[Revised July 4, 2014] (What follows are lengthy musings of an ethicist struggling to live his values in the real world.) Have you ever found yourself in a place (I don’t mean a physical location) you really don’t want to be in and wondered how you got there and how you can get out of the bad place and get …
COMMENTARY 872.5: Clichés and Milestones
One of the things I hate most about clichés is that whenever I experience milestone experiences, I have to admit they are true. There’s nothing unique or original about my feelings except that they are mine. So, when I witnessed my daughter Samara turn 18, my mind and heart flooded with trite and corny thoughts and emotions: “Where did the …
COMMENTARY: Advice for Parents of Middle Schoolers
First, remember, with emerging demands for independence, worries about peer acceptance, pressures of school and extracurricular activities, and a continuous search for self-identity, adolescents are on a physical and emotional roller coaster.
COMMENTARY: Thanksgiving and Mashed Potatoes
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. Ever since my dad passed away, it’s been my holiday. I have nine brothers and sisters so we rent a tent for the backyard so we can feed our clan turkey, creamed corn, and my special onion-laced mashed potatoes.
Greatest Quotes on Character, Reputation and Character Education
— The most comprehensive (nearly 300 quotations) yet selective collection of insightful quotations on CHARACTER, REPUTATION &
MEMO From Michael: Violence and Mass Killings: Our New Reality?
What a sad irony that right after re-living the tragedies of the 9/11 terrorist attacks we are confronted with another senseless mass shooting, resulting in 12 deaths and eight injuries at the Washington Navy Yard. And while we are digesting that, 13 people were shot in a Chicago, apparently the result of a random shooting by a roving gang. Do …
HOW TO BE A GREAT SON OR DAUGHTER
What kind of son or daughter are you? Are you as good as you could be or should be? Here’s a guide on how to get in the Hall of Fame. Father’s Day is set aside to honor dads, at least those worthy of being honored. But how often do you think about how well you did or are doing …
To Fathers – Good and Bad. Which are you? What do you wish you could do or say differently? Is it too late?
Let’s face it, even when viewed through the most generous lens, not all fathers have done or are doing the most important job of their lives well. What kind of dad have you been? if you are one of the good guys who can honestly say you have done your best, that you have truly loved, supported, encouraged and nurtured …
OBSERVATION: If Your Dad is Gone.
If your dad is gone, what do you wish you could say to him that you didn’t? I hope you have warm sentiments to share and the thought of your father evokes genuine gratitude and sadness that he’s gone, but be honest. Not all dads were great. Even through
OBSERVATION: What if You Had a Bad Dad?
Some dad’s are/were genuinely great – worthy of praise and gratitude. Others were or are outright jerks or villains. Most fall somewhere between these extremes. How well you did in the dad lottery is something you had no influence on. If you got a good one, enjoy your good fortune and be grateful. If your father falls short
OBSERVATION: A Note from Michael Josephson. It’s flag day!
A great time to think of the symbolism of the American flag and the rules and ritiuals (http://amhistory.si.edu/starspangledbanner/flag-rules-and-rituals.aspx) that have developed around it. I wonder whether the new generation gets the same inner sense of awe and pride I still get when at the playing of the Star Spangled banner or the recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance. I didn’t …
WHAT DOES THE FLAG MEAN TO YOU? Are noble democratic ideals and aspirations embodied in our founding documents infused into the DNA of the American flag? They are for me.
June 14 – official Flag Day in the U.S. ! Do you care? What does the American flag mean to you? And, if you are not American, what does your flag stand for in your heart?I doubt that many young people have any special feelings when they stand for the National Anthem or utter the memorized but undigested words of the …
Memo From Michael: Thoughts on School Graduations
This is a week dominated by thoughts and preparations for my daughter Abrielle’s graduation from high school and a post-ceremony party I’m hosting at our home. As has been the case with the brother and sister that preceded her, and as it will be with the two sisters who will follow her, this occasion – the graduation from high school, …
Memo From Michael: Teachers and Tornadoes
Once I got past the awe of witnessing Mother Nature’s astonishing power to wreak devastation in Oklahoma, I was awed by something more positive and uplifting: the instinctive capacity of our species to care about, come to the aid of, and — for those caught in the middle of the calamity — to even sacrifice their own lives for others.
WORTH SEEING: My Daughter Abrielle
Okay, on Mothers Day I give all the credit to her mom, Anne, for her intelligence, talent and beauty, but I still think of this as a nice Dad’s moment: Daughter Abrielle was selected as the class speaker at her high school graduation. Look out world, another Josephson talker; and, last night, along with her writing partner Catherine, she won …
WORTH READING: Observation of a young mom about her mom
This is a post from my articulate and sensitive niece, Edana Yick, to her Facebook. Well said, I think. Have any of you had similar transformations of thought? “Weird that everything that bugged and embarrassed me most about my mom when I was a teenager are the very things I most love, admire and appreciate her for now that I’m …
Memo from Michael: Bittersweet Moments of Fatherhood
When my four daughters were genuinely little girls, every milestone was a new source of joy and pride. Now that they are young women, there’s still great pride as they reach new stages of emancipation, but joy isn’t really the right word. To be honest, it feels more like sadness invoking all the clichés ever uttered about the bittersweet moments …
Memo From Michael: Remembering Dr. Jerry Buss
Last week, the sports world lost one of its giants. A man who made his imprint not only on his team and his sport, but on those who worked with him and for him. Jerry Buss, the people that knew him best called him Dr. Buss, died at the age of 80 leaving behind an army of admirers. Buss was not …
WORTH READING: Four interesting letters with divergent opinions on homosexuality.
Letter 1 Of course every person must be loved and respected but not every behavior/lifestyle must be and it is important to separate these 2 things. The fact that homosexuals are sometimes bullied or hated is very sad and unfortunate and reflects how we as a society still struggle with the concept of loving the sinner (we are all sinners) …