That pernicious evil is common to mankind and it seeps in, not through immorality but through our treasures and blessings, and it seeks to strangle the child-like joy within.

But I think the reason writers write is to help the reader connect his specific problem with the bigger picture, to remove the blinders that automatically descend on us all so that we are equipped with what ancient scholars call vision.

We impress ourselves with things that aren’t actually impressive, so in order to impress others we have to take our prized possessions and sacrifice them to get clear again.

And yes, decision-making is a skill, like driving, but it’s not something you can “get.” It’s something that “gets” you.

We are all like rocks skipping across the surface of life, trying desperately to slow down and enjoy it and relax, but as soon as we do, we slip below the surface and forget what we were made to do.

I can tell you from experience that farm-raised birds are are lazy and don’t really enjoy flying, even when you kick at them.

This is my 94th column and I am just now saying this, but thank you for spending your limited time engaging your mind with mine on a weekly basis.

Well I have a son now, and I’m afraid you’ll be hearing a lot more about him. Tying into last week’s column, I have been thinking a lot about love.

His name is James, and he is my son. He was born last weekend on June 12th, and he’s currently swinging in the living room with my wife, while I sequester myself in the study for a while to hunch over a keyboard and stare into a monitor of light as I write this column.

You can’t tell a young Helen Keller that education is about just getting a job. To her, it was the joy of life. If we stop long enough to think about it, it should be part of ours too. Research ought to be part of our workflows; note-taking should be part of our daily impulse.

Last week I said that the most fundamental calling of humanity is to pursue and achieve understanding—not to pass tests or succeed or be “great”, but to achieve understanding.

Here’s a professor at Columbia University who changed the face of American education in the 1950s, and the only reason he didn’t receive a diploma from Columbia is because he refused to take the P.E. class, swimming.

Due to the pandemic our country has seen an unemployment rate that is profoundly outside the realm of “normal.” While employment is verifiably picking back up, and the statistics for Lowndes county reflect that, there is a conversation rumbling that is just beginning.

After finishing a three week series on productivity, I focused on joy last week—a relief for all of us. But what we all want, even more than productivity, is peace.

Enjoy your life.

We need to accomplish tasks, otherwise we won’t get anything done—but there will always be more tasks. There won’t always be enough time.

As the third part in this series, it’s time to land the plane. What better way than through a story.

One day two neighbors got into a fight. It had been a long time coming.