It is natural for us as humans to seek security. We are motivated to find every opportunity for ourselves and our families to be safe. When we encounter difference, we are primed to see that difference as a threat to our security, and we react accordingly. Immigrants are, by definition, different. They have come to…
November 5 approaches. Everyone knows this date – the marker for our nation to decide between Harris and Trump. In reality, we may not know the results of the vote for days or weeks after that, but the importance of the day is seared into our minds. Still, I am concerned that our focus on…
This summer, my family and I visited friends who live in northwestern Illinois for a weekend of swimming, roasting marshmallows, and looking up at the stars. One afternoon, our hosts invited us to attend the local County Fair – rides, games, and tasty treats were on offer, so we said yes. We drove over country…
The usual is usual because it usually happens. We think we know exactly what is going to occur, because what we suppose is what most often comes to pass. But in a moment, everything can change. We learn this lesson again and again in life. A new job we didn’t think we would earn. Dramatic…
The US presidential election process is deeply flawed. It is based more on cults of personality than substantial policies. It is infected by financing from whomever has the deepest pockets. It is about sound bites and publicity rather than policy. Presidential debates exemplify these flaws in the best of times. In the days of Biden…
Fear freezes our spirits, causing them to retract deep inside us. When we are afraid, we shun one another. We look out for ourselves. Fear strips away empathy, compassion, and collective action and we are left with selfishness, greed, and individual needs. The wealthy elites have an interest in keeping us frozen because when we…
I was accused of being antisemitic today. I posted a message on Mastodon in which I said that resolving the issues in Israel and Palestine requires that Israel be reconstituted as a multiracial democracy that provides equal rights for all its citizens. Someone wrote back to me and asked if I was also advocating that…
Entwining 