Archive

Among the common frames through which we view the quality of our lives are health, knowledge, ethics, wealth, beauty, and spirit. A life well lived uses all these frames to… Read More

Governor Shumlin appears to be crafting a legacy like most of his Republican and Democratic predecessors that is at once socially progressive and fiscally responsible. But his credibility falters though… Read More

Vermont and America have always been inspired and governed by a political spectrum spanning conservative and liberal values. Party names have changed — Whigs, Bull Moose, Tea Party – and… Read More

Sometimes I worry that we’re at risk of succumbing to our own arrogance as a species. A quick history … In primitive times, just after we lost our prehensile tails,… Read More

Orthodoxy has never served mankind well. Like an angry Gorgon, it periodically emerges from its cave and breaths fire into religion, academia or politics, and then retreats in order to… Read More

“Hi, I’m Bill. I’m a food addict.” Is this a statement of fact, of theory, of wishful thinking, or merely an attempt to avoid responsibility for overeating and being fat?… Read More

My friends go to a gym to exercise, I don’t. I really like strenuous activity; I just want something practical or beautiful to come of it. I love doing hard… Read More

Mercy derives from empathy or the capacity to experience another person’s feelings. The response from someone lacking empathy is most often framed intellectually or rationally rather than emotionally. If your… Read More

Life promises us nothing. The quality of our lives is determined as much by arbitrary circumstance as it is by our individual capacity for learning and enterprise. And if we… Read More

Whether I am ushered into the next world by a choir of cherubs or a bevy of trident-bearing imps, or whether I just compost quietly in nature’s great recycling system… Read More

We recently visited London’s Victoria and Albert Museum to see a show called “The Power of Making.” The show begins with this eloquent statement by its curator, Daniel Charny: “Making… Read More

There are many events in our lives that forge us as human beings, but in general, childhood play, early work, and exposure to death are among the most important. As… Read More