When my daughter Samara was four she pointed to a delicate glass vase and asked, “What’s that?” “It’s very special,” I answered. “It was my mother’s. I would really feel bad if it ever got broken, so please be careful to never, never touch it.” Without a moment’s hesitation she said, “Then you should never, never put it where I …
SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT FOR TEENS: Jesse Owens and Luz Long — Sportsmanship and Character
In 1936 the Olympic Games were hosted by Germany, governed by Adolf Hitler’s Nazi regime. Hitler’s well-known hatred of Jews and his disdain for non-white races was part of the atmosphere of the Games and, to America’s most famous and accomplished African American athlete Jesse Owens, competing in a stadium filled with swastikas and “Heil Hitler’ straight-arm salutes to the …
COMMENTARY 775.5: “I Didn’t Want the Janitor to Lose His Job”
The primary responsibility for instilling good values and building character is with parents. This doesn’t mean, however, that teachers and coaches don’t have a critically important role. The unfortunate fact is that far too many kids are raised in morally impoverished settings that foster lying, cheating, and violence. If we don’t give these children moral instruction, many of them will …
COMMENTARY 775.4: We Expect More of Adults
Although 11-year-old Mark wasn’t much of an athlete, his dad urged him to play youth baseball. Mark liked to play, but he was hurt by the remarks of teammates and spectators whenever he struck out or dropped a ball. Just before the fourth game of the season, Mark told his dad he didn’t want to go. “I’m no good,” he …
SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT: Lessons From the Monkey Pot
Many years ago a man came to a village in India to catch monkeys so he could sell them to zoos. The monkeys, however, were very clever and every sort of trap he set failed. A young boy watched the man’s pathetic efforts and laughed. The man said, “If you can catch me a monkey I’ll give you $2.” (That …
COMMENTARY 775.2: Getting Started
Chris’s parents were proud of him when he graduated from college. But it’s been six months and he hasn’t gotten a job yet. In fact, he hasn’t looked seriously. He has no idea what he wants to do and he’s thinking of grad school. He’s living at home with his parents and things are getting tense, especially with his father, …
COMMENTARY 775.1: Mothers — Saints or Scapegoats?
What class of people has been more glorified or vilified than Mothers? On the one hand, we are frequently confronted with an idealized image of the sainted, angel mother, often with white hair and hands callused from work. She is the embodiment of the most beneficent human qualities: nurturing, loving, devoted and wise. And she is the favorite subject of …
SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT FOR TEENS: Trust, Promises, and Good Friends
Hi, this is Michael Josephson with Something to Think About. Sarah was 16 and when her mom saw that her grades were slipping she said “No parties until you get your grades up.” This led to a nasty fight with Sarah calling her mom unfair and her mom calling Sarah irresponsible. Later Sara tried a different approach. “You’re right,” she …
COMMENTARY 774.5: Justin’s Introduction to Candor
When my son Justin was in high school, I went to an open house to meet his teachers. I was taken aback when one teacher casually mentioned that she had disciplined my son for cheating on a homework assignment. I asked my son why he hadn’t told me about this incident. “You didn’t ask,” he said. To say the least, …
COMMENTARY 774.4: The Dangers of Absolutism
The world of ethics spreads from the borders of the absolutists, who think every moral question has a clear and single answer, to the coast of the relativists, who believe ethics is a matter of personal opinion or regional custom. In distinguishing right from wrong, absolutists don’t see much of a difference between mathematical calculation and moral reasoning. They’re extraordinarily …
COMMENTARY 774.3: Accountability in the Workplace
Lately I’ve been spending a lot of time consulting with large companies concerned with strengthening their ethical culture. Although I’m sure the leaders I work with care about ethics and virtue for their own sake, I know the driving force to seek outside assistance is self-interest. The risk of reputation-damaging and resource-draining charges resulting from improper conduct is so high …
SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT FOR TEENS: Building Cathedrals — How Your Attitudes Shape Your Life
