"Religion" has taken on a negative connotation, even among those who claim to have it. In a 1989 interview with Bill Moyers, American author E. L. Doctorow said: "When religious terminology is bandied about, it loses its religious character and becomes entirely political and coercive."
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A Valentine's Day thought: The most romantic thing a man can do for a woman is to make her his equal — and vice versa. Then bring on the cards, chocolate and flowers.
Too many times we let others set our agenda. Just as bad is to base our planning on nothing more than selfishness.
The New Year high wanes quickly for many who are dejected by the sameness of their lives. It is a good time for a quote from a favorite movie, "Under the Tuscan Sun": "Never lose your childish innocence. It's the most important thing."
Superstar Madonna delights in being unpredictable. Whatever one thinks of her, she says some interesting things, as in the December issue of Harper's Bazaar: "I've always asked, why? Why do I have to do that? Why do I have to look this way?"
The whole Santa Claus thing is getting tougher to pull off. It's a stretch in good times, but bad times demand more thought. Is it worth it? Should we do it?
It has its own website, blackfriday.info, and Facebook recently proclaimed that more than 350,000 people like the information it provides. Walmart encourages: "Plan your week around it." Kohl's calls it a "Happy Thanksgiving Sale." Target tries to one-up by declaring a four-day "Pre-Black Friday Sale." By the time some read this, it will be over.
Today is Veterans Day, a federal holiday to honor all who have served in the U.S. armed forces. It is a day to think of freedoms hard won, ours only because some gave up their personal liberty for a season. Veterans Day represents an antonym for "greed."
It is almost time to "fall back." Whether we catch the extra wink or seize more of the day, when we awaken on Sunday morning we must comply with the new standard.
What we're not getting is that there is no going back.
My Roget's Super Thesaurus, copyright 1995, lists "public servant" as the first synonym for "politician." Times have changed. Googling free online dictionaries rendered "schemer, liar, cheat, hypocrite, baby-kisser." One dictionary specified that in the United States, "politician" carries the connotation of "somebody seeking personal power." A free online thesaurus returned this message: "Sorry, I could not find synonyms for 'politician'."
At first glance, asking "What do I really want?" brings out the child in us, something like a Santa Claus wish list. Then, when restlessness returns, even after checking off our list we realize it contains only surface desire, not inner need.
Science may shake if Einstein's theory of relativity is disproved, but the little man with fuzzy hair would not be threatened. He thrived on discovery. Until now, nothing travels faster than the speed of light has been "fact." However, scientists at the world's largest physics lab just announced that neutrinos may be 60 nanoseconds faster.
The word "shift" is not uncommon, but its meaning grows stronger, escalating from simple "change" to "complete alteration." Its increasing repetitiveness calls for listening. Reinventing ourselves demands passion, flexibility, and fearlessness.
Words matter. With 200 million Twitterers, 750 million Facebookers, websites, phone texting, talk shows, columnists, news commentators, and a few quaint souls still speaking one-to-one, it's a noisy world.
The world promotes fear, not only with global things, like terrorism and bad economy, but also with our individual hang-ups. Fear of falling and fear of dying seem instinctive. Fear of public speaking is acquired.
We need to release preconceived notions and brainstorm for education's revival.
Ancient wisdom says build on rock, not sand. While the United States sets its own house in order, it must not waiver in its support of Israel. That is its bedrock.
We fear and love extremes. This schizophrenia produces government that vacillates between total shutdown or total control of our lives and plops religion in or out at will.
We've been held captive waiting on Congress and the president to agree on a budget. No matter who wins what point, it feels like failure. Success leads up, not down.
It is getting harder to tell whether we are watching news or soap opera. We are becoming a nation of drama queens. Last week, Anderson Cooper, the "keeping 'em honest" newsman, aired a topic that reddened pale-faced Paul Begala, one of CNN's political pundits. Begala spewed words like "ignorant," "buffoons," and "hate-filled." Ari Fleischer, a former presidential press secretary, failed to bring objectivity to the rant.
In the movie "The English Patient," Katharine Clifton is asked by her lover: "What do you hate most?" She doesn't have to think about it: "A lie." Her answer cuts because she, like many of us, is living a lie. We often do what we hate.
"I'll blow the whistle if you pay me" reinforces society's emphasis: "What's in it for me?" That's why giving the in-house accountant $4.5 million in April 2011 for tipping off IRS to his employer's cheating was not a good thing. The amount represented a 22 percent cut of taxes recovered and the first IRS whistleblower award.
Celebrating liberty this July 4 is bittersweet. If Patrick Henry rode forth to warn us today, what would he specify? From what history records of this Founding Father, he would still shout, "Give me liberty, or give me death!"
Those who believe NBC's Sunday apology should check out the bridge in Brooklyn they're selling at a steal. Apologies are so today, so easy, so insincere.
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