children

Who are you? (Part II)

I tried to point out in Who are you? (part I) how civilization plays a major role in ‘educating’ its citizens who they are and who they should be. This contrasts sharply with the natural intuitive way our ancestors previously acquired a secure sense of self. Religious stories have been central to every civilization’s agenda. […]

Amazon mother

This video, From Amazon To Garden State, perfectly exemplifies observations I’ve made on civilization over the last few decades. To be clear, I’m not pro or anti civilization; I simply wish to comprehend its full impact on humanity. Despite the obvious downsides of civilization, we’re never going to turn back the clock. I wouldn’t want […]

Emotion Speaks… Literally

I learned to speak a number of languages during my traveling years. Learning a language in country ‘on the job’, so to speak, is an easy, quick and enjoyable way to learn. During those years, my interest was to communicate—not eloquently mind you, but just enough to get by. Several hundred words and some fearless […]

Science’s Baby Steps

Every now and then I’m bowled over by the “well duh” discoveries science finally gets around to making. My ‘well duh’ relationship with science began early. As a preteen child who liked to play with fire, I discovered that putting ice or cold water on a burn worked great. However, the standard nursing / medical […]

A Tao of Parenting

Note: First, listen to this NPR research on raising children, The Carpenter Vs. The Gardener: Two Models Of Modern Parenting. It summarized the natural approach to parenting I discuss here. Bringing Up Baby is a repeat of this episode with as extra 28 min section at the beginning. Breeding, and the parenting that follows, are […]

The Why Of It

Digging down into the bottomless mystery—the why of it—feels a quixotic quest at times. Then I add quixotic insult to injury by posting my observations on the web. I know these are palatable to only a few people and they already know intuitively what I’m saying, more likely than not. What is the point? Ah, […]

It’s Simply Nature’s Way

The Pope’s recent comments on suffering struck me. (See: Pope Benedict stumped by Japanese girl’s question about suffering). Briefly, a young girl asked him, “Why do children have to be so sad?” Benedict admitted: “I also have the same questions: why is it this way? Why do you have to suffer so much while others […]

Change we can believe in?

I find it amusing how frustrated people are with President Obama. It is a classic example of how one’s expectations are the seeds of one’s disappointments. It also shows people’s lack of maturity. Maturity for me comes down to how gracefully I can accept a reality that doesn’t match my expectations. Children get their hopes […]

Children Know What Adults Forget

What in particular do children know that adults forget? A recent article in Science News, Young kids can’t face up to disgust give some clues. Consider this excerpt:

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