Featured Articles
Now More Than Ever . . .
This is what you shall do . . .
Want to be Happy? Train Like an Athlete.
Human Moments
Now More Than Ever . . .
When I first published Mud and Dreams, the levels of anxiety and depression, hostility and loneliness, were rising dramatically among all groups. That was before the pandemic, before so many other things that have driven us further apart. Conditions are even more desperate today. Now more than ever, we need…
This is what you shall do . . .
This is what you shall do: Love the earth and sun and the animals, despise riches, give alms to everyone that asks, stand up for the stupid and crazy, devote your income and labor to others, hate tyrants, argue not concerning God, have patience and indulgence toward the people, take…
Want to be Happy? Train Like an Athlete.
Levels of anxiety, depression, and hopelessness have been steadily rising for years. In 2011, 28% of high school students experienced “persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness.” By 2021, that number had risen 42%. Among the broader population, about 10% of Americans were being treated for depression in 2015. By 2023,…
Oh So Many Books (Updated July 2024)
I am part of the greatest book club in the world. One reason, is the works we select. We try to pick classics that will either evoke great human themes for discussion, or that would otherwise be hard to get through by yourself. We typically pick a longer work and…
Successfully Navigating 10,000 Negotiations
All of life is a negotiation . . . navigate them beautifully. (Thanks to Senia Maymin for this fun interview!)
Working Remotely? How To Stay Connected
Remote work is here to stay. A recent study projects that after the pandemic ends, 22 percent of all full work days will be take place from home, compared with 5 percent before. (Barrero, Bloom and Davis, 2020). Fortunately, during the COVID-19 pandemic, many businesses found that they could still get payroll…
The Why of Art
Looking up at the stars after an abhorrent and senseless tragedy, the title character in Nikos Kazantzakis’ Zorba the Greek, turns to the narrator, a man who had lived entangled in books, and pleads: ‘What can be happening up there?’ . . . ‘Can you tell me, boss/ he said,…
Literary Sommelier: How Do We Assess Literature
How do we judge a work of art? Can we meaningfully compare Tolstoy and Dickens, or Austin and Proust? Is it a purely subjective matter? Or are some works objectively better than others? When someone recommends a book to us, how are we to tell if it is one that…
The Good and the Ugly in the Practice of Law
By now, most of us are familiar with the mental health risks associated with the practice of law. A 2016 ABA study found 20.6% of lawyers had unhealthy relationships with alcohol, 28% reported symptoms of depression, 19% showed signs of anxiety, and 23% had harmful levels of stress. North Carolina has a long history of attending…
News of the World
When my son was still small, we unplugged the television. It had been a source of news and lazy, easy entertainment. It was even a babysitter when we needed a moment of quiet. Our neighbors and the other parents understood, but did not understand. There was a timid awe and…