Why a blog?  Why now?

         I’ve been asking myself these two questions. Why do I want to write a blog and why do I want to write one now. I suppose anyone who writes a book or who is a columnist or who is a blog writer feels that he or she has something worthwhile to say that others may not be saying. Since I have been writing for a living for the past 30+ years, I want to try my hand in the blogosphere. And I’d like to think that on at least a few issues, you’ll find a different "take" than you’ll find anywhere else. As for "Why now?" the answer is simply why not now? Why wait?

         Here are a few of the topics I want to address in my blog. They’re topics about which I care very much.

• Leadership—why it’s so important, and why there is so little of it. Why I believe that most leaders are made, not born and therefore why you can be a better leader.
• Success—what it takes to be successful in the marketplace. Is it just plain hard work? Is it luck? Is it perseverance? Is it being really smart? Or is it all that and much more?
• Integrity—why it is critically important to a well-lived life. Why it’s not only the right thing to do, but also the wise thing to do. And why there’s no substitute for this critical character trait.
• Bureaucracies—why well-run organizations, both for profit and nonprofit, tend to turn into dysfunctional top down bureaucracies. Is there anything that can be done about it? Can you really teach an "old dog" new tricks?
• Science