What is the big news in our nation this Christmas season? Unexpected reconciliation? Epidemic contentment? Record acts of incredible kindness? Few of these are reaching the headlines. Instead our media is focusing attention on the Iraqi body count, bloodshed in the Middle East, the report of the 911 Commission, creation of the National Counter-Terrorism […]
At this moment, Fall 2004, our nation is embroiled with political debate. Just weeks away from the Presidential election many conversations surround the issues of gay marriage, Iraq policy, the lackluster economy, and stem cell research. As debates intensify, so does the importance of our individual positions. Whether we lean left or right is
One of the most familiar accounts in the Bible is that of Peter walking with Jesus on the surface of the Sea of Galilee. “Early in the morning Jesus came walking toward the boat on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, ‘It is a
How does a person find his or her passion in life? How does one discover the vocation for which they seem to have been uniquely created? Though theoretical on first impression, the question is not an abstract one. Find your dream, and in many ways you also find your energy for life. Catch a
Clearly one of the greatest experiences in life is being a father. My role in medicine is a privilege; sharing in friendships, a great adventure. But at the end of the day nurturing my kids is both a central priority and source of wonderful satisfaction. At this writing, my daughter Elizabeth just turned seventeen
From our youth we are each raised to value freedom. We sing about it in patriotic songs, practice it in elections of all scales, defend it in the courts, even send soldiers to remote corners of the planet to somehow secure freedom’s future. But what is the true essence of this intangible virtue? We
In the Fall of 1980 I fulfilled a personal dream by traveling to rural Honduras. I was in medical school at the time, and went on location for two months of tropical medicine study and service among the indigenous Mosquito people. The site was Ahuas, a town on the northeastern coast of this Central
I am writing at this moment from Shanghai, China, where I’m overlooking the Huangpu River. This waterway is extremely busy, with dozens of barges, freighters, cruise ships, ferries, and junks maneuvering for space in the channel. Complicating matters is the fact that several tributaries feed into the river at this point, with vessels constantly entering
My father, third from the left in the above photo, was a volunteer firefighter when I was a boy. I got excited whenever the siren sounded from the firehouse. Dad would dawn his protective gear and race to meet the fire trucks before they sped to rescue person or property. It never occured to