For reading between the lines with greater comprehension
You see a friend lost in the details of what looks to you like a fundamentally bad plan. You want to help your friend. You ask a leading question or two: “Do you sometimes wonder if your plan makes sense?” or “How do you feel it’s going lately, I mean overall?” Your friend generally welcomes […]
“Fine.” A single syllable, so rich in possible meanings–does it mean fine as in “You’re right,” as in “You’re wrong,” as in “I fold,” or some complex blend of the three? Conflict within a relationship often leads to reflection about the relationship. Saying “fine,” we step out of the conflict for a little perspective. Psychologically […]
I love teaching at a small college because it forces me to be a generalist. I teach history, psychology, philosophy, economics, marketing, writing, and literature. As a result I work primarily with the patterns that connect various disciplines. Here’s one that keeps popping up. It’s a chiasmic* question–a question that addresses two alternatives, each an […]
“I’ve tried pushing him. I’ve tried accepting him as he is. The only thing I haven’t tried is being consistent.” Remember an old folk tune called “There’s a Hole in the Bucket, Dear Liza”? It’s a dialogue with lots of repeated lines, designed, like “99 Bottles of Beer,” to sound tedious — tedious both to […]
The Buddha said we suffer because we cling to our desires, and it’s true. I’m always clinging to the past or future, what I wished had happened or what I hope will happen. It’s terrible. So I’ve tried to just live in the here and now, to enjoy every moment and accept what is, without […]
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