IS HESED PART OF OUR NATURE ?

"A man is called selfish not for pursuing his own good, but for neglecting his neighbor's."

Richard Whately

It was 1964 in Queens NYC, and it seemed like a run of the mill homicide, yet after investigation of the details, it left the police commissioner and a NY Times reporter aghast. Catherine Genovese was killed in a late night attack on her home street. Her death had been a long, loud, tortured, public event. Her assailant had chased and attacked her in the street three times over a period of forty five minutes. Incredibly, thirty eight of her neighbors watched the events of her death unfold from the safety of their apartment windows without even calling the police.

"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty" Winston Churchill

All of us worry about what will happen in the future. It is natural and even healthy.

"Train yourself never to put off the word or action for the expression of gratitude."
-- Albert Schweitzer

Telling people who mean the most to us how thankful we are that they are on the planet does not come naturally. Even if we consider expressing it, we often shrink in embarrassment.

Recent surveys of religion in the USA indicate that people's affiliation with religion is becoming more diverse and fluid. More than 40% of American adults have left the faith in which they were raised, in favor of another religion or no religion at all.

The reality is that now in the 21

century, we have even less free leisure time and are working at a breathless pace. Our mobile phones and email means that work pursues us into places

and times outside of work, interrupting the little leisure time we have left.

Many people are awestruck in the presence of celebrities. These celebrities are usually movie stars or sports heroes, with great talent, looks or skill. It is an admiration for a status or ability that is exceptional.

Often people, go out of the way to seek contact with such celebrities: asking for autographs and trying to touch and shake hands with them. It is as if the important social status of the celebrity can be transferred through contact

But this sense of awe is really an exaggerated and often fleeting sense of admiration. It has led to the overused word awesome to describe an exciting or thrilling experience.

For decades the debate about balancing work and family life has been framed as an issue for women. The women's liberation movement fought to give work and professional career opportunities for women alongside men. The success of that effort has since given women the challenge of figuring out how to successfully balance work and family life. Now, it is an option.

It has been accepted that the most effective way to motivate people in business is to use money. Reward by paying more and punish by limiting pay. In everyday language this is the carrot and stick method of motivation. It is a method of using an external measure (money) as the key to motivation.