To practice empathy, I have to use my own strengths and weaknesses to reach out, gently peek behind the curtain, be humble, and pursue a course of active engagement.
Blog
The everyday lessons of genocide
The lessons of genocide are unfortunately the lessons of everyday life. We need to listen long and hard to those lessons so we can improve our community and the community of humankind.
Personal responsibility in our community
Getting involved in our community in some tangible way is crucial for positive change. Change will only occur when citizens commit to get involved in the issues in their community.
The gaps…oh, the gaps
The gaps that we ignore in history only serve to perpetuate false nostalgia or continue a false narrative. When doing so, we continue to deny what defines our history.
TRUST AND FAITH…AND LOVE
I think the intersection of trust, faith and love is very much a part of the practice of medicine and reasonably shared by an elder in his community.
Forgiveness – Field of Dreams style
Forgiveness is essential as we strive to improve ourselves and the lives of our fellow citizens. Let’s pay attention to the signs (church, movies, and music to name a few) that can provide the guideposts for us to recognize our current situation and make a positive change. This change (forgiving ourselves first) must occur before we can make a difference.
This I Believe – Parenting Matters
The power of the influence of our parents is incalculable. They can provide the platform for our actions and the actions of generations to come.
Parenting and maps
Parenting is sometimes considered an innate process to raise one’s children to be capable adults—that everything is straightforward and will easily fall into place over the years from birth to adulthood. Conceiving children does not properly prepare us for the nurturing, physical and emotional, needed to raise healthy children.
Sages can make a difference
As we age, we can choose to be elderly or become elders. In the former role, we tend to accept the physical and mental changes and just lament their presence as inevitable. In the latter role, we are not “age-ing” per se but hopefully “sage-ing.” As a sage, we are using our collective experience to help provide advice and potential wisdom to others.
The tale of three opposites
More often than not, we know the things we should be doing. I can recall many times when knowing something still did not translate into positive actions on my part. When that happens, I have found that looking at opposites can be helpful.
It’s a free country
Freedom is not really ours. It is a gift, and we must use that gift wisely. Great sacrifices have been made on our behalf. And we must honor those sacrifices.
DEAR EVAN HANSEN has lessons for us all, beyond our youth
The Broadway musical “Dear Evan Hansen” deals with issues confronted in the angst of adolescence and about learning how to deal with these issues. But these lessons are life-long issues—they are just more dramatic during adolescence and the emotions needed to deal with them then are often more exposed. So, it is appropriate to relook at the lessons and add an additional adult perspective
What to Say to Someone Who Lost a Child
I know from experience the anguish that families experience with the loss of a child. Whether the circumstances include a previously healthy child who died from a tragic accident or a child with a chronic health condition who succumbed to their disease, families are never really prepared for their loss. They need our support, especially when we might be uncomfortable and not know what to say.
Save Our Children!
The abuse and neglect of our children is preventable. Children, our most precious resource for the future and our most vulnerable group of people, deserve our protection.
Forgiveness is essential
Forgiveness is essential to human existence. The ability to forgive allows us to move on in our lives, progressing from childhood to adolescence to adulthood.
Trust is the currency of social interaction
I don’t think it is an exaggeration to state that “trust is the currency of social interaction”—that trust is the basis of how we can make our words and deeds worthy of the privilege of serving others or the privilege of telling others of what we think they should be doing.
COMMUNITY IS FAMILY
We must remember that our community is our family. Often when we think in ‘a business way’ we tend to lose sight of this big picture. We need to constantly remind ourselves that the real business of business is people.
Is Truth-telling Important?
Truth-telling is an essential skill for personal life, for interpersonal social interactions, for community activities, and for governmental decision-making.
The lessons of tyranny for parenting
Being a tyrant is the exact opposite of being a conscious parent that understands the give-and-take of effective parenting and is willing to adapt as needed to change. Tyranny has no place in society or in parenting. The lessons put forth by Professor Snyder are valuable reminders as we navigate the journey known as parenting.
The Chemistry of Community Improvement
I don’t think that it is a stretch to think of community improvement efforts in chemical way. New and enhanced efforts can result from the combination of simple “reactions” by individuals or groups.
A Pediatric Profile in Courage
I bring the story of this brilliant yet exceedingly humble pediatrician to our attention as a reminder that the work of protecting and enhancing the physical, social, educational, family and psychological environments of our children and families is the ongoing work of ALL of us.
WHAT REALLY MATTERS
I often ask myself “what really matters?” as I contemplate the path forward…I can engage as a citizen (seeking to help others), as a truth-seeker (on a journey of life-long learning and continuous improvement) and as an elder (having acquired an array of life-long experiences and seeking to use those in a positive fashion). Not being engaged is really not an option.
Do Pediatricians retire from public service?
The work of helping our children and families is ongoing. It demands our continued efforts. For those of us that retire from the workforce, we should never withdraw from our commitment to children. I pledge to continue the work!
Science and early child development
There are so many variables to be identified and analyzed for early childhood development. These variables are essentially the pieces of the “jigsaw puzzle” of life but do not in and of themselves dictate the future. But these variables can help us anticipate certain issues, be proactive as needed, be reactive when needed and intervene with support when it is needed.
“Our society isn’t fulfilling our promise to children”
The new AAP Blueprint for Children demands our full attention going forward. We can do no less.
CIVILITY MATTERS
Social discourse without civility is so ineffective and detrimental to our society.
Children as Our Teachers
Children are our best teachers! Listen and learn.
Foster Children Need Our Help
Children in foster care need our special attention and nurturing.
“Wasn’t me”
As we seek to solve current issues, a “wasn’t me” stance should be substituted with “was us”–and move forward.
Life-long learning – toward unconscious competence
Life-long learning is a guide to a life fulfilled.
Resilience is so important
The ability to receive help when we are down is key to developing resilience.
Communal forgiveness
Social responsibility (to improve the lives of our fellow citizens and to right past wrongs) is integrally tied to forgiveness.
Being better carpenters
“I don’t think that I can ever forgive you.” “You don’t mean it. You’re not really sorry.” “When will you ever learn?” Expressions such as these are repeated in households and workplaces everywhere every day of the week. We humans are social beings, and social beings interact. Interactions inevitably will lead to some conflict. I think our ability to resolve those conflicts…
Captain Miller to Private Ryan – “Earn This”
So many sacrificed so much for all of us…
I have been truly blessed—thank you Mom, Julie and Mabel!
Mothers come in all forms—birth mothers, stepmothers, foster mothers, caregiving mothers (often grandmothers or aunts) and mothers-in-law. Whether assuming the role from birth or stepping in at various junctures in the life of the child/adult, these women play a vital role throughout our lives.
ANTI-RACISM SHOULD BE THE GOAL
Racism can be replaced with anti-racism
Capital Punishment is Just Plain Wrong—Thoughts from a Proud Flip-Flopper
Capital punishment is wrong in my opinion. And it’s been a tough journey for me to come to that conclusion.
Labels—Merchandise, yes; People, no
Labels are not for people.
Revisiting my father
Being mindful of those around us and accepting them and their humanity is so crucial to our lives. The lessons of Mr. Rogers are pertinent to me, at every stage of my life. His messages are certainly for more than children!
525,600 Seasons of Love
Abundant friends and love can make us “wealthy” and our lives fulfilled if we consider each minute (all 525,600 of them) in a year a chance to exhibit a season of love.