Make America Safe

As most Americans know, former president Donald Trump’s campaign catchphrase was “Make America Great Again.” It is catchy, right? And compelling. Who doesn’t aspire to greatness? Who doesn’t want to live in a great country? World War II veterans and their peers were honored with the title “The Greatest Generation” by Tom Brokaw, who wrote…… Continue reading Make America Safe

If you know me at all, or if you read this blog, you know I am a runner.  I’ve been running for decades, and while I was never fast–and I’m certainly not fast now–running has never been about speed or PRs for me.  I just love it, and I always have.  Running is my happy…… Continue reading

Home

Yesterday there were a bunch of events going on in the morning at the college, in conjunction with the inauguration of Gettysburg College’s new president, Bob Iuliano.  One of the sessions I attended was on immigration, and one of the presenters read this poem.  I thought it was incredibly powerful, and I think more people…… Continue reading Home

Expansive Empathy for all God’s Children

Yesterday I listened to one of my favorite podcasts—“Hidden Brain.”  This episode was about empathy, and it is definitely worth a listen, even though it is a little long.  It is especially important in the current context to think critically about empathy, since the data shows that, in general, in the United States, empathy has…… Continue reading Expansive Empathy for all God’s Children

Recent Perversions

According to the first online dictionary that comes up with a Google Search [the extent of my research], the first definition of “perversion” is the following:  “the alteration of something from its original course, meaning, or state to a distortion or corruption of what was first intended.”  It is only the second definition that references…… Continue reading Recent Perversions

Lessons from an Epic Vote in Ireland

I have been thinking a lot about Ireland these past couple weeks. Did you see the news about the vote on the abortion amendment? You can see the story here:  Ireland Votes to End Abortion Ban. Since 1983, Ireland has had an amendment to the Constitution that recognized equal right to life for the fetus…… Continue reading Lessons from an Epic Vote in Ireland