved again: composite particles are never at rest. Your desk is listening, not just Alexa. You, too, could love an octopus — see the stirring documentary “My Octopus Teacher.” I exorcised an evil spirit from a parishioner's garage. It was making so much noise at night it scared the family senseless. The police were useless; I just wanted to be helpful. It wor ..read more

Amanda Gorman recites her inaugural poem, "The Hill We Climb," during the 59th Presidential Inauguration ceremony in Washington, Jan. 20, 2021. - WikiCommons It's easy to be more spiritual than God. A central text for "Good Friday," celebrated a little over a month from today, is "The veil of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom." [*] This is said to have occurred at the moment of Jesus Christ's death on the cross. The veil in question was a large curtain that separated the Holy of Holies from the rest of the temple in Jerusalem. The Holy of Holies was the temple's most sacred part ..read more