Magazines

Have you observed angry, demanding people with grievances—whether real or imagined—or special interests seeking redress with threats of disruption or violence to achieve their ends? It is an ancient practice that will not end well for them. In several places, the Bible calls such individuals “fools.” For example, “It is honorable for a man to stop striving, since any fool can start a quarrel” (Proverbs 20:3).

A sigh is an audible exhalation of breath—a groan, an expression of sadness, grief, yearning, resignation, or frustration. Why do we sigh?

Usually, a negative mood motivates a sigh, though sighs can also be a simple expression of relief. When we have negative emotions, our brain may trigger the release of “sigh neuropeptides” that cause us to sigh. Scientists suggest that a sigh might serve as a “reset button” for the respiratory system.

The title of a recent New York Times Magazine article read like a stark announcement: “The Insect Apocalypse Is Here” (November 27, 2018). The article describes the devastating loss of insect populations around the globe in recent decades. According to research cited in the article, Monarch butterfly populations in the U.S. have declined by 90 percent in the last 20 years. The rusty-patched bumblebee has declined by 87 percent during the same period.

Demonstrations over higher fuel taxes have resulted in riots in Paris (Deutsche Welle, December 3, 2018). Demonstrations have spread all over France, with hundreds of thousands participating.