Silver Place Olympians Aren't Satisfied

Olympic athletes turn down social opportunities in order to go to bed early, get out of bed before the sun comes up, and limit their diets to include ...

The Credit Card—One of History's Most Influential Objects

Neil MacGregor's book the History of the World in 100 Objects chronicles the things that have had the greatest impact on human history. (The items ...

Entitlement Mindset Produces Ingratitude

The bigger our sense of entitlement, the smaller our sense of gratitude …. [Our entitlement mindset] has led to a proliferation of lawsuits: when ...

Historian Observes Our Inflated Expectations

Historian Daniel Boorstin suggests that Americans suffer from all-too-extravagant expectations. In his much-quoted book, The Image, Boorstin makes this ...

Black Friday Trampling at Walmart

Professor James A. Roberts uses the following true story to illustrate the power of our "worldwide consumer culture" (which he defines as "the ...

Married Couple Make a Mutual Discovery: "You Can't Satisfy Me"

In his book Fill These Hearts, Christopher West describes a surprising and simple discovery that changed his marriage:

Years ago [my wife] and I were out ...

If Your House Were Burning, What Would You Grab?

If your house was burning, what would you grab on your way out the door? That question intrigued photographer Foster Huntington, so he gathered his must-save ...

Timeline Shows How Luxuries Become Necessities

An article from The Atlantic observed that over the past 100 years we have often turned yesterday's luxury products into today's necessities.

Father Teaches His Son a Lesson on True Contentment

The story is told of a father of a wealthy family who took his son on a trip to the country to show his son how poor people can be. They spent a couple ...

Many Cultures Still Don't Have a Word for Boredom

Science writer Winifred Gallagher argues that what we call boredom (which she defines as "the unpleasant sense that there is nothing that interests ...