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 …

COMMENTARY 832.1: Perfect Father’s Day Gift

When I was young, I idolized my father, judging him for his virtues. For most of the rest of my life, I criticized him, judging him for his faults. I always loved him, but I didn’t always appreciate him. I was so aware of his imperfections (surely, no worse than my own) that I greatly undervalued his good qualities and …

QUOTE & POSTER: What I’ve Learned From a 13 Year Old.

*I’ve learned that work comes first; fool around later. * I’ve learned that being popular isn’t everything. * I’ve learned that being pretty on the inside is better than being pretty on the outside. * I’ve learned that not everything in life is fair. * I’ve learned that all people want is someone to listen to them. * I’ve learned …

Guard Your Integrity

Guard your integrity. It is the foundation of your character and reputation. The temptations to smooth out your life by looking the other way, lying just a little and making false excuses, are plentiful and powerful but the damage they do to your integrity may be permanent. Just as teenagers sometimes jeopardize their opportunity for a good life by a

Five Things to Teach your Children

Five things to teach your children 1. Be a good friend. 2. Be kind even to those who don’t deserve it. 3. Learn from every experience. 4. Do your share even when others aren’t doing theirs. 5. Start and finish a job even when you don’t feel like it.

QUOTE: Most of us will misplace our trust and experience the pain of disappoinment and betrayal. At these times we must have the courage and confidence to find someone else and trust again because without trust there is no intimacy and without intimacy there is only loneliness. Don’t let bad experiences cause you to stop searching for and having good ones. Someone who says, “Ill never trust again” may as well be saying “I will never love again.” And if you are unwilling to love, you lose one of the main reasons to live. Michael Josephson

Don’t Let Evil Win

The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing. -Albert Einstein

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, …