Ecclesiastes was probably written by many ancient scholars, although Jewish tradition holds that it was written by King Solomon. Whatever the provenance, I think the first chapter holds a nugget of wisdom that we need to try hard to remember:
What has been is what will be,
and what has been done is what will be done; there is nothing new under the sun.
Is there a thing of which it is said,
“See, …
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The enduring cycle of violence: lessons from history’s darkest moments
In March 1630, John Winthrop delivered the treatise “A Model of Christian Charity” at Holyrood Church in Southampton, England, prior to leading the first settlers of the Massachusetts Bay colony on their to journey to the New World. In his address, he referred to the new community they would found as a city upon a hill with the eyes of all people upon them. This reference to a portion of …
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The dimming of the shining city
A couple of years ago, “epic fail” was the phrase my teenage son used as I unsuccessfully attempted to beat him in a game we were playing. At the time, I thought to myself it was a harsh but accurate assessment of my performance. And I was certainly motivated to practice on my own so that the next time, things would be different.
That same phrase came to mind as I …
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The collective failure of the HPV vaccine is ours
