Or, rather, there is no such thing as “need” in the sense that people commonly think they mean it.  I was taught very early, by some well-meaning but not very sophisticated grade-school teacher, the difference between “needs” and “wants;” that a need was something one had to have to live and everything else was a…

Sarcasm is like profanity or drunkenness. It is socially acceptable, sometimes socially celebrated, but it is not and never has been good, beautiful, or positive. It is ugly, and you are a lesser person for indulging in it.

I figure there is enough ugliness in the world without my contribution. I have heard, many times, from people who swear a lot, about the study which supposedly indicated a positive correlation between the use of profanity and the use of language overall—the implication being that people who swear a lot, contrary to what one…

In popular discourse, people use the word “stress” to mean several different things.  “Stress” refers the factors which impose upon us.  “I’m under a lot of stress at work.”  “This is a stressful time in my life.”  It refers to one’s experience of those factors.  “I’m stressed out.”  “My stress level is high right now.” …