Author Archives: hessd

The last several hundred times I have heard references to a Comfort Zone—except, of course, from the heating and air conditioning people—they have pointed to the virtues of being outside it. Unfortunately, when you have been around and paying attention … Continue reading →

I’ve been listening to more sports radio recently, so I have been hearing more ads imploring people who are being charged with drunk driving [1] to enlist the help of a law firm that specializes in helping people in their … Continue reading →

I am a part of several studies that look at the life of declining older people, [1] and one that tracks changes in the life of an older couple. As a part of those studies, I answer a lot of … Continue reading →

In an editorial the new House Speaker Mike Johnson wrote in the Shreveport times in 2005, he concluded with this line: “We must always remember,” Johnson concluded, “that it is not bigotry to make moral distinctions.” That is the line … Continue reading →

C. S. Lewis poses a nasty dilemma for the Narnian children in his book, The Silver Chair. Jill Pole (a newcomer to Narnia) and Eustace Scrubb (from The Voyage of the Dawn Treader) come across the prince just before the … Continue reading →

I’m teaching a Bible study this “term” [1] that I have called “Doing It Wrong.” I knew, in the most general terms, what I had in mind. If you survey the biblical material for the different kinds of ways—and by … Continue reading →

If you remember 1968 at all, you will remember that it was a time of political turbulence. Consider only these four: Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy were both assassinated; there were riots of a distinctly racial character … Continue reading →

Kwame Anthony Appiah writes a column called “The Ethicist” for the New York Times. In the August 20 edition, he published his reply to a question from a man who was considering attending the memorial service of his father—a man … Continue reading →

I know that title doesn’t send you to any clear destination. I intend to contrast it with being the victim. I am not thinking of victimhood as requiring victimizers. I am perfectly capable, on a bad day, of feeling that … Continue reading →

It’s hard to keep up with changes in the language. In the little language village where I live most of the time, it really doesn’t change that fast, but I know that there are places where it does and every … Continue reading →