...unless you are willing to admit our flaws. Americans are a horribly inconsistent bunch. We expect things we have no reason to expect, for which there is no evidence of even te possibility of manifestation, but not only do we expect them we also become enraged when we don't get them. Some of that is…
Sometimes it seems there isn't a corner of life not overburdened with rules. Some are probably necessary - Sammy Hagar still can't drive 55, after all, even though in many places he can get an extra ten to fifteen miles per hour. He must be that guy driving slowly in the left lane! Games need…
This is a brief description of how American Imperialism works: It is not a pretty thing at all. America decides she needs something from another country. That country isn't particularly interested in giving us what we want, so American finds a pretext to invade militarily. We invaded Iraq because we lied and said there were…
Women have breasts. Bartam Trail High School in Florida apparently is either surprised by that fact or believes that students haven't discovered it yet. They feel compelled to keep breasts under wraps, and so have edited eighty yearbook photos to remove all traces of cleavage. I would hasten that no boy's picture was edited for…
I was watching a presentation by Joan Chittister recently as part of the Spiritual Directors International annual conference. In it, Sister Joan put forth the Benedictine steps to humility as a solution to what she - correctly, I believe - sees as the loss of values in our overly individualistic society. One of the qualities…
Why, when people tell us their truth, is our first reaction to deny it? Why even when that truth is uncomfortable to reveal, like someone admitting their family isn't all the world has cracked it up to be, do we still deny it? Who in the world do we think we are to go around…
You cannot be a compulsive liar or gaslighter and be a "good person." Why not? Most of what goes into being a "good person" is integrity. Can I trust what you say? Do you say what you mean? Is what you say consistent with what you know to be true? What would the upside have…
My friend and colleague Bishop Jerry Roy passed away unexpectedly yesterday. He was quite likely the most interesting man I have ever known, with a diverse background that created a man who was kind, but not weak; strong yet gentle, and he an instinctive compassion that seemed to arise from the core of his being…
How we go out matters. The last thing we do in life actually happens after we are gone, when the will is read. For most of us, it's our only postmortem message to the world. Many people seem to think that their will is their last chance to shit on people, to let them know…
I seem to keep coming across the byline of a woman who feels her generation didn't get what it deserved from preceding generations. Although I won't set fire to enough money or time to buy and read her book, I feel safe in assuming she feels she and her cohort got less than they deserved…
Craig Bergland 