Since I have come out in support of Israel in the current conflict, I have been called a "Zionist" by many people online. But what does this word really mean? Is it the belief that Jews have a supernatural divine "right" to Israel because their god told them so? Is...
When was the last time you leaped to your feet to applaud artists performing live in a theater? It seems like forever ago for me. That void was recently filled to the brim in downtown Orlando, Florida, when I attended two performances by local ballet companies of...
For many people, “work” is a word with unpleasant associations. Children associate it with the burden of school work, which they have to do, like it or not. Many adults associate it with a nine-to-five job, an onerous chore that they believe they must endure in...
Performers who love what they do can invoke a pure, soul-fueling joy in their audiences. Two performers who exemplify this are Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. The pair starred together in ten musical films between 1933 and 1949. Astaire and Rogers were both...
Producing a solo work of art that beautifies your home can leave you with a wonderful daily reminder of your abilities. I learned this after arranging photos I’d taken over my couch to create an esthetically pleasing corner of my humble abode. A few years...
Feelings are not proper guides to action, but they are a tremendous and compelling aspect of our lives. Whatever goals you are pursuing, there may be moments when you don't feel like doing the task at hand. How do you manage this conflict? Although you may not...
“A gracefully effortless floating, flowing and flying are the essentials of the ballet’s image of man. It projects a fragile kind of strength and a certain inflexible precision.” ― Ayn Rand, The Romantic Manifesto Swan Lake has captivated audiences for more than a...
We're going to stumble, make mistakes, I'm sure more than a few before we find our footing, but we're going to learn from those mistakes. That's what being human is all about. —Captain Jonathan Archer, “Star Trek: Enterprise—Shockwave: Part 2” (2002) Star Trek has...
Once I knew only darkness and stillness. Now I know hope and joy. —Helen Keller. In 1882, when Helen Keller was nineteen months old, an illness left her blind, deaf, and consequently dumb. For the next five years, she lived essentially as a wild animal in the...
