Public Ponder

Seneca on Greatness: What Makes a Person Great?

“It is a great man that can treat his earthenware as if it was silver, and a man who treats his silver as if it was earthenware is no less great.” Seneca the Younger, in Letters from a Stoic I’m sad to...Read More →

Seneca on Death: Why Will You Die?

“You will die not because you are sick but because you are alive. That end still awaits you when you have been cured.” Seneca the Younger, in Letters from a Stoic Most of the time, we are oblivious to...Read More →

Abortion Arguments and Disability: Why People Get It Wrong

I grew up in a comprehensively Catholic environment. It was not until I went to college that I first heard arguments in favor of abortion rights from supporters of such rights. It's unsettling to face...Read More →

How Much Is My Son’s Life Worth?

Many years after 9/11, I read an article in The New York Times (Putting a Price of the Priceless: One Life, September 9, 2007) about how families of 9/11 victims were compensated. As I was reading it,...Read More →

On Common Sense & Luxury Cars

In the beautiful nation of Venezuela -where I'm from- the majority of people live in poverty. They may not have a high school education. They may live in a shack with ten other family members and have...Read More →

On Prayer, God’s Will and Lincoln’s Second Inaugural

On March 4, 1865, forty-one days before he was assassinated, Abraham Lincoln delivered his Second Inaugural Address in Washington, DC. The speech is dense, and documents, in the 16th President’s own...Read More →

My Son’s Braces Came Off!

My son Diego, who’s 26 and has autism, got braces on February 2, 2019. They came off on January 16, 2020. For 350 days straight, at least once or twice a day, I was meticulous with his oral hygiene. I...Read More →

The Cycle of Shame and Self-Blame in Parenting

At some point, if you're the parent of a teenager, you'll feel like you can do NOTHING right. Such is the case even when, unlike my son, the teenager does not have autism and an intellectual disability....Read More →

The Day My Mom Stepped on a Yorkie Puppy

It all started the day my mom stepped on Luca, mortally wounding him: our family’s gradual shift from dog neutral to dog enthusiasts. My sister Gabi, 23 at the time, commented to her colleagues at the...Read More →