Watson Memorial Methodist Church sat at the corner of North Delaware Street and Maple Street in Independence, Missouri, at the time we lived there. I understand that it and the house that sat next door, which served as the church annex, and was used for Sunday school, have since been torn down and… Continue Reading
ETHICS AND THE UNIVERSE
It seems impossible to equal the experience of listening to astonishing music in any place other than the concert hall. We have some remarkable sound systems now that we can set up in our homes, giving us lovely surround sound to watch a ball game or a movie. We can certainly get great surround sound… Continue Reading
ETHICS AND SPACE
I got drafted right out of college, to serve during the Korean War, as previously noted. I was eager to serve my country, but could not agree to go off to some foreign country to kill some other human. When the draft board accepted my protest and allowed me to serve my county in… Continue Reading
ETHICS AND INTERNATIONALISM
My second wife, Rita, and I shared a committed relationship for about four years before we got married. We were so sure that our relationship was a lifetime deal, we wanted to have a child together. We were not exactly sure this was going to be possible. I had undergone a previous vasectomy,… Continue Reading
ETHICS AND NATIONALISM
I have twice, during my career, been in the courtroom, being tried in front of a jury of 12 other citizens, having been legally accused of willful negligence which caused the death of another human being. The attorney for the plaintiff, in each case, made the statement to the jury, as part of his opening… Continue Reading
ETHICS AND DEATH
I cringe to see death without reasonable cause. I was born that way .This is obviously a bias that is not shared by the majority of the rest of the human species, or defined much differently by them. My curse has always been being terribly slow at everything, and fully realizing this was my personal… Continue Reading
ETHICS AND WAR
My second brother was a model child. He was good at most everything he did. He was good looking, intelligent, athletic, and attentive to his parents. He excelled in school studies. He played tackle on our High School football team and was good enough to be offered a college football scholarship. He never,… Continue Reading
ETHICS AND POVERTY/WEALTH
My first divorce was mostly my fault, because I was unfaithful. There were plenty of offers, and those that were the most enticing I accepted, with guilty glee. I should have instead faced our marital incompatibilities, once they became dominant, and dealt with them face to face rather than seeking comfort elsewhere. Once that unfaithful… Continue Reading
ETHICS AND WORK
My first remembrances of life were of our home on a farm in Kansas. There were many vivid memories of that time, which have been described elsewhere. It was pretty much a subsistence form of life, although I do not remember my parents ever complaining about their poverty, nor did I ever feel deprived.… Continue Reading
ETHICS AND LIFE
John Henry Deutschendorf (aka John Denver) had his life epiphany when he was twenty seven years old, traveling to his new home in Aspen, Colorado. It hit him like a bomb. Before that moment, he had not known exactly who he was, what his purpose was in life, what his life meant… Continue Reading