01Jul 2024 by CJ
What’s wrong with lying in dating apps, resumes, and politics? A lot!

What’s wrong with lying in dating apps, resumes, and politics? A lot!

Information & Education, Life & Living
"My father always told me that what's wrong with lying is that it's an admission of weakness. If you're the strongest, you can afford to tell the truth." K.J. Parker, British novelist A few days ago, I stumbled upon some information that I've struggled to purge from my mind. This information suggests that society cannot fully grasp what's wrong with lying, especially when creating a fictitious version of oneself to appear more desirable in a given situation or circumstance. In a 2023 survey by Bright Futures, 90% of online dating app users admitted to lying on their profiles. The most common lies were age, height, career and financial status, location, and appearance. In a 2022 survey by LinkedIn, 72% of respondents admitted to lying on their resumes. The most common…
Read More
01Jun 2024 by CJ
Acceptance Is a Lifelong Struggle That Never Gets Easier

Acceptance Is a Lifelong Struggle That Never Gets Easier

Life & Living, Love & Relationships
"Acceptance doesn't mean resignation, that the circumstance goes away, or that we necessarily feel better about it. The impact and emotions it evokes is present irrespective of whether we accept it or not. The question is whether we're layering on the pain and further intensifying and exacerbating what already exists." - Michelle P. Maidenberg (psychologist and professor) The post you are about to read has been challenging for me to write, taking considerably longer to complete than any in recent memory.  While the subject matter for this post was clear from the onset, as were my intentions for writing it, I found myself staring at a blank page for hours, even days, jotting down a cluster of ideas, ultimately leading to nowhere. Anyone who writes understands there are occasions when the artistic energy…
Read More
09May 2024 by CJ
A Child’s Anxiety May Be Caused By What You’re Saying

A Child’s Anxiety May Be Caused By What You’re Saying

Life & Living, Youth
"As a mom, I could feed my child's anxiety, or I could feed their peace. We set the temperature for our kids." – Beth Moore, President of Living Proof Ministries. This weekend, my wife and I attended a live sporting event near our home, and after its unclimactic conclusion, I found myself somewhat surprised by what I'd just witnessed. My wife and I don't frequent live sporting events, so we're not aware of or accustomed to enthusiastic fans' over-the-top behaviors as they encircle players from the sidelines with a chorus of harsh and negative comments that are hard to ignore. While I understand playing sports requires incredible concentration and the ability to dismiss a chorus of negative comments thrown at you by eager spectators, I'm unsure how players successfully accomplish…
Read More
05Mar 2024 by CJ
Stereotypes Prevent Us from Getting to Know Others

Stereotypes Prevent Us from Getting to Know Others

Life & Living, Youth
"The single story creates stereotypes, and the problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but that they are incomplete. They make one story become the only story." Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Once upon a time, in a land called New Jersey, lived a young boy (that would be me) who struggled to fit in and find acceptance with other young boys his age. I was kind, sensitive, amusing, and highly creative, with a never-ending imagination that always surprised and amazed everyone around me.  Such traits were not befitting of the societal stereotypes adopted and supported when it came to the male gender and their behaviors.  But such traits were only one part of my story. I also enjoyed digging in the dirt behind my parent's garage with a miniature…
Read More
06Dec 2023 by CJ
Christmas Memories Bring the Holidays to Life

Christmas Memories Bring the Holidays to Life

Life & Living, Love & Relationships
"That's what Christmas memories are made from, they're not planned, they're not scheduled, nobody puts them in their blackberry, they just happen." – Deck the Halls (Movie, 2006) My grandmother lived on the first floor of a modest two-family home. The rooms were not large, the décor was somewhat dated, and storage was always an issue, especially for a woman notorious for saving everything.  Her first-floor apartment always felt warm, safe, and welcoming for a little boy who spent countless hours in his grandmother's company. Widowed in her early 50s, I became a loyal companion for my grandmother, filling in some of the silence with endless chatter, constant questions, and hearty laughter, which seemed to lessen our loneliness for very different reasons. Hers, due to the loss of my grandfather and me,…
Read More