Our current societal entertainments are not so far removed from those depicted in The Hunger Games series. In order to get back on track, we ought to focus on our real lives and not on what passes for reality in the entertainment industry.

“What do you want to be when you grow up?” This innocent question is maddeningly hard to answer for many young people. Part of the difficulty is born of the surreal environment we build for our children and the distance we put between them and the adult world.

The Occupy movement is causing us to confront our denial head-on. People are finally talking about — and in some cases, even taking action to remedy — injustices that have been with us for far too long.

The Twilight Saga’s emphasis on youth misses the point that aging has benefits and mortality makes life sweet.

As disaffection for higher education grows, it may be time to rethink fundamental assumptions about teaching and learning.

When people fail to take responsibility for their choices and actions — when they behave with a sense of entitlement and irresponsibility — it costs our whole society dearly. To remedy this social ill we need to acknowledge the issues and deal with them, otherwise our precious freedom will be eroded.

People with aggressive personality styles are frequently already operating in an aggressive mode long before they ever become angry. For them, brandishing anger is more of an intimidation tactic than a genuine expression of emotion — and that’s why many don’t respond particularly well to traditional anger management interventions.