Jason A. Merchey's Blog, page 2

The Scientist & the Segregationist: Henry A. Wallace & George C. Wallace

George C. Wallace, the multi-term governor of Alabama, ran for president of the United States repeatedly. He was shot and he was the victim of skullduggery by the Democrats to keep him off the ticket. He never did quite get traction enough to win, but that didn't mean he wasn't supported by 15-20% of the populace. He was virtually indefatigable, and quite transparent. Though, apparently, he wasn't a white supremacist through-and-through, like politicians David Duke, or Patrick Buchanan. He was an opportunist; a changeling.
Henry A. Wallace, Franklin Roosevelt's three-term vice-president, scientist, man of peace, and economic progressive, can quite clearly be compared and contrasted to the notorious racist and political opportunist, George C. Wallace. Neither man is much-spoken-of nowadays, but both can teach the careful observer about the rise of Donald Trump and his noxious brand of showmanship mixed with populism and white grievance. In a time of racial divisions, economic stress, and lies-vs-truth, to compare Henry and George Wallace is no mere academic pursuit.

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A Life of Value: Mindfulness Training in Prison

Guest blogger Indy Rishi Singh describes his enthralling and impactful experience teaching mindfulness to prisoners.

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Mister Rogers Teaches How to be Good, Tolerant, & Kind

Shea Tuttle is a freelance writer who believes that the host of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood taught kids critical emotional and social skills that are still relevant to adults today. I agree that the show focused on the good, tolerant, and wholesome, and is sorely missed in this political climate. Tuttle writes: "It seems we sense that Mister Rogers, whom we used to know so well, who used to seem to know us so well, may have something to say to us in our divided, contentious, often-painful cultural and political climate. [This blog features seven] of Mister Rogers’ teachings that could "help us weather today’s ups and downs, stand up for what we believe in, and come together across our differences," as Tuttle puts it.

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Ch. 2 Summary: “In Defense of a Liberal Education”

In my previous posting on historian and political analyst Fareed Zakaria's book In Defense of a Liberal Education, I introduced the topic, shared how it was that the author came to value a true and deep kind of education, and extolled America's great history of "an education to all that was not skills-based." The "Great Books" approach found fertile soil in the United States in the 1930s and in the ensuing few decades. Now, in an era of iPads, Slurpees, and 300-horsepower cars, most students want to study business, psychology, or marketing. Fareed Zakaria and I believe that skills, such as STEM learning, are useful, but that it is not the entirety of what a distinguished and wise strain of thinkers from Socrates on thought was going to make the best, most well-rounded person. In this blog, I will review and summarize chapter two in the book, which is essentially a history and encapsulation of the approach to education known as liberal education/liberal arts.

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My Thoughts on Police Officer Quality

Police departments tend to create officers "in a certain mold"—and the morale, ethics, maturity, and psychological sophistication of veteran officers make a nearly indelible mark on the mentality and conduct of rookie officers. Police officer quality has much to do with the quality of applicants—and the background-checking performed on said applicants. And 1) sub-par pay plus 2) significant on-the-job challenges make for questionable quality, stressed, risky officers. Second-rate or even defective deputies make for critical incidents gone awry, and that affects the quality of life of the citizenry. Only poorly-chosen, poorly-trained, defective human beings are police officers who brutalize and even kill members of the community for no justifiable reasons. 

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Social Violence: Causes and Prescriptions

Mass murder is different than 1:1 murder and suicide. It symbolizes deep social decay. Add in heavy weaponry and you got yourself one big social problem. What issues underlie the phenomenon? It is mental illness? Is it guns? Is it endemic to a country that is in "the waning days of empire?" Is it an outgrowth of massive wealth inequality? What role does race play? Read on for some exploration of this noxious type of social violence that seems to constantly recur like an absurd Sysephean tragedy. 

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Is MLK’s Dream of Social Justice Actually Possible?

It might sound odd or indefensible to claim that Martin Luther King Jr.'s wonderful speech known as "I Have a Dream" was determined by MLK to be more of a nightmare than a dream of peace and tranquility. In fact, if you think about it, the phrase "the American dream" refers not to racial or social justice, but striking it rich. Indeed, American values (the dark ones) dashed King's buoyant optimism present when he wrote about his dream, and he knew this before he died. Will social justice and racial integration ever be realized? Your guess is as good as mine.

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My Experience Writing About Values and Wisdom

In this blog, I will explore my feelings and thoughts when it comes to an area of expertise I have developed: writing about values and ethics. I have experienced ups and downs, successes and failures, challenges and triumphs in the last 30 years since high school, and especially in the last 14 since I founded Values of the Wise. Perhaps herein you will find something that encourages you to emulate (or avoid) my process. It wasn't until about 15 months ago (since I began blogging) that I began thinking of myself as an artist. It's a good feeling, but a bit of a burden, too.

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Are You Asking Yourself, “What If I’m Not Happy?”

This is a great question. Many times in my 44 years have I asked that question. Unfortunately, often I did not. I spent a fair amount of my time experiencing less happiness, less fulfillment, and less goal-attainment than I probably could have. I expect this might be the case with you, which is why you clicked on this blog. Let me share just a few aspects of my pursuit of "the good life" and attempt to address the question of, What if I'm not happy? 

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Self-Improvement Has Much to Do with Values

The concept has many names: personal growth, self-help, psycho-emotional development, self-improvement, self-growth, etc. They can have a slightly "cheesy" ring to them, but much has been written about them (and there is a huge audience for this kind of material). In this blog, I will share some opinions I have about what self-improvement (or whatever name you want to use) is really about. Many inspiring quotes about personal growth will be presented. This piece should encourage the reader toward higher levels of psychological, spiritual, moral, and philosophical development to come to believe that self-improvement has much to do with values.

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