continued from part two

Lesson Number 9: Family Classics

In my youth, we had a weekly television show called Family Classics. It showed films suitable for the whole family, even editing out scenes that might not be. And I’ve found this model to be useful for bedtime stories.

First of all, it can be a nice family moment to sit down together and watch an uplifting show. (More in a moment on finding such shows.) I wouldn’t make this a primary means of education, but it works nicely as an adjunct. Continue reading “The Art of Telling Bedtime Stories, Part 3”

I’ll spare you the details, but after a long and convoluted process, I found myself once again at Jay’s Bar… this time at ten o’clock in the morning, and with all the doors locked. Michele set me at a table with four seasoned and very serious men, filled our water glasses, then vanished into his back room. Continue reading “The Omega Ambulance Service, Part 1”

Back when Western civilization still had a foothold in the public square, people paid attention to the freedom of belief, the freedom to choose a career, and the freedom to speak one’s mind. All good and necessary things, of course, but there was one freedom that they dared not mention… dared not consider. And that’s the one I’ll cover today: Political freedom… the ability to choose how we will be governed, if we wish to be governed at all.

 

There is a kinship between productive human beings; one that spreads all across this planet. It may be invisible to power and hierarchy, but we productive people recognize it. When we drive into a new town, we know, almost by instinct, that we can trust the hard-working carpenter further than someone permanently on the dole. It’s possible that the guy on the dole is a saint, but the hardworking man shares our specific ethics, and we are tuned to them. Even if this carpenter is a negative exception, we’ll be able to tell. Continue reading “The Kinship of Producers”

continued from part one

Lesson Number 3: Let The Child Guide Too

When telling bedtime stories, it’s crucial to tune in to the desires of the child, in addition to the lessons you feel he or she needs. That is, you want to give the child what they want too. Story time needs to be fun, if it’s to be effective. Continue reading “The Art of Telling Bedtime Stories, Part 2”

Yes, you. All reasonably healthy humans are demi-gods.

I apologize for hitting you with a concept that may feel foreign, dangerous and ridiculous, but it needs to be said. And regardless that we lack proper definitions for such concepts, it’s true.

I’ll also remind you that there’s nothing sacrilegious about saying this: David, the great Psalmist, was bolder than I, flatly stating, “You are gods.” He even used the Hebrew word elohim, the same word used in “God created the heaven and the earth.” And Jesus repeated the line without reservation.

Now, let’s move forward. Continue reading “You Are A Demi-God”

A lot of parents, probably the majority, sit down to read bed-time stories to their children with a sort of dread. They know this is something they’re “supposed to do,” but they also feel uncomfortable with it; they don’t know what to say or how. And so they buy a book of bedtime stories and try to convince themselves that it will solve their problem.

The story books don’t really fix the problem, however. Some of them will be stories the parent feels funny about reading – a kind of half-understood feeling that something’s a bit off about them – but for which they have no alternative. And so they keep reading, reasoning that the stories in the book are old, and so they must be good. They also feel they have no better alternative, not knowing how to find one and not feeling confident enough to create one. Continue reading “The Art of Telling Bedtime Stories, Part 1”

I’m not telling you whether I’ve had the jab or not, because it doesn’t matter. What I am telling you is that a woman in Denver is about to die because the medical establishment won’t let her have a surgery, simply and only because she hasn’t had their shot. Bearing in mind that Denver hospitals have seen thousands of COVID patients over nearly two years, this isn’t only persecution, but willfully causing a death.

The unvaxxed – people making a personal medical decision – are the subjects of executive orders from the President of the United States, among many other rulers. They are to be fired from their jobs, or their employers will face heavy fines. And many have been fired. Continue reading “If You Don’t Stand Up For The Unvaxxed Now, You Wouldn’t Have Stood Up For Jews In The 1930s”

Yes, we’ve seen a string of irrational, malicious and even murderous rules lately, but that’s not what I’m addressing in this post.

Today my point is that rules by themselves – rules by their essence – are the opponents of righteousness. I know this strikes most people as impossible, but I’m convinced that it’s correct and important.

I expect this concept to take root slowly; human psychology is just that way: It takes time to absorb and sift ideas that are not only new, but which stand against basic assumptions. Continue reading “Rules Versus Righteousness”

It’s hard to argue with success, and this story gets rapt attention, and productive attention, from children in the five year-old range.

One of the deepest and most important lessons that can be imparted to children is the belief and excitement of seeing that they are capable of more than they’ve realized. That belief is much more than just an understanding of words and concepts, it’s a foundation-level feeling… a deep, enduring and exciting feeling.

I love this story because I saw it light up my child’s eyes in precisely that way. Continue reading “Kittener And The Cat”