When helping others is compassion and when it isn’t …
Suppose someone is starving. We may help them by giving some money. If they are starving because a recession has left them…
How we may overestimate the power of speech
Suppose someone’s car stops working. They infer, “The spark plug is the problem,” whereas their friend who is no more a car…
Why we may underestimate the power of words
Suppose a friend comes to us with a black eye, a bleeding nose and a broken tooth. We will be concerned, if not alarmed. We will…
Why speaking effectively is as difficult as loving authentically
When we love someone authentically, that love involves a dynamic tension between our concern for them as they are presently…
When political correctness helps and when it harms
Few things are as polarizing in today’s Left-Right cultural divide as political correctness. The Left often condemns …
How our speech becomes ineffective – 2
Suppose a child meets with a terrible accident that permanently damages his legs. Cultured society may avoid referring…