When You're at a Loss for Words

I do not recommend saying these words to people with whom you are only acquainted. These are for people who already love you and will forgive you when you say them (actually, they may like numbers one and four).

1. “May I tell you something? You are the kindest person I’ve ever met.”

2. “Wow! Did you comb your hair today? You sure look nice!”

3. “Please excuse me, but I couldn’t help but notice how nicely pressed your slacks are today.”

4. “The state of California just passed a new law saying that people with a coolness factor above 10 can’t go to school. I’m sorry, you have to leave.”

5. “When you become super famous, will you remember me?”

6. “If you were a movie, you would be Happy Feet, because you are happy.”

7. “Kindness is like a river, and you, my very special friend, are flowing swiftly.”

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Heroes

Although we have several examples of heroes in our day, one of the best known is of a woman named Agnes Gonxhe Bojaxhiu (“Gonja Bojaju”), who devoted her life to sustaining the “poor, sick, orphaned, and dying.” Her venue was Calcutta, India, where she served as a teacher until she began to take notice of the poverty there. Seeking to do something about it, she began an organization that consisted of just thirteen members at its inception. Called the “Missionaries of Charity,” the organization would eventually burgeon into well over 5,000 members worldwide, running approximately 600 missions, schools and shelters in 120 countries; and caring for the orphaned, blind, aged, disabled, and poor. As her personal work expanded, she traveled to countries like Lebanon, where she rescued 37 children from a hospital by pressing for peace between Israel and Palestine; to Ethiopia, where she traveled to help the hungry; to Chernobyl, Russia, to assist victims of the nuclear meltdown there; and to ...

The Nice Guy Fallacy

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Comparative Medical Care

One thing I'd like to understand is why there is such a difference between medical costs here and those in Haiti. At the time the book Mountains Beyond Mountains was written, in 2003, it often cost $15,000 to $20,000 annually to treat a patient with tuberculosis, while it cost one one-hundredth of that-- $150 to $200-- to treat a patient for the disease in Haiti. Even if the figures aren't completely accurate, the sheer difference would still be there. Indeed, the United States pays more per capita for medical care than any other country on Earth. My first guess for why the disparity exists is that there is a market willing and able to pay more for medical treatment, so suppliers see the demand and respond with higher prices. According to at least one doctor (go to http://scienceblogs.com/denialism/2009/05/what_is_the_cause_of_excess_co.php), part of the reason is administrative prices here. People here have a higher standard of living, and so the cost of care is shifted to ...

Thoughts

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