The Dispersion of Our Moral Energies

Humans have long been, and remain, deeply attached to morality. Even confirmed criminals will say things like “That ain’t right,” which is purely a moral judgment. And this focus on morality holds across the panorama of human of life. Examine any workplace and you’ll find a long stream of moral judgments: “He didn’t treat me right,” “She’s arrogant,” “That’s a man you can respect,” and so on.

This moral obsession of ours is a good thing; it’s the bedrock that allows us to enjoy a civilized existence. That said, we’ve allowed our moral energies to be wasted, and that’s something we need to fix. Continue reading “The Dispersion of Our Moral Energies”

A List of Family Entertainment

Your responses to my request for family-friendly entertainment were overwhelming. Thank you all.

At first I intended on vetting the list and commenting on the various titles, but there were far too many. And so, you’ll have to look into these yourselves prior to viewing. Imdb.com seems to be a useful resource for that. I’ve also appended a useful comment at the end.

Here’s the list, in no particular order: Continue reading “A List of Family Entertainment”

A Defense of Young Men

Young men get a bad rap, both in modern narratives and in assumptions that portray them as the aberrant sex. Neither sex is normative, of course; humans come in two basic varieties, and both are equally necessary.

My personal experience with young men ran counter to the narrative and assumptions, and I think it’s time that the boys of the West should be defended. Most of them are good kids, and they deserve to be seen that way… to be portrayed that way. Continue reading “A Defense of Young Men”

The Prime Directive is Evil

I’ve been a fan of Star Trek since the original series was in its first run. When The Next Generation came along years later (and these can be fighting words), I thought it was even better in some ways.

But there were a few things about TNG that rubbed me the wrong way, and the biggest of those was the Prime Directive. I couldn’t define why it bothered me back in 1990, but there was something very wrong about it it… something anti-human. Now, however, I understand, and perhaps you’d like to as well. Continue reading “The Prime Directive is Evil”

We Already Have Clean Energy

The phrase “clean energy” has emanated from official podiums, world over, in recent years. The implication, of course, is that the energy sources we’ve been using are filthy. That, however, is not the case. We already have and use clean energy. And it is far, far better than replacements the podiums expect us to suffer for. Continue reading “We Already Have Clean Energy”

Forgiving Ourselves

I think we’ve all heard people say that in order to repair a relationship, it’s necessary to forgive the other person first… to accept that they, like you, have their flaws, and that you will no longer hold them to account for what they did.

Those of us who’ve been able to follow that advice know that while it doesn’t solve everything, it is necessary. We’ve also learned that to honestly forgive does something to us; something deep and healthy. Continue reading “Forgiving Ourselves”