Who Needs a Hero?
The notion of the hero figure has been part of popular culture for a long time. The prevalence of this recurrent theme over the generations may indicate a deep-seated hope people have that all will turn out okay—someone will take action, come to their rescue and save them from the current peril or crisis.
The Violent Heart
Despite our best efforts toward peace;the story of humanity is in large part the story of animosity and violence. What is it about people that leads them to treat one another as adversaries?
The Value of Happiness
In A Good Childhood: Searching for Values in a Competitive Age (2009), The Children’s Society, a charitable organization in the United Kingdom that seeks to make childhood better for all children, sought the views of over 30,000 children, parents and professionals about the current state of childhood.
Who Am I? The Question of Youth Violence
Research suggests that a child who lacks a positive sense of identity is much more likely to turn violent. Gina Stepp explores five keys to help parents protect their children from becoming victimizers.
Life Without Children: The New Generation Gap
Researchers in America and Britain have recently identified several key indicators signaling that child care now occupies less of the average adult’s lifetime than in past decades. What are the social implications for the future of the family in these two Western nations?
Barbie Turns 50
The most popular fashion doll in history is no stranger to plastic surgery, having had several makeovers during her half-century reign over the doll world. What does the forever-young, always-in-style Barbie say about our world, about our values, about us?
Addicted to Adulation: Are We Raising Praise Junkies?
Instinctively, supportive parents seek to enhance their children’s academic success through generous amounts of encouragement. But does lavish praise from adults correlate with classroom success?
Take Me Out to the Ball Game
For many moms and dads, going out to the ball game is a welcome diversion from daily duties: a time of wholesome family activity. Unfortunately, all is not fun and games in Norman Rockwell’s America.
Christmas: Does It Matter?
It’s generally acknowledged that the second-most important festival of the Christian calendar has no biblical support. Most people shrug that off as irrelevant, but is it?
It Is Better to Give Than to Receive—No, Really!
Have you ever wondered who gives, who doesn’t and why the difference? If so, you’ll be interested to know that Professor Brooks, has, as they say, done the math!
Thanks, but No Thanks?
Very soon most Americans will take a holiday, ostensibly to give thanks. But most will likely give thanks, as they have in years gone by, by simply eating too much.
The Capital “I” in “I Do!”
In July, The National Marriage Project, a nonpartisan, nonsectarian and interdisciplinary initiative at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey released its annual report: The State of Our Unions: 2007. It suggests that the tradition of marriage is troubled today in large part because of an emerging cultural emphasis on individualism.
Life Without Children: The New Nurture Gap
Researchers in America and Britain have recently identified several key indicators signaling that child care occupies less of the average adult’s lifetime. The social implications for the future of the family may be enormous.
Our Demographic Destiny
The Total Fertility Rate is the average number of children born per woman over the course of her lifetime. Demographers, who study the distribution and density of human populations, declare that a TFR of 2.1 serves as a minimal replacement rate to sustain the current world population.
Eminent Domain
As one might suspect, the seizing of personal property is a troublesome topic that breeds conflict and confusion. The recent Kelo v. New London ruling has contributed further to the controversy, leaving many wondering: Just how private is private property?
Relationship Education
A recent report by Barbara Dafoe Whitehead and Marline Pearson, "Making a Love Connection: Teen Relationships, Pregnancy, and Marriage," addresses the increasingly prolonged passage from adolescence to adulthood, a path on which young people are bombarded with unrelenting sexual messages.
And They All Lived Technologically Ever After
A techno-biological Renaissance is taking immortality out of the realm of philosophy and putting it squarely in the middle of scientific debate. Vision examines the predictions of futurologists such as Ray Kurzweil who believe that advances in technology will allow humans to transcend their biology. Will these achievements bring us immortality or destruction?
TRENDLINES: December 5, 2006
Global Microcredit Summit 2006
Vision reports on the Global Microcredit Summit that took place in Halifax, Nova Scotia, during November.
Small Steps to Giant Leaps: The "Micro" Road out of Poverty
Vision interviewed Sam Daley-Harris at the 2006 Global Microcredit Summit. Daley-Harris is the visionary Microcredit Summit Campaign Director and President of the Results Educational Fund.
An End to Poverty
There are more millionaires in the world than ever before, and yet hundreds of millions of people remain destitute. Will poverty ever truly become history?
Banking on Trust
In Bangladesh, a visionary professor turned the banking system upside down three decades ago. Muhammad Yunus, founder of the Grameen Bank, tells Vision what effect this has had on the poor of his country.
Everymoney: Capitalism, Democracy and Global Wealth, Part 3
In the conclusion of our series on the history of the world's dominant economic system, we look at where capitalism is taking us and ask whether there is a better way.
Everymoney: Capitalism, Democracy and Global Wealth, Part 2
Having survived the Great Depression, capitalism gained strength and traveled the world. Vision continues to follow its progress into the 21st century.
Everymoney: Capitalism, Democracy and Global Wealth, Part 1
What is capitalism, how did it develop, and why is it so widely admired and accepted?
The Moral of the Story
Fairy tales have clearly evolved over the centuries. And the changing tales say a lot about the changing times.
Are Men Anti-Church?
The absence of men in churches is not a new phenomenon. Several scholars and church leaders have noticed and addressed the trend.
Insight: Memory and Morality
With the recent death in Vienna of Simon Wiesenthal, a voice has been stilled, a light has gone out. What can we learn from his life and work that will illuminate our moral priorities.
Time to Eat
An Italian food critic's joke has spawned a serious worldwide movement opposing fast food.
