Despite meaning well, we often deliver the wrong message to our teens. When we caution them to practice “safe sex,” we are actually encouraging them to have sex. They don’t need very much encouragement to follow that advice! And if they do so, they discover far too late that children and teens having sex is
Introduction Imagine seeing people trudging through life carrying a heavy backpack. When you ask them what is in it, they reply, “I don’t know.” “Well, then, why are you carrying it?” you ask. They give the same answer, “I don’t know.” You see, they have been carrying it so long, they don’t recall how it
All animals owe their survival to the instinctual drives to flee, fight, feed, and reproduce (sometimes called the “Four F’s”). These primal drives have great impact on our lives. Humanity’s instinct to flee from danger has become today a search for security. We have a desire to feel safe at home, in the workplace, and
Many people lack self-reliance. By self-reliance I merely mean the ability to rely on ourselves to do whatever we feel should be done. As children we depended on others. We turned to our parents, teachers, and other adults for support. Later, when we tried to assert ourselves by making our own decisions, we were often
“What poison is to food, self-pity is to life.” —Oliver C. Wilson Do you rise and shine or rise and whine? Are you, or do you know, someone who starts the day by rising and whining instead of rising and shining? You know the type; they love to swish around in self-pity. They believe the world
A reader writes, “Part of my childhood conditioning has been putting the interests of others before my own. I’ve also been reminded by some people of Mother Theresa, who devoted herself to helping others. She sounds like a good role model. But while her approach to life appeals to me, I don’t think it fits
