Spoiler Scale (How spoilery is this article on a scale of 1 to 10?):  7 I loved university life – an intellectually welcome space where one could study the bounds of knowledge and experience.  Eventually, however, I was expected to go forth into the “real world” and be productive.  I went right to work in a cubicle as a “professional,” ... Read More »

Spoiler Scale (How spoilery is this article on a scale of 1 to 10?):  7    On April 7, 1775, English writer Samuel Johnson reportedly uttered the words, “Patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel.”  Put in the proper historical context, Johnson probably meant the other guy’s brand of patriotism.  And of course, Johnson was posthumously diagnosed with Tourette’s Syndrome – a ... Read More »

Spoiler Scale (How spoilery is this article on a scale of 1 to 10?):  8 The screen is black.  There is the sound of a single wooden drumstick striking a snare.   Then again.  Then again, faster.  And faster.  A train is leaving the station … “One night in 1937, a teenage musician called Charlie Parker joined a queue of ... Read More »

Spoiler Scale (How spoilery is this article on a scale of 1 to 10?):  7 A husband who works 60 hours a week to provide a nice house for his wife and private school for his children might be the last person to whom we would apply the traditional label of “sloth.”  But at this point in the history of the traditional ... Read More »

Spoiler Scale (How spoilery is this article on a scale of 1 to 10?):  7 Self-esteem is a good thing.  And in the parlance of MBA types, people want to follow those who exude referent authority.  But there can an awfully fine line between the benevolent dictator who is capable of empathetic exchange and the pompous ass who believes his/her own press, and ... Read More »

Spoiler Scale (How spoilery is this article on a scale of 1 to 10?):  7 We sit on our couches in front of the TV, in our cubicles at work, or in the back of our spin classes where nobody can see us – watching that person.  We may want to be like that person, or we may just want the good stuff ... Read More »

Spoiler Scale (How spoilery is this article on a scale of 1 to 10?):  7 One common cop-out to avoid any serious philosophical discussion of the seven deadly sins is to bring up the e-word – excess – as in, “well, these behaviors are only ‘sins’ if committed in excess.”  But sometimes it takes only one act of lust, greed, ... Read More »

Spoiler Scale (How spoilery is this article on a scale of 1 to 10?):  8   As the enigmatic character Gordon Gekko famously declared, greed clarifies.  Indeed it does – too much so.  Greed is necessarily premised on the need to keep score when it comes to power – whether it be financial, political, religious, or otherwise.  For many, it’s a ... Read More »

Spoiler Scale (How spoilery is this article on a scale of 1 to 10?):  7   To be sure, each of us is capable of harboring lust for a number of different “things” (e.g., all of the numbers of pi), but sexual desire underscores a unique aspect to this particular sin – the futility of the pursuit itself.  People want sex ... Read More »

Spoiler Scale (How spoilery is this article on a scale of 1 to 10?):  7     When, lo, as they reached the mountain-side, A wondrous portal opened wide, As if a cavern was suddenly hollowed; And the Piper advanced and the children followed, And when all were in to the very last, The door in the mountain-side shut fast. ... Read More »