Archive for 2010

Mirror, Mirror On the Wall

When I first became interested in metaphysics, it was very discouraging to pick up book after book and read about all the psychics who appeared to have cornered the market on spirituality. They wrote prolifically about meditation, yoga, and God, although not necessarily in that order. There were numerous “how-to” books on the subject of self-actualization and the discipline required to attain that exalted state. It seemed as if, like Athena, springing full-grown from the head of Zeus, all these …

I thought I had seen and heard everything. Obviously not. In the news is this unbelievable story of a 43-foot gold Christmas tree, purchased for an Abu Dhabi luxury hotel for a mere $11 million U.S. dollars. I don’t care how rich you are . . . Who buys a Christmas tree for $11 million dollars?? But this is no ordinary tree. It is adorned with gold, rubies, diamonds, and other precious stones from their hotel jeweler. The Emirates Palace …

A few decades ago, when a child entered the hallowed halls of higher learning, it was the mark of accomplishment. Most people acknowledged that the student was intelligent and his college diploma would open doors to whatever field he wanted to enter. They also assumed that his earning capacity would be much greater than those who didn’t graduate from college. Of course, that was in the days before Bill Gates blew that kind of thinking out of the water when …

With just two weeks to go until Christmas, I would have thought the stores would be packed cheek by jowl with holiday shoppers. Instead, I’ve found just the opposite. I picked one of the stores where people always have to wait in line with ten or fifteen people ahead of them, just about any time of the year, day or evening, holiday or not. Yesterday, there was only one person ahead of me and he was just finishing up. I …

In the days before television became a staple in most people’s homes, you sat around the radio and listened to the news. President Roosevelt had his Fireside Chats once a week and Churchill’s voice reverberated over the airwaves. People visualized what was happening in the world and families had discussions about world events. There was a connectedness that people felt toward one another. With the advent of television, it wasn’t necessary to visualize much of anything. The atrocities of war …

The month of December has historically been a time of giving. In the worst of times I’ve watched people who had barely enough money to put food on the table, empty their pockets in grocery stores to put coins and bills into the charity boxes near the cash registers, and to reach into their wallets to give something to strangers in the street. The holidays have always brought out the best in us and the worst in us. When we …

This morning, I happened to glance at an ad for fuzzy winter bedroom slippers and immediately, across the tableau of my memories, was this vivid recollection of one of life’s embarrassing moments. Keep in mind that I was very young at the time. My boyfriend was traveling from a different direction and I was to meet him outside the train station so we could take the train into the city to do some shopping and see a play. In the …

I have always liked experimenting with concepts and one of the concepts I experimented with was the sending of divine love and light to the spirit of God within a person. I wanted to see if I could change a person’s attitude and make him into a more loving being after a lifetime of abusing others. I discovered that while it is not an easy task, it is more than possible to accomplish. It just takes perseverance and a desire …

A couple of weeks ago, we saw the death of the entrepreneurial spirit in the form of three thirteen-year-old boys who were closed down by cops for selling their cupcakes next to the entrance of the park without a permit. The person who turned them in is a councilman on the Town Board who came upon them on the second day of their sales and asked if they were raising money for a charity. When they said they were saving …

The holidays must be approaching because the crazies are starting to come out of the woodwork. Usually, this is presaged by the road traffic leading up to the stores and people standing in line near the cash registers. This year, you would hardly notice an increase in traffic and the stores don’t seem particularly crowded. So, if the roads aren’t jammed with bumper-to-bumper traffic and the stores aren’t particularly crowded, why would I be thinking that the holidays are fast …

Connie H. Deutsch

Archive for 2010

Mirror, Mirror On the Wall

Oh, My Gawd!!!

What Does a College Diploma Mean Today?

Where Is Everyone?

Is Technology the Cause of Global Indifference?

‘Tis the Season

Cherished Memories

The Spiritual Essence of Pond Scum

The Death of the Entrepreneurial Spirit

Ho! Ho! Ho!… Bah, Humbug!