Thank You Without a Press Conference
A compliment can be answered with: Thank you. There is no need to prove the praise was undeserved: Oh, come on, it’s old, it was cheap, it came out by…
An Asymmetric Life
Everyone has their own combination of strengths, limits, opportunities and risks. There was no fair deal. One person talks easily and copes badly with uncertainty. Another learns fast and decides…
Traps for luck
Success stories are usually built around the hero’s effort and character. Luck, starting conditions and help from others make the plot less tidy and so often disappear in the edit.…
The traverse
Achievement culture likes straight lines: see the goal and walk to it without turning. On real terrain, between the two points, there can be a wall, a swamp, someone else’s…
Why economics belongs here
The word “economics” in a conversation about love raises an understandable suspicion. It is usually expected to bring an attempt to put a price on people, turn marriage into an…
Forgiveness: repair or subsidy?
It is easier to forgive an enemy than to forgive a friend. — William Blake Forgiveness enters the conversation already loaded with morality. It is rarely discussed as an operation…