Quite apart from the question of whether human beings in a deterministic world can be said to be free — and what that means for moral responsibility — the idea remains that we all have it within us to be more than just a slave to our fears and desires.

Making choices and commitments is part of life: even when we think we’ve avoided making a decision, that in itself is a choice. But is ‘choosing not to make a choice’ really the best way to approach life?

Charlie Sheen and Bernie Madoff are just two of the latest examples showing that yes, character really does matter. As I state in the title of one of my books, character disturbance is the phenomenon of our age.

When the wine is flowing freely, no one really turns their attention to the hangover that awaits after the party’s over. Having squandered energy and natural resources for decades, what do we do now?

Therapy is a tool, and like all tools, it can be used for good or ill. Too often, plumbing the depths of a problem leads not to a solution, but to a thicket of obstacles.

The course of child development is a multidimensional one, and while evidence suggests that children are maturing physically more quickly than ever before, there are big questions about whether they are sufficiently developed emotionally and psychologically before they enter serious relationships and start making babies.

There’s more than a call to freedom or a cry of deliverance from repression going on right now. History is reminding us of the worth of every human soul and our duty to show appropriate reverence for life and the life-sustaining characteristics of our planet.