Roger Meyer

Human nature is not generally supportive of seeking the truth. People are often strongly tempted to seek only like-minded opinions and “facts” supporting their ideas while dismissing facts that challenge what they want to believe. It is a trap we can all fall into. Many times I’ve heard the statement, “Well, I still think [blank] and you can’t convince me otherwise.” But, is this attitude really good for us?

You may have seen news stories about “mind reading” becoming technologically possible. What was once science fiction is close to becoming reality. Will doctors, law enforcement, and government agencies, assisted by such technology, soon be able to read and interpret our brain waves? Are “thought police” and mind control in our near future?

As parents, we desire that our children grow up to be sensible, mature adults with good character. Everybody grows up physically, but not everyone grows up mentally and emotionally—and spiritual maturity is another matter entirely.

In recent years, a lot of attention has been given in the news, politics, and academia to the notion of “offenses” and “microaggressions” over numerous potential slights, offenses, and “triggers” that people claim to experience. Sometimes it seems as though individuals and groups everywhere are determined to find things to be offended about—and often find them. But is it healthy to be hypersensitive to any perceived offense?

The phrase “Dr. Livingstone, I presume?” became famous after an American correspondent by the name of Henry Morton Stanley hunted for and finally found in 1871 the “lost” African explorer and missionary, Dr. David Livingstone. This famous phrase is still occasionally recounted when someone meets again a “long lost” friend after many years.