Why is it that ‘discipline’ so often seems like little more than 2½ four-letter words? Or the rebuke of stern punishment? Or behavior as tightly controlled as a bank teller’s drawer? Why is it that typing this singular word into a Google search yields an overwhelming number of articles about disciplining children? Why is it that self-discipline more often than not evokes giving up statin-inducing cheesecake and excessive beer and lazy workdays?
Archive for category: Lifelong Learning
Spam, a punchline, a roof-tile: The nature of aphorism in Lera Auerbach’s ‘Excess Of Being’
You’re at home after work when your college friend calls you--her boyfriend just broke up with her. She didn’t see it coming. Everything was going fine, when out of nowhere, a letter showed up on her doormat; he’s had a change of heart and doesn’t think they should continue. She sobs; her voice shakes; you tell her you’re on your way.
Non-performance anxiety
I just returned from a wonderful family vacation in Maine and am in the midst of post-vacation bliss. The serenity of the landscapes at Acadia National Park on Mt. Desert Island provided for a much-needed escape from a challenging year and the endless pressures of modern life. With little access to the internet and no cell phone signal, there was no choice but to unplug. It was as marvelous as it sounds.
From the managing editor…
Births, weddings and funerals tend to be when the home phone rings most often, when the mailbox swells with congratulatory or sympathy cards. Yet when was the last time you received a phone call or handwritten card in the wake of a new job or promotion, a positive doctor’s report, the start of summer? These and dozens of other of life’s joys to be celebrated and shared may be acknowledged with a quick text or email, but the personal touch beyond the screen and processor appears to have become as rare as rush-hour patience on I-95.
putting your best foot forward: track & field
You’ve got résumés out to 100 companies. How to make sense of it all? Categorize them by type, location, priority...
avoiding the ordinary: canned goods
What do you bring to the table? Be it a job interview, a brainstorming session or interaction with a loved...
to graze or cut deeply: knives & forks
Someone cuts you off on the turnpike, the expressway, the highway or the byway. Someone promises you something but doesn’t...
key perspectives: fresh produce
One’s mental and physical outlook has incalculable benefits upon productivity and creativity. So that knowledge and $5 will get you...
the rules we live by: spare keys
For myriad reasons both secular and spiritual, we strive to live by a set of rules, a group of key...