“Just say the word!”
The power of words is both mysterious and commonplace. Words can be the deadliest weapon ever invented or the most effective medicine, depending on how they are used.
An audit of a mother who no longer feels like playing
"But do you actually enjoy playing with the children like that?" a dear friend and experienced mother once asked me. Her question implied that there was a parallel universe in which a good mother might not enjoy playing with her children. It didn't take long before I became familiar with that universe myself.
The game where nobody wins
I was only 13 when I first experienced it. My three best girlfriends handed me a letter. It said they no longer wanted to be my friends. The only reason given was, “The guys pay you too much attention.” After delivering the letter, they simply shunned me.
How our friendships change throughout life
Because life in developed societies follows a more or less regular pattern, sociologists have managed to identify the age at which conditions are most conducive to forming a friendship. It's not that people who are not of this age are unable to form meaningful connections with other people, but at other ages, life takes us on different paths, without asking for our permission.
“Miracles” | Book review
"Miracles"[1] is one of C.S. Lewis's most cherished works of apologetics. In an age when belief in miracles seems somewhat anachronistic, this book is all the more important.
The mirror is part of us | Friendship and our self-image
A friend carries within him our identity’s safe box.
A tribute to life, when life left him almost nothing
Losing one’s health and being unable to regain it are profoundly transformative experiences. The body suddenly becomes more than an appendage of the mind, as it is treated when everything is going well, while the mind becomes its prisoner.
What does the blue sock know about oppositional behaviour?
It all starts with the blue sock—that dreadful sock that the five-year-old firmly and loudly refuses to put on. "But what's wrong with it? Is it too tight?" "No! I don't like it!" "But you can't go without socks, just put this one on." "I DON'T WANT TO!" These infamous words bring the scene to a close in tears. Only the child allows...
Our lives, with all our phones on the table
The phone lies face down on the table. It doesn't make a sound. Yet, everyone in the room senses its presence, just as we...
From me to us | Friendship and reciprocity
The wisdom of friendship consists in finding those who do not require a price, or ask you to change.
Would you betray a stranger for better loot?
In a post-apocalyptic videogame where betrayal is in-built, players are forced to confront an ancient question: are we wired to help one another—or to harm?
Why do we lose our friends?
“Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light” (Hellen Keller).
“The insecure adults of the future” | Parent-child dependency
Dependence tends to have negative connotations—we may be addicted to sugar, the internet or gambling. Other times we are dependent on people or relationships, in which case the line between positive and negative is no longer easy to draw.
Seven principles for raising boys
These are seven important gifts to give our sons, to build a strong foundation so they’re able to withstand the challenges life will inevitably bring.
“Immortality of the Soul or Resurrection of the Dead?” | Book review
The obvious opposition to one of the most widespread Christian teachings is likely to provoke strong reactions, which is what happened with the book Immortality of the Soul or the Resurrection of the dead?,[1] by the renowned Lutheran theologian Oscar Cullmann (1902-1999).