Thoughts About Life...

♦Articles

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◊The Forgotten “Ly”
◊Buy Less To Gain More

◊Book: If I Get To Five: What Children Can Teach Us About Courage and Character
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•Page 2
◊Reverse SAP
◊”Jane Bond”
◊Star Trek: Ideas
◊Some Books That I Like
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◊Pages: 1 2
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♦♦The Forgotten “LY”

When I was in College, at the University of Pennsylvania, I took a class on the Psychology of Language. The professor, an expert in her field, and might I add a fine teacher and a kind person, mentioned that the “ly” ending for an adverb might be lost someday due to lack of use. (I walk slow. versus I walk slowly.)

These days, I have found that this is happening. Many people do drop the “ly” ending when saying a word that should be an adverb; And, people don’t seem to realize that the word should have an “ly” at the end of it. Even professional speakers are doing this.

Now, I am not writing this to criticize or judge others. Languages do change and I make plenty of linguistic mistakes. But, I have to keep reminding myself to use the “ly,” so I won’t begin to unconsciously start dropping the “ly,” given the widespread usage of the dropped “ly.”

And, I would like to continue to keep using the “ly” and not lose it in my speech and in my writing.

-Glenn

♦♦Buy Less To Gain More

I am buying spending, gifts for others this time of year. And it lead me to think about my own spending throughout the year. What if I bought a bit less? What if I bought clothing that was certified sweatshop free? Yes, it would cost more. Yes, I would be able to buy less. I would have fewer things. But, since I don’t use all the stuff that I have, would that be a problem? And maybe, if I bought even less than just a little less, I could give a bit more or do a bit more or save a bit more.

If I bought, for example, a T-shirt that was made of organic cotton and produced in a sweatshop free environment where fair wages were paid to the workers, might that not be better than buying cheaper t-shirts that were made of cotton that wasn’t organic and where the labor practices were suspect. Additionally, by supporting companies (here and abroad) that have fair practices and pay fair wages, it sends a message to other companies.

Additionally, what if a portion of the clothing I bought was made in the USA and what if some other goods were made in the USA? Sure, my USA made TV might be more expensive, and maybe I could buy only a moderate sized TV, instead of a large one, but might this not put more people to work here? Might it also lead to more balanced trade with foreign countries?

I think the key for me is in the term, ”balance.” To balance my needs with my values. To understand that the cost of an item, isn’t its “true” cost. I do understand that the issues are far more complex than my brief statements surmise. But, I think that I need to apply more of this to my life, and to buy a bit less to, perhaps, gain a bit more.

-Glenn

♦♦Book: If I Get to Five: What Children Can Teach Us About Courage and Character

by Fred Epstein, MD and Josh Horwitz.
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An Amazing Book.

The Book discusses Dr. Epstein’s Life. He was a pioneering pediatric neurosurgeon, now deceased, and the founder of the Institute for Neurology and Neurosurgery (INN) in NYC. The book talks of his life and growing up with dyslexia and possible ADD, at a time when both illnesses were “unknown” and children with these illnesses were labeled, mistakenly, as stupid. Fortunately, he had the help of a relative who taught him and the help of a teacher who gave him oral exams, instead of written ones. Dr. Epstein was determined to become a doctor and to prove those who labeled him as “stupid,” wrong. The author mentions that he only got into one medical school with help. But, he became a pediatric neurosurgeon and went on to take cases that no one wanted and to pioneer different surgical techniques, such as for removing brainstem and spinal cord tumors. Additionally, he founded the INN as a place to not only medically treat patients, but to also care for them. Humanistic innovations included having a clown as part of the staff, having music therapy, and unlimited visiting hours in which parents could sleep over. The book goes into more details about Dr. Epstein’s life and his medical career.

As I continue reading the book, I am finding Dr. Epstein’s story to be truly remarkable, but the most touching sections of the book, are when he discusses his patients, including young children hoping to get to the age of five, and what the children taught Dr. Epstein about life. The young children savored the moments of their short lives and lived with tremendous courage.

As I continue to read this book, the stories of these amazing children are helping me to appreciate life more and to hopefully live more fully. To be grateful for what I have and how to overcome past disappointments.

I hope that no children have to go through what these brave children went through.

Here is an article with more information about Dr. Fred Epstein and his life and his work.

http://www.nysun.com/obituaries/fred-epstein-68-leading-pediatric-neurosurgeon/35920/

-Glenn