Since most of us no longer attend Sunday services, we do not benefit from wise, well-considered homilies. The following advice from the philosopher Bertrand Russell in 1959 resonates now more than ever, and would be a welcome message from most pulpits today, except, of course, from the hatemongering and crazed
Continue readingTag: Tolerance
Dead Wild Roses: Tolerance and Its Limits – Theodore Dalrymple
We grapple with the question of tolerance and how to apply the notion in society. Theodore Dalrymple’s thoughts provide insight into the question of how the mechanics of tolerance works. “When I asked my young patients what their best qualities were, they would almost invariably reply: “I am tolerant and
Continue readingThings Are Good: Saving Scholars From Scary Situations
Academics face persecution in parts of the world where authoritarian governments rule, which makes the exploration of knowledge very difficult and can even lead to safety concerns for the academics. Thankfully there’s an organization, Scholars at Risk, who’s sole goal is to provide a safe haven for researchers. This organization
Continue readingInhabiting the Radical Middle
While I take an active interest in politics, and have always been a member of a political party (sometimes two), I no longer get directly involved in election campaigns. My reason is one that many people share—politics just seems to bring out the worst in people. Enter the world of
Continue readingThings Are Good: If You can Tolerate Ambiguity Then You’re More Likely to Trust People
The ability to tolerate ambiguity varies from person to person and that ability can impact how we interact with the world around us. The intolerance of uncertainty contributes to one’s anxiety and some researches think that individuals strive to make their lives more certain for comfort. Indeed, there has been
Continue readingMontreal Simon: Justin Trudeau’s Wonderful Message of Tolerance
It's finally starting to feel like Spring in the place where I live, and after a long hard winter I am reminded again why I love Canada so much.Soon I'll be out on the lake feeling the fresh wind in my face, far from the madding crowd and all the
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: When Tolerance Serves the Status Quo – Keeping Females Silent and Complicit in their Oppression
The status quo is a nasty piece of work. It has a multiplicity of tools and avenues of attack and repression available to keep the current equilibrium and quell dissenting voices that threaten the norm. Tolerance, is considered to be a ‘good’ liberal value. Yet, in context of female struggle
Continue readingThings Are Good: Positively Trolling Racists on the Web
Racists aren’t smart, and recently their stupidity has been taken advantage of to make the internet a little better. The popular online community Reddit has some parts of the site occupied by racists and the larger contingent of the community got sick of it. Some members started to infiltrate those
Continue readingThings Are Good: Millennials Don’t Want to Work for Jerks
Generational distinctions are mostly meaningless, although sometime there is a glimpse into cultural trends based on age. One generational difference that is a good one to see (among many) is that “millennials” don’t want to work for jerks. Workplaces used to worship the leaders who pushed people around and were
Continue readingMontreal Simon: The New Canada and the Return of the Cool Moose
As I'm sure you know, I'm really enjoying living in Justin Trudeau's Canada, and of course the land of the noble moose. And I'm constantly battling with Cons and other grumpy old Trudeau haters who would try to tear it down, or make it something ugly, or all about pipelines and
Continue readingThings Are Good: Hitting Children Doesn’t Help
We now have solid evidence that spanking is more harmful than good for children. In the largest study of its kind researches have found that children who were spanked displayed more adverse socialization than others. They also conclude that spanking does not improve the behaviour of children when they are hit or afterwards. Spanking is […]
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Continue readingThings Are Good: Teaching ADHD Kids Outside
Students with ADHD have a hard time focusing in a standard classroom which leads to a difficult learning environment. It doesn’t have to be this way though. In Finland outdoor schools are familiar and effective, and now in the States they are experimenting with outdoor schools. Outside Online took a good look a SOAR to […]
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Continue readingA. Picazo: #RefugeesWelcome
This op-ed appeared in The Ottawa Citizen on November 27, 2015. “This is not a federal project, this is not even a government project, it’s a national project for all Canadians,” declared John McCallum, minister of immigration, refugees a…
Continue readingThings Are Good: Iceland Wants to Help Journalists Expose Real Threats
Iceland continues on it’s quest to be the ‘Switzerland of data‘ and is extending its program to do so for journalists. Part of the country’s plan to become a haven for people exposing the immoral and questionable behaviour of powerful people is already in action. Iceland is quickly achieving its
Continue readingThings Are Good: Travel For a Better Brain
I just booked a flight to London and coincidentally came across an article that says that our brains can benefit greatly from exploring the world. A good way to start the day! It turns out that the ability of the brain to handle new information is connected to well-being and
Continue readingScripturient: Blog & Commentary: Saying Happy Holidays is Acceptable
This time of year we get inundated on Facebook and Twitter with this sort of stupid, offensive warning about saying “happy holidays” or “season’s greetings” instead of Merry Christmas. A couple of these appeared in a few hours just today, and there will be more, no doubt. Sorry, but it’s
Continue readingThings Are Good: Remembering Tiananmen Square
25 years ago in Tiananmen Square there was a protest against the Chinese government. The protest was dealt with lethal force by the government – killing many people. Since then, the Chinese government has blocked any discussion about the protest and has greatly censored information on it. Obviously all of
Continue readingThings Are Good: A New Zealand School Abandons Rules, Ends Bullying
Having zero tolerance policies in schools is a truly horrible way to treat children. It can blunt curiosity and punish severely for minor infractions, combine such oppressive control with bizarre rules (like no playing schoolyard games) and you’ll bored, agitated and disengaged kids. When children aren’t able to express themselves
Continue readingThings Are Good: Reading for Faster Freedom in Brazil
Prisoners in Brazil may be able to shorten their stay in jail by reading and writing. It’s only 48 days but it can make a difference, the prisoners need to read from a collection of philosophy, science, literature, or the classics then reflect on them in a submitted paper. Educational
Continue readingThings Are Good: Start-ups Founded by Women on the Rise
The tech industry is filled with men and a near-machismo culture that can be intimidating to both men and women. Fortunately inroads have been made by women into the tech world and are creating quite the splash. The emergence of young female tech founders and executives reflects sweeping change in
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