Can you imagine being paired with the same partner for over 100 years? A pair of giant tortoises at an Austrian zoo called it quits after 115 years of living together. Bibi and Poldi were born around 1897, met shortly after, and became a couple. They were presumably happily paired but their relationship soured in […]
Everyone gets disappointed from time to time. We all have ideas of what will make us truly happy. We nurture a wistful longing for a particular skill, experience or acquisition. And as we age, we may suffer the loss of what was never achieved. Maybe you never married, or never had children as you hoped. […]
We all want to feel loved and be wanted. Who doesn’t love the rush of falling in love? When we’re falling in love, we have increased levels of endorphin and dopamine. Our brains release oxytocin and cortisol. Oxytocin is a loving, feel-good hormone, and cortisol is the stress hormone. This causes us to feel happy […]
Did you hear about the 27-year-old man in India who plans to sue his parents for giving birth to him without his consent? He thinks it is wrong to bring children into the world because they will then live with suffering until they die. He is acting on the principle of anti-natalism which proposes that […]
A 78-year-old man at a California medical center was told that he was going to die within a few days. This was unusual in that he was informed of this news by a doctor utilizing a robot and a video screen. A robot came to the door, outfitted with a video screen in which the […]
Lying to the Nazis to hide Jews, absolutely. Lying to an abusive husband to protect a child, yes. Lying to protect your child from the consequences of their actions? No. Most people wouldn’t think twice about lying to protect their child from real harm. Would you lie, cheat and steal to get your child into […]
A conspiracy theory is a belief that an event or situation is the result of a secret plan made by powerful people. Don’t most of us subscribe to a conspiracy theory from time to time? We’re just sure that the US government is hiding evidence of extraterrestrial life on earth. Or, we’re confident that multiple […]
The fear of not getting enough is deeply ingrained in our society. Signs of fear are a belief that there is not enough for everyone. Since there is not enough for everyone, you need to fight for resources. You have to protect what is yours from others getting it. When we are focused on scarcity, […]
“Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive!” (Sir Walter Scott, 1808). Perhaps you read the best-selling book The Woman in the Window by author Dan Mallory, writing under the pseudonym AJ Finn. Apparently Mallory got caught up in a tangled web after creating a false persona in the editing […]
I am writing this column from LA, where I am visiting family. Getting to LA from Galena, IL is not an easy task. I left home at 4:30 am to find parking near O’Hare and make a 9:30 flight. While on the long drive to Chicago at an early hour, with insufficient sleep, I was […]