By: Mathieu Yuill on October 14, 2024
A few years ago, I took on a project that became bigger than I ever anticipated: a neighbourhood fireworks show. What started as a small, local event grew into something special, something that brought our entire community together. For ten years, we lit up the sky—literally and figuratively—and the final few years saw over 4,000…
By: Jeff Styer on October 14, 2024
“’Jesus Is My Savior, Trump Is My President’” was a sign carried by those on January 6, 2021 outside the U.S. Capitol. Matthew Sutton describes what was seen that day and leading up to January 6th in an article titled “The Capitol Riot Revealed the Darkest Nightmares of White Evangelical America.”[1] Evangelical, a term that…
By: Jennifer Vernam on October 14, 2024
When reading Jonathan Haidt’s The Anxious Generation[1], and his assessment of the impact of smart phones and social media on children, there were two parts of my personal story that influenced my perspective. First, I am a champion worrier. I do not use the word ‘champion’ lightly here. If there were awards given to those…
By: John Fehlen on October 14, 2024
On August 1, 1981, just after midnight, MTV (Music Television) debuted the first “music video.” It was set to the song Video Killed the Radio Star by the Buggles. MTV went on to set the standard for visual content and propel artists into virtual superstardom. Ask any child of the 80’s, and they will tell…
By: Tim Clark on October 14, 2024
The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness by Jonathan Haidt is an extremely hard book for me to read. I say “is” because I’m still in the middle of it (actually, towards the beginning of it). I can only take small sections at a time. It’s…
By: Esther Edwards on October 14, 2024
Raising a healthy, resilient and capable child is what every parent desires. However, Jonathan Haidt, a reputable social psychologist, makes a compelling argument that we have done much in the past 14 years to undermine this desire. In his book, “The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental…
By: Kally Elliott on October 14, 2024
I first heard of Johnathan Haidt’s book, The Anxious Generation, when a friend from church suggested I read it. Instead, my husband, daughter and I listened to a very long podcast about it on a car trip from northern California back to Bend, Oregon. I feel the need to clarify that as my twelve-year-old daughter…
By: Jenny Dooley on October 14, 2024
Social psychologist Jonathon Haidt has written a timely book with an urgent message. I’m grateful for the opportunity to read The Anxious Mind and will pass it on to my now-adult children. I’d like to think my kids escaped what Haidt describes as the “great rewiring.” Though my kids didn’t have access to smartphones until…
By: Pam Lau on October 14, 2024
In March 2018, I opened up FaceBook one morning only to fall into utter shock and dismay as I peered at the photo in front of me. Hanging from a parachute in the clear, blue sky was my 20-year-old daughter, a college sophomore. I didn’t find out about her jumping from an airplane from a…
By: Travis Vaughn on October 14, 2024
In The Anxious Generation, social psychologist Jonathan Haidt writes something that made me think of a Black Mirror episode from the mid-2010s. Referring to the challenges of navigating a contemporary social context that thrives on likes and retweets, Haidt writes, “Succeeding socially in that universe required them to devote a large part of their consciousness–perpetually–to…
By: Elysse Burns on October 11, 2024
Time is precious, a widely known expression we often hear, especially after the death of a loved one. We lament not having more of it. Fortunately, Andrew J. Scott and Lynda Gratton’s premise in their book, The 100-Year Life, is more time because now we live longer lives. Scott and Gratton write, “The gift of…
By: Dinka Utomo on October 10, 2024
In the past month, on various social media platforms, Indonesian netizens have been abuzz with posts containing past and present moments in one scene accompanied by Forever Young music. The song’s lyrics read, “Forever young I want to be forever young. Do you really want to live forever? Forever, and ever. Forever young, I want…
By: Jana Dluehosh on October 10, 2024
If I could pick out a book about my NPO of all the books we have read, this week’s book would be the crux of my “why” I am doing the work. Could you indulge me in discussing my NPO and project a bit? The workshop I am designing for healthcare workers is called “The…
By: Chad Warren on October 10, 2024
My Grandpa’s nickname for me throughout my little league baseball career was “Charlie Hustle,” which he adopted from his favorite major league player, Pete Rose, who died yesterday at age 83. No player in the 1960s and 1970s was more exciting than the player nicknamed “Charlie Hustle.” Rose’s relentless pursuit of excellence made him a…
By: Daren Jaime on October 10, 2024
When I remember my initial days after joining the Methodist Church, I can recall the congregational care leader, Mr. Eugene Grant. At the end of our class meeting, Mr. Grant would conclude by saying, “May you be blessed, prosper, and have the health of John Wesley.” Wesley, the founder of Methodism, was a poster child…
By: Julie O'Hara on October 10, 2024
Living longer may be extremely rewarding, or it can be fraught with danger. In The 100-Year Life: Living and Working in An Age of Longevity, Lynda Gratton and Andrew J. Scott address the evidence that humans in Western culture are living longer and describe how that fact reshapes the landscape of life and work. Their…
By: Christy Liner on October 10, 2024
Authors Linda Gratton and Andrew Scott are both professors at the London School of Business in the management practice and economics departments, respectively. [1] Gratton approaches The 100-Year Life: Living and Working in an Age of Longevity from a management perspective, and considers how longevity will impact human resources, while Scott approaches their research from…
By: Todd E Henley on October 10, 2024
On August 22, 2024, I received an email from a board member of Harcum College in Coatesville, PA. He expressed appreciation for our counseling center’s work in the community and graciously explained why he enjoyed watching me as a leader. Then he wrote, “Harcum College has never had a counseling department, but we are ready…
By: Jonita Fair-Payton on October 10, 2024
I saw the title of the book and immediately thought, “Oh No, Thank You!”. The idea of living 100 years is not appealing to me. At 54, there are many things that are left on my “to do” list, really important things but none inspire me to live 100 years to achieve them. Don’t get…
By: Adam Harris on October 10, 2024
Years ago, a national news station covered the life of Flossie Dickey, who was turning 110 years old. Throughout the interview, the news anchor struggled to get answers regarding Flossie’s family, the secret to longevity, and what she does for fun. She was tired and less than thrilled to be doing the interview. Finally, the…
