The Founders’ Great Mistake

Who is responsible for the past eight years of dismal American governance? “George W. Bush” is a decent answer. But we should reserve some blame for the Founding Fathers, who created a presidential office that is ill-considered, vaguely defined, and ripe for abuse. Here’s how to fix what the Founders got wrong—before the next G. W. Bush enters the Oval Office.

Author: Garrett Epps
Source: The Atlantic (January2009)
Subjects: Excerpts, History, Politics & Public Policy

Enduring friendship, unending growth

The threads of friendship knows no end.
I came for knowledge, I found instead soul friends.
In my life’s unexpected crossroads, our roads converged
And in converging, I was forever changed.
And though we must part
For different dreams view different ends,
I will always cherish and retell the tale
When strangers met, and yet…
Their hearts listened.
And like children, their bond endured,
long past their march of parting.

Our roads may not converge again,
But … [ Read more ]

Author: Emmanuel Matuco
Source: Harvard Business Review (HBR) (April2009)
Subjects: Family & Friends, Inspiration, Poetry

The Seven Hermetic Laws

Said to be passed down from a fellow named Hermes Trismegistus (“three times great”)—the Greeks called him “Hermes” (the messenger for the gods), the Romans called him Mercury (pictured him with winged shoes) and the Egyptians recognized him as their god Toth. According to legend, he was a contemporary (and even teacher of) Abraham. Considered the father of science, his Laws capture the essence of … [ Read more ]

Authors: Brian Johnson, Burt Goldman, José Silva
Sources: PhilosophersNotes, The Silva Mind Control Method of Mental Dynamics
Subjects: Excerpts, Philosophy, Thought Starters, Wisdom

Here’s the science behind the Brexit vote and Trump’s rise

What is the essential dividing line between human beings around the world? The one between the haves and the have-nots? East and west, rural and urban, secular and religious? Or maybe globalists and nationalists – a split purported to explain Putin, Brexit and the rise of Trump? These divisions are all significant, but none provide a consistent way of understanding differences observed from antiquity to … [ Read more ]

Author: Michele Gelfand
Source: The Guardian (September 17, 2018)
Subjects: Culture, Excerpts, Politics & Public Policy, Psychology | Behavior

Self-Helpless

Positive thinking is indeed potent, but not always in the fashion that its advocates claim, Joanne V. Wood and two coauthors argue in Psychological Science (July). In a series of studies, they found that the effect of positive thinking depends on an individual’s self-esteem. Subjects with high self-esteem felt a bit better after repeating the statement “I’m a lovable person.” For subjects … [ Read more ]

Author: Joanne V. Wood
Source: The Wilson Quarterly (Autumn2009)
Subjects: Articles & Links, Psychology | Behavior

I’ve learned…

I’ve learned that I like my teacher because she cries when we sing “Silent Night.”
Age 6

I’ve learned that our dog doesn’t want to eat my broccoli either.
Age 7

I’ve learned that when I wave to people in the country, they stop what they are doing and wave back.
Age 9

I’ve learned that just when … [ Read more ]

Author: Unknown
Subjects: Insight, Inspiration, Wisdom

I’ve Learned…

  • I’ve learned that we don’t have to change friends if we understand that friends change.
  • I’ve learned that no matter how good a friend is, they’re going to hurt you every once in a while and you must forgive them for that.
  • I’ve learned that true friendship continues to grow, even over the longest distance. Same goes for true love.
  • I’ve learned that you

… [ Read more ]

Subjects: Insight, Inspiration, Wisdom

A Healthy Economy Should be Designed to Thrive, Not Grow

The Doughnut of social and planetary boundaries

What would a sustainable, universally beneficial economy look like? “Like a doughnut,” says Oxford economist Kate Raworth. In an eye-opening talk, she explains how we can move countries out of the hole—where people are falling short on life’s essentials—and create regenerative, distributive economies that work within the planet’s ecological limits.

Author: Kate Raworth
Source: TED (April2018)
Subjects: Audio, Economics | Economy, Environment | Sustainability, Politics & Public Policy

After the Fall

It’s been said that the four most expensive words in the world are: ‘This time it’s different.’

[…]‌

One of the things that happens in economic good times – a very clear lesson from history which is repeatedly ignored – is that money gets too cheap. Too much credit enters the system and there is too much money looking for investment opportunities. […] it is an iron … [ Read more ]

Author: John Lanchester
Source: London Review of Books (July 5, 2018)
Subjects: Articles & Links, Economics | Economy, Excerpts, Life & Society, Politics & Public Policy

Republican or Conservative, You Have to Choose

Conservatism, as Roger Scruton reminds us, was founded during the 18th-century Enlightenment. In France, Britain and the American colonies, Enlightenment thinkers were throwing off monarchic power and seeking to build an order based on reason and consent of the governed. Society is best seen as a social contract, these Enlightenment thinkers said. Free individuals get together and contract with one another to create order.

Conservatives said … [ Read more ]

Author: David Brooks
Source: The New York Times (June 25, 2018)
Subjects: Articles & Links, Excerpts, Life & Society, Politics & Public Policy

How to Win Your Next Political Argument

Hard as it may be to believe, you can actually win [political] arguments. Here’s how.

  1. Forget facts
    Psychologists who study political belief and persuasion think it’s adorable how obsessed argumentative people are with those cute little things called facts. When it comes to winning arguments, truthfulness and details simply don’t matter as much as we think they do.
    ‌
    “People think emotionally, and they very often will have

… [ Read more ]

Author: Jesse Singal
Source: The Cut (May 14, 2014)
Subjects: Articles & Links, Communication, Excerpts, Personal Improvement, Politics & Public Policy

The National Parks: America’s Best Idea

If you are a fan of Ken Burns documentaries, this is as fine as any of them. It is interesting and educational on so many levels: the environment, biology, economic development, politics, etc. It will also really open your eyes to just how influential one person or a small group of people can be in enacting huge changes and improvements in society. You will learn … [ Read more ]

Author: Ken Burns
Source: PBS (September2009)
Subjects: America, Environment | Sustainability, History, Travel

The G.O.P. Is Rotting

A lot of good, honorable Republicans used to believe there was a safe middle ground. […] Now it’s clear that middle ground doesn’t exist. That’s because Donald Trump never stops asking. First, he asked the party to swallow the idea of a narcissistic sexual harasser and a routine liar as its party leader. Then he asked the party to accept his comprehensive ignorance and his … [ Read more ]

Author: David Brooks
Source: The New York Times (December 7, 2017)
Subjects: Articles & Links, Excerpts, Politics & Public Policy