Hi, this is Michael Josephson with Something to Think About. A long time ago a reporter visited a rock quarry where three men were cutting granite out of the walls. He asked the first what he was doing and the man grunted, “I’m making bricks.” The second man grinned and said, “I’m making the foundation for a building.” The third …
COMMENTARY 774.2: He Made You
As Lily Tomlin said, “No matter how cynical I get, I can’t keep up.” Our economy has been shattered by widespread corporate fraud; kids lie, steal, and cheat at unprecedented rates; and their parents beat up each other or referees at youth sports events or supply alcohol to fuel organized hazing. Our confidence in the integrity of journalistic institutions, the …
COMMENTARY 774.1: Acting on Principle and Good Intentions
I once heard a story about an emergency medical technician I’ll call Jake who was summoned to help an unconscious woman. When he arrived, she had no pulse. From her color and dilated eyes, he could tell she’d suffered serious brain damage. Still, he did his job exceptionally well, trying over and over to restart her heart. She finally regained …
COMMENTARY 773.5 & STTA #6: The Master Carpenter and His Crumbling Integrity
Hi, this is Michael Josephson with something to think about. Joe was a master carpenter who worked for Martin, a very successful builder of fine homes for 40 years. When he told Martin he wanted to retire, Martin thanked him graciously and gave him a $10,000 check for Joe’s years of service. Martin owned a magnificent lot with a spectacular …
Who We Hurt The Most
Who We Hurt The Most “There’s one sad truth in life I’ve found while journeying east and west. The only folks we really wound are those we love best. We flatter those we scarcely know. We please the fleeting guest, and deal full many a thoughtless blow to those who love us best.” – Ella Wheeler Wilcox Subscribe to a weekly …
COMMENTARY 773.4: Grocery Store Ethics
You can tell a lot about people’s character by how they act at the grocery store. I remember being in a crowded store when there was a shortage of shopping carts. A prosperous-looking fellow was pushing a cart when another man stopped him. “Excuse me,” the second man said, “but this is my cart.”
Virtue Does Not Provide Immunity
Expecting the world to treat you fairly because you are good is like expecting a bull not to charge because you are a vegetarian. Lots of good things come to good people, but virtue does not provide immunity to misfortune, which strikes everyone at random times in unanticipated ways. When your turn comes, don’t take it personally.
WORTH READING: How to Give Kind Criticism and Avoid Being Critical by Leo Babuta for Zen Habits
Why We Give Criticism Excerpted from Zen Habits To help someone improve. Sometimes criticism is actual honest feedback, meant to help the person we’re criticizing. We want to help them get better. To see a change that we would like. If we regularly read a magazine or blog, for example, there might be something that often bothers us that we’d …
WORTH READING: Ten Tips for Giving Constructive Feedback in the Workplace by Dr. Barton Goldsmith
10 Tips for Delivering (Constructive) Criticism by By Dr. Barton Goldsmith for Bankers Online Take an honest look at where you’re coming from. If there’s some anger or resentment toward the team member, then you’re probably not the best person to offer them advice. Start and end with a compliment. Find something good to say about your team member, this will help him …
OBSERVATION: One of the objectives of the Founding Fathers is captured in the expression of John Adams that the new American political system was to be based on “a government of laws, and not of men.”
In his 7th “Novanglus” letter, published in the Boston Gazette in 1774, John Adams introduced this phrase to the American discourse. According to Quotes and Counter Quotes, the concept of “a government of laws, and not of men” reflects a political philosophy that dates back to the ancient Greeks. But the phrase itself was enshrined in history and quotation books by John Adams prior …
COMMENTARY 773.3: What’s So Important About the Law?
Did you know today is Law Day? In 1958 President Eisenhower declared May 1st Law Day to honor the critical role of law in our unique constitutional democracy. It may seem peculiar to some to celebrate the concept and reality of law, but the truth is that most of us vastly under-appreciate the significance of law to our way of thinking …