The United States today probably has the largest population in history of men with breasts caused by voluntary choices. There are other causes than voluntary choices as this Newsweek article says, It can sometimes be hereditary but is more commonly spurred by conditions like obesity, chronic kidney disease or an overactive thyroid, as well as by certain medications like steroids that cause hormone levels to shift. but many men choose[…] Keep reading →

One of my biggest lessons in transitioning from traditional education to active, experiential learning is the difference between reading, writing, talking, analyzing, and debating about something you care about and acting on something you care about. Can you imagine a parent saying he or she cared about a child but not helping the child when the child was hurt, sick, or needed help? Without acting, talking about values—or reading, writing,[…] Keep reading →

My post yesterday about my heart rate of 49 beats per minute and how people choose to spend their leisure time got me thinking about living by your values–what leaders do. When they hear I exercise daily, people suggest I have some special discipline, dedication, or other skill. I wish! On the contrary, the average American’s dedication and discipline for their values dwarf mine. I have to craft my life to make exercising[…] Keep reading →

This morning’s New York Times posted a story, Holocaust Is Fading From Memory, Survey Finds, reporting a survey with results such as Thirty-one percent of Americans, and 41 percent of millennials, believe that two million or fewer Jews were killed in the Holocaust; the actual number is around six million. Forty-one percent of Americans, and 66 percent of millennials, cannot say what Auschwitz was. My last name, Spodek, is Jewish-Polish,[…] Keep reading →

Following up my first and second posts on this topic, and while the options below don’t have to be exclusive, people usually choose as if they are. Do you prefer to . . . Eat ice cream or exercise? Be a slave owner Or a slave? Eat comfort food Or healthy food? Go to the beach Or help clean litter from your neighborhood? Buy a work of art or craft[…] Keep reading →

Who doesn’t have a dream car? If you can afford it, especially if you’ve aspired to it your whole life, isn’t owning and driving your dream car one of the great joys and well-earned accomplishments in life? What if you found something better? What if what you liked better was not having the car? Does the idea of getting rid of one of your highest value sound crazy? That’s the[…] Keep reading →

You often have to choose between options without enough information. How do you choose? You can never know everything you want for all life choices, yet you can’t avoid acting. Today I’m posting my answer by audio. I start with a story of a student with just such a challenge and show what we can learn from situations like them. I consider these lessons among the greatest one can learn.

Following up my first post on this topic, and while the options below don’t have to be exclusive, people usually choose as if they are. Do you prefer… Ice cream or exercise? Living with a personal shortcoming Or facing and resolving it? Any food available any time you want it Or being unavailable when out of season? Being as fit as you want and can be Or explaining why you[…] Keep reading →

Do you want to pollute less but can’t stop yourself? If so, I bet you’re approaching it in a way that’s doomed to fail. You’re probably lying to yourself about how hard it is too. People ask me a lot: What do you eat if you don’t eat packaged food? What do you do to make up for not flying? Where do you get your protein? Did you ever notice[…] Keep reading →