Author Archives: Jim Gleason

We don’t use the word “redeemed” very often these days. Years ago it was used to to describe the process by which we earned money in exchange for returned glass bottles. Now that’s called recycling. But the word redeemed was used in the horrifying process of slavery. A slave could have been redeemed for cashContinue reading “Redeemed”

Shows featuring Hollywood celebrities engaging in athletic competitions were on television years ago. We enjoyed watching our favorite stars participating in events that they were never trained to do. Some celebrities were hyper competitive and took the games seriously, while others just had fun and enjoyed the interaction. The final event was often a winner-take-allContinue reading “Anchor Man”

I once had a supervisor who would call me on the phone everyday, late in the workday. Since we lived and worked in different states, I think part of the reason for the call was to make sure that I was still working. But the troubling part of the call was that every day heContinue reading “Repaying Evil for Evil”

The world system has always put pressure on us to conform. Marketing tells us what food we should consume, what car we should drive, and what house we should buy, among many other things. Political ideologues instruct us how to follow the party line. With social media, we are now told how to speak andContinue reading “Conformity”

My wife and I witnessed first hand how a life can be consumed with traditions. We watched as Hindu neighbors and friends painstakingly followed the traditions of their faith. It required a lot of time and effort to carefully practice the traditions, which included a daily offering to the gods. I still can’t imagine theContinue reading “Keeping Traditions”