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A Little Decency, Please
I’m growing a little disappointed and frustrated these days with the lack of human kindness and decency. Quite frankly, I’m weary of the endless rants and bemoaning on social media, in conversations, and in the mainstream media in general. What’s happened over the course of the last ten years as social media has become a part of our lives? Have we forgotten to be kind, bite our tongues if it could hurt someone’s feelings, and seek the pleasures of life rather than carrying around a sack of anger every day? I’m appalled sometimes at what I witness on social media. Yes, I am on social media. It is part of…
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One Little Prayer
* When I read the reflections my students wrote at the end of last semester, I was surprised so many of them cited an article by writer Tom Junod as their favorite. It wasn’t because Junod isn’t a fantastic technical and creative writer—he is; I find him brilliant—but rather because they were so moved by Junod’s storytelling. Can You Say…Hero? is Junod’s 1998 profile piece from Esquire about Mister Rogers. That’s right…the late Mister Rogers of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, that iconic PBS show that lasted for decades. And some of my students barely knew who he was. The article is a glimpse into the real Fred Rogers, and he isn’t…
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The Power of Being Nice During the Holidays
One of my loyal readers wrote to me earlier today after I asked for suggestions of what to blog about this week. Her reply: “Can you write about why it’s important to be nice to those around you during the holidays? Some people are forgetting that it’s a time for kindness.” Without getting into too much detail about her immediate situation, I decided to tackle this topic. While I’m certainly not Ann Landers, let’s see where I go with this… In my mind, the holidays begin with the arrival of Halloween, because very quickly afterward, we move into the Thanksgiving season and then we move swiftly into the December holidays.…
