The video clip is not able to be embedded in this post, but you can watch it here.
COMMENTARY 751.2: What Is Character?
Here’s a riddle: You can hardly ever find it anymore — especially in politics or business. Lots of schools don’t teach it anymore. We want more of it in our children and in all the adults who interact with them. We want it from our bosses and the people who fix our cars. And most of us believe we have …
OBSERVATION: Character is destiny. – Heraclitus
Of course, our character shapes our destiny. We must not forget, however, we shape our character. Thus, character may determine our fate, but character is not determined by fate. It is
Doing The Right Thing
Character is doing the right thing even when it costs more than you want to pay. – Michael Josephson
WORTH READING: THE ASPEN DECLARATION. In July 1992, the Josephson Institute of Ethics hosted a summit in Aspen, Colorado bringing together ethicists, educators and youth-service professionals to identify shared ethical values that could be the foundation of character education programs. The result was the Aspen Declaration, the seminal document for the CHARACTER COUNTS! movement which presently engages about 7 million children and families worldwide. (click to see the Declaration)
Click to see 12′ x 25′ mural by Nadi Spencer at Monson Sultana School in Tulare County, CA
OBSERVATION: In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: “it goes on.” – Robert Frost
Life does go on. And the life that goes on must be lived until it is ripped from you or you surrender it, the life ahead has as many mysteries and miracles
COMMENTARY: Who Am I to Judge? – The Ethics of Moral Judgments 751.1
Almost every week someone indignantly attacks my integrity because I offended them with a real or perceived opinion they didn’t like. The underlying assumption is that stating an opinion on any controversial matter violates the sacred duty of neutrality. First, I’m a teacher and a commentator, not a judge or journalist. Although I strive mightily to be objective, I don’t …
Don’t touch my nose!
“The right to swing my fist ends where the other person’s nose begins.” – Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.
OBSERVATION: The hottest places in Hell are reserved for those who in time of moral crisis preserve their neutrality. – attributed to Dante
This quotation was frequently used by President Kennedy to make the point that on important moral issue it is wrong to sit on the fence and refuse to take a side. Martin Luther king, Jr. used a variation of the quote (“The hottest place in Hell is reserved for those who remain neutral in times of great moral conflict.”). He added, “He who passively …
OBSERVATION: The precept ‘Judge not that ye be not judged’…is an abdication of moral responsibility. It is a moral blank check one gives to others in exchange for a moral blank check one expects for oneself. – Ayn Rand
When I graduated law school in 1967 it was popular to rail against people who made moral judgments. We called finger wagging moralists presuming to judge people and life styles as right or wrong “moral imperialists” and adopted, instead, a form of ethical relativism implying that there was no true universal right or wrong, just equally valid or invalid opinions. After all, we …
Thank You: Gratitude on Thanksgiving
Please accept my heartfelt wish that you and all those you love have a very happy and rewarding Thanksgiving holiday and please accept my sincere gratitude to you. Your willingness to read and consider my thoughts and occasionally share them with others is a gift of immeasurable value. I treasure this opportunity to be part of your life in this …
COMMENTARY: A Personal Note from Michael Josephson
Dear Reader and Friend, I hope it’s not presumptuous to address you as “Friend,” but I’ve shared with you so many of my deepest thoughts — including my recent sense of loss and uncertainty when the radio station KNX in Los Angeles cancelled the Character Counts broadcasts — that I feel a genuine intimacy with you. I’ll turn 69 in a …
COMMENTARY: Give Yourself the Gift of Gratitude 750.5
For some, Thanksgiving is the beginning of a holiday season filled with joy and happiness at the prospect of spending time with family. For others, it’s a sadder time blemished by bad memories or dread. Some people see their lives filled with abundant blessings and find thankfulness easy and natural; others are so pre-occupied with tending to past wounds or …
OBSERVATION: A Meditation From Voice of the Angels CD, by Cheryl Melody and Dyan Garris
In the midst of living life; in the midst of chaos; in the midst of endless lists of to-do’s and people to take care of, and little pieces of you going outward, I challenge you to shift your subconscious, to shift your attitude, and find three things to feel grateful for. Think about it and breathe it in and say: …
WORTH WATCHING: History of Thanksgiving Holiday
Do you know what the Pilgrims really ate at the first Thanksgiving feast? Did you know the idea of making Thanksgiving a national holiday was the idea and obsession of the woman who wrote “Mary Had a Little Lamb”? Do you know what president picked the day and declared it a holiday?
COMMENTARY: I Always Have a Happy Thanksgiving 750.4
Thanksgiving is my holiday. I have nine brothers and sisters and a tradition evolved where one of us regularly hosts the family gathering at specific major holidays. Ever since my dad passed away, I became the impresario of our Thanksgiving gala, an event held in a rented tent in the backyard filled with 30-60 relatives and friends. Another part of …
WORTH WATCHING: Funny Interview: Things are Amazing But We’re Not Happy
Comedian Louis C.K. on the Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien.
Appreciate the World
The world has enough beautiful mountains and meadows, spectacular skies, and serene lakes. It has enough lush forests and flowered fields. It has plenty of stars and the promise of a new sunrise and sunset every day. What the world needs more of is people to appreciate and enjoy it. — Michael Josephson
WORTH WATCHING: The Day JFK was Shot
The assassination of JFK on November 22, 1963, was a turning point for my generation. On this anniversary of this momentous event, I encourage you to take a few minutes to see coverage of this day. It is very disturbing and moves me to tears even today.