Sometimes we can be so focused on the details of life that we forget to look at the bigger picture. I was re-reading portions of peace activist David Krieger’s book “Hope in a Dark Time: Reflections on Humanity’s Future,” (Capra Press,2003) and was reminded and inspired by a larger purpose. To be human is to recognize the cultural perspectives that...

In Silver Spring, Maryland, Police stopped a black Lamborghini without “tags” (no visible license plates). The man who stepped outside the vehicle turned out to be The Dark Knight himself… Batman! The Batman? Well, no. His real name (at least on his license and registration) is Leonard B. Robinson, a 48-year-old self-made success who made a pile of money after selling his commercial...

You never know where inspiration will come from. One of the great pleasures in teaching a class of motivated New Hampshire students about ethics are the many personal stories they share. The pre-class assignment was to answer the question derived from the book’s title: What do you stand for – what principles do you live by? Describe a moment of...

    Not long after I awoke yesterday, primary day in New Hampshire, I was warned of “the gauntlet.” “Mitt, Mitt, MITT!!” That’s the well-intended, coffee’d-up crowd standing in front of polling stations throughout the state. Their goal is to plead, petition and cajole you, the ever-proud “Live Free, or Die” citizens of the Granite State, to cast your vote...

If this year could be summarized in one word, it would have to be “shouting”; a lot of shouting. From Egypt to Greece, Russia to India they shout. Then there’s the Occupy movement which has grown from Wall Street to the main streets of Wisconsin, California, Florida and Pennsylvania. Everyone’s shouting. However, the shouts of demonstrators around the world are, for the most part,...

Tenzin Gyatso is the fourteenth Dalai Lama of Tibet. He is both head of state (in exile) and the spiritual leader of the Tibetan people. He is admired and esteemed worldwide as a man who has championed policies of nonviolence. His consistent compassionate nonviolence, even in the face of great aggression, led to his receiving the Nobel Prize for Peacein 1989....

19th century American writer, artist and philosopher, Elbert Hubbard, wrote that “Every man is a damn fool for at least five minutes of every day; wisdom consists in not exceeding the limit.” That’s certainly one limit that I strive to achieve. However, true wisdom comes slow to most of us. For me, it’s comes at the crossroads of knowledge, experience,...

We are facing a serious issue of intergenerational ethics when it comes to the proliferation of nuclear power. For the value of power today, we pass on the problems of nuclear waste to future generations. Yesterday, I was invited to attend a talk by Daniel Hirsch, Lecturer on Nuclear Policy at the University of California at Santa Cruz. Considering the...

As founder and president of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation David Krieger’s goal is monumental: the elimination of all nuclear weapons on the planet. But his passion and commitment is equally massive. I met David several years ago at a conference and soon after we got together for lunch. That lunch not only turned into support for his cause but a mutual...

Last month I posted a commentary asking you to respond to recent events in Washington. I asked you to tell me your thoughts; what you believed leaders in Washington should do; more importantly, what together we can all do. One reader shared, “We are all exasperated to the point of exploding at this reductive and ideological stance taken by Congress, particularly the so-called ‘Tea Party.’ I...