“Better not to plant seeds of selfishness than try to eradicate them once they have grown into giant weeds.”

–Prem Prakash

If you’re carefully listening, watching, and reading about our country these days, you’d think “America” might start:

My country ’tis of Me;

Give Me My liberty;

Of Me I sing.

Seriously, we have become a more selfish society. Self-centered. Egocentric. Self-righteous. Have you noticed? What I want is what’s most important. Don’t tell me what you want, please.

Maybe it started with Thomas Harris’s […]

“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.”

–Albert Einstein

I thought I was finished opining on Covid or, more accurately, our national response to it. Not because I thought it would disappear–it never will (think influenza virus)–but because we’ve learned so much and we would modulate our response to any future threat … and yet, here we are.

The latest iteration of the virus has imposed itself on us, and some of the folks […]

“But never lose sight of the need to reach out and talk to other people who don’t share your view. Listen to them and see if you can find a way to compromise.”

–General Colin Powell

Do we all agree that we live in the most polarized time since America’s Civil War? Our people seem to be at odds with one another politically, culturally, and religiously. Disagreements abound, and always have, but now it’s all so vitriolic.

Maybe that has always been the […]

“We can change the world and make it a better place. It’s in our hands to make a difference.”

–Nelson Mandela

Recently, I had lunch with dear friends from my high school and medical school years. While waiting for our orders, we lapsed into a discussion about life today and how the world has changed. After a while, I asked, “Have we become our parents, talking about the proverbial walk to school in the snow, or are we yearning for a time […]