Matthew Arnold Stern's Blog, page 34
August 25, 2018
Am I good enough?
All of us experience moments of self-doubt. We lose a contest, get passed over for promotion, or have our ideas rejected. That’s when the question pops up, “Am I good enough?” There are times when we feel that we aren’t. Our talents only go so far. We are constrained by our physical bodies. We may …
August 19, 2018
Fiction: The Great Man’s funeral
This story isn’t about who you think it is. It is a cautionary tale for everyone who is convinced of their own grandeur as they face the same destiny as everyone else. He had prepared well. As loathed as he was to admit it, he knew the day was coming. Since he wouldn’t be able to …
August 14, 2018
Spoons and a lesson about community
It’s hard to watch the news today without becoming consumed with rage and grief. But we want to believe there is a way out of this rabbit hole. We try to picture an ideal world that we can work towards. But how can we picture such a world when all we see is chaos, venality, and …
August 7, 2018
You won’t get over it
For you, next week will be six months. For me, next month will be 42 years. Here is something I learned in that time. It isn’t what you want to hear, and it might not comfort you, but it’s the truth you need. You won’t get over it. I didn’t know Mary Ann Henderson personally, …
August 1, 2018
What’s special about education
Later this month, my granddaughter will start kindergarten. Over the next dozen or more years, she will be expected to learn her multiplication tables, read A Wrinkle In Time, and learn about the three branches of government like anyone who doesn’t have cerebral palsy. I’m happy that she will get a public school education at a …
July 27, 2018
To sell yourself, be yourself
“Can we get back to writing now, please?” Sure. You might consider my posts about Stoneman Douglas and my displeasure with the President to be distractions from what I should be doing, building a platform. I have books to sell, and a book I want a publisher to pick up. I should be busy building …
July 22, 2018
Tommy’s button
When the March For Our Lives tour came to our area, I had to go. I wanted to hear their stories, learn more about the issues, and find ways I can help. But there was one thing I wanted to do if I were to meet one of the students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High …
July 1, 2018
Is it time to bring back irreverent humor?
Have you ever heard of shuttle jokes? Shortly after the Challenger disaster in January 1986, a bunch of jokes started circulating about it. Here is the least offensive of them: “Why does NASA drink Pepsi? Because they can’t get 7-Up.” Why would people joke about something as horrible as the death of seven astronauts? Or the …
June 25, 2018
A time to act
Thoughtful blog posts and snarky tweets can only go so far. If you want change, you have to get out from behind the keyboard, put on your walking shoes, and hit the streets. It has been 36 years since I’ve been involved in any type of political event besides voting. But I went to a …
June 18, 2018
What do we write about now?
In addition to everything President Trump has done, he has eliminated entire genres of fiction. Cold War spy thrillers where a hostile power tries to take over the United States government? Today, it’s the subject of an active investigation. An adversary who tries to blackmail the president with compromising information? Look at all the compromising …