Refashioning Propriety
Is the current trend toward more modest clothing a sign of changing values?
Off to Work
Book Review: Blood, Sweat and Tears: The Evolution of Work by Richard Donkin; The Working Life: The Promise and Betrayal of Modern Work by Joanne B. Ciulla; Beyond the Bottom Line: The Search for Dignity at Work by Paula M. Rayman.
Daily Devotion: The Legacy of the Protestant Work Ethic
The Western world's obsession with work has a long history. But on what is it founded?
Europe's State of Mind
Will the European Dream supplant the American Dream as the dominant social force shaping the world? Vision puts the question to noted author and social critic Jeremy Rifkin.
Wisdom: The Pauses Between the Notes
Wisdom seems to be an increasingly rare commodity. Why, and what can we do to develop it?
Enough Is Enough
Book Review: An All-Consuming Century: Why Commercialism Won in Modern America by Gary Cross; Dematerializing: Taming the Power of Possessions by Jane Hammerslough; The High Price of Materialism by Tim Kasser.
When More Is Less
Environmentalist Bill McKibben offers some succinct thoughts on our consumer age.
The Ring of Truth?
The latest movie episode of The Lord of the Rings is getting rave reviews. Why has J.R.R. Tolkien's work had such lasting appeal?
Interrupted Dreams
When the issue of racial desegregation came to a head in the United States in 1963, the nation found itself at a moral crossroads. Two men stepped forward and pointed people toward the high road.
The Peace Puzzle
Solving puzzles often requires a change in perspective and thinking. The greatest puzzle facing humanity today is a case in point.
Islam: Putting the Pieces Together
Vision speaks with Malise Ruthven, a noted authority on Islam, about the events of September 11, 2001.
Halloween: Treat or Trick?
It's more popular than ever, and it may seem harmless enough, but what are you really participating in when you celebrate Halloween?
Reality Bites
A new genre of television programming is reminiscent of an ancient manifestation of human nature's dark side.
The Cult of “St. Elvis”
Twenty-five years after his death, the king of rock and roll is still the object of reverence and adulation. Why?
The Matrix: Reality Check
The premise of the popular sci-fi movie The Matrix surprisingly reflects a fundamental biblical theme.
Our Appetite for Aggression
"You are what you eat." The proverb is not just about our diets; it's also true of what we put into our minds. A quick look at the latest movie guide, television listing or video-game store offers ample evidence that children are at serious risk of being malnourished or even poisoned in this regard.
The Splice of Life; Sex in the 21st Century
Will biotechnology change our views on sex and procreation?
I'm Dreaming of a Right Christmas
You've probably heard that the Western world's biggest holiday is steeped in paganism. But have you asked yourself why it matters?
Rights vs Responsibilities
In a world that clamors for ever more extensive rights, it seems we have forgotten about our responsibilities.
Taming the Monster Inside Us
Vision publisher David Hulme interviews author Jonathan Glover about his book Humanity: A Moral History of the Twentieth Century. Glover is director of the Center of Medical Law and Ethics at King's College, London.
Can Civilization Collapse?
The Bible says it can. But if it does, then what?
The End Was Nigh
The year 2000 has rolled over to 2001, and concerns about an impending end of the world seem to have evaporated. Is it the “end of the end”?
Advancing Toward the Moral Brink
Modern science is nudging us ever closer to a moral precipice. But can science serve as the arbiter of moral and ethical standards?
Thinking Between the Lines
Deceptions, hoaxes and urban legends abound. Here's how you can avoid being taken in by them.
Legislating Morality
What's at the heart of moral regeneration?
Back to 2001
Stanley Kubrick's influential movie molded expectations about the year 2001. The reality, however, hasn't lived up to the promise.
What's Behind the Information Age Curtain?
The Rise of the Network Society by Manuel Castells; The Power of Identity by Manuel Castells; End of Millennium by Manuel Castells.
Ethical Jazz or Moral Cacophony?
Recently an Anglican bishop advanced the idea of “godless morality.” Is such a concept realistic?
The Anatomy of a Sexual Revolution
The Kinsey Reports played a dramatic role in revolutionizing America's attitude toward sex and sexuality. Many now admit that Kinsey's research was flawed, but few consider that this has far-reaching implications.
Defining Our Age
The declining character of today's society was foreseen long ago and recorded in a place where few think to look. What are society's shortcomings, and how can we cope with them?
George Washington Carver
Can the life of a humble teacher of botany who lived at a much simpler time offer insight for a world caught up in the fast-paced information age?
Rediscovering Leadership: Service Versus Self-Interest
At some point every one of us has the opportunity to lead. What are the principles that enable us to lead with the interests of others foremost in mind?
The Origin of Evil
The “problem of evil” has frustrated philosophers for millennia. How do you reconcile the presence of evil with the existence of a loving God?
Journey to the Center of Jules Verne
While most novelists of the late 19th and early 20th centuries warned society of the dangers of unchecked technological advances, Jules Verne excited his readers with romantic tales of fantastic adventures made possible by wonderful new machines. But what did he really think about man's progress and advancements? A recent discovery offers insight into this question.
A 20th-Century Retrospective: Looking Back at the Age of Extremes
The century that is now ending has been one of stark contrasts. The average life span of humans has lengthened dramatically, thanks in large part to scientific advances. Technological achievement has increasesd exponentially, bringing vast improvements in the lives of most people. Yet the deadliest and most destructive wars and the most horrific crimes—even genocide—have taken place during the same period. How did such a dichotomy develop?
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