COMMENTARY: What is a Good Christmas?

Will this be a good Christmas? How will you measure it? For lots of kids, the answer may be embedded in the response to the question, “Whadja get?” On the other hand, retailers and Wall Street investors will look to sales and profits. What a pity that the spiritual and social potential of this a holiday can be so easily …

Christmas Through the Eyes of Norman Rockwell

It is a pity that the legacy of the great painter/illustrator Norman Rockwell (1894-1978) has faded. His images, mostly on magazine covers, were humorous, sentimental, even corny, but they still evoke in irrepressibly warm feelings. His images also powerfully conveyed important truths about human dignity and American values but here I want to share a collection of many of his …

COMMENTARY: The Missing Baby Jesus

In a lovely essay*, Jean Gietzen wrote about a family experience in 1943. It was just before Christmas in North Dakota and her family had just bought a nativity set with small figurines. But Jean’s mother was deeply disturbed to discover the set included an extra Baby Jesus. “Go back to the store,” she instructed, “and tell the manager to put …

A Story About Giving

Give generously and continuously. Give to people who need it and causes you believe in. It may deplete your purse, but it will enlarge your life. – Michael Josephson In  Gifts of the Heart, Betty Youngs tells of a man who reads in his church bulletin of a family in need. Members were asked to donate food, gifts and toys to help this family …

One of the deep secrets of life is that all that is really worth doing is what we do for others. — Lewis Carroll

Personal Note: My Optimism Re-Emerges

I confess my irrepressible sense of optimism was repressed quite a bit by an election process that I found deplorable in so many ways. You can see my assessment of the year from an ethical perspective on the Conan Nolan show airing in Southern California on  Channel 4 NBC at 9:am on Christmas morning (will anyone watch?). Nevertheless, I will not …

For Yourself or as a Gift to Others – Share Michael Josephson’s Insights

Buy one or a dozen books to experience and share Michael’s cogent, wise and warm words. Please help us heal the world by a donation or purchase. See our Accomplishments 2016 and our Goals and Priorities for 2017 Michael Josephson’s classic booklet “Making Ethical Decisions” (its assigned reading at some universities) is only $10 a piece. You can buy five for $39 or …

Our Goals & Priorities for 2017

These are tumultuous times, and from a character and ethics point of view, it seems that the challenges are mounting. This makes the need for the Institute’s pro-active and practical efforts to improve the ethical quality of society greater than ever. Your financial support will help us with these priorities for 2017: Reduce physical and cyber bullying in schools. Introduce faith-based versions …

The Josephson Institute, through its various programs and projects, is making a meaningful difference.

Here are some of our major accomplishments in 2016: CHARACTER COUNTS! School Climate. Developed a comprehensive new structure, training materials and resources to create a Positive School Climate and create a culture of kindness to enhance academic achievement and eliminate violence and bullying. Student Journals. Created Way-to-Go Journal student workbooks and a complete revised School Agenda-Student Planner keyed to the Common Core and the Josephson Institute’s, Model Standards for Academic, …

COMMENTARY: 12 HARD-WON LIFE CHANGING INSIGHTS

Perhaps the only major advantage of getting older is the prospect of getting wiser. I think I’ve learned a great many things over the years but here are a dozen of my most treasured insights. I am still a work in process; that as long as I can think I can learn. I still have a lot to learn but if …

COMMENTARY: Leading by Inspiration

Leadership is not a matter of authority, it is a matter of influence. A true leader teaches others to understand more, motivates them to be more and inspire them to become more. – Michael Josephson. It seems

Be Authentic

BE AUTHENTIC. “Reject all that is fake – fake friends, fake emotions, fake ambitions – to please or impress others. Reject pretenses, deceptions and every other form of dishonesty. Insist on and give nothing less than truth, sincerity and candor.” – Michael Josephson