As she grew older, I may have failed *Mabel. Although I tried to keep in touch, visiting and calling her with some regularity, I still let her down in one aspect of older adulthood: I wasn’t honest with her about difficult matters. Instead, I chose always to be positive and helpful, building up what eventually turned into only a façade of normalcy. To be direct: Mabel and I didn’t talk candidlyMORE...
This entry is the second part of a series inspired by a Ralph Waldo Emerson quote: BE SILLY. BE HONEST. BE KIND. If you follow either Chris or me as we drive, you’ll see this helpful message on a magnetic bumper sticker. Honesty may seem to be in short supply these days. Not just at the highest rungs of the political ladder, but perhaps also invisibly spread through various sectors of leadershipMORE...
Truth in these times may seem to be in short supply. Given the sometimes-overwhelming amount of individual and societal stress that we encounter, it’s difficult to process so much information with consistent integrity. Our brains’ reactions to stress—fighting, fleeing, freezing—might include reliance on falsehood as a way of diminishing anxiety. Our widespread choice to be prevaricatorsMORE...
BOB SITZE has filled the many years of his lifework in diverse settings around the United States. His calling has included careers as a teacher/principal, church musician, writer/author, denominational executive staff member and meat worker. Bob lives in Wheaton, IL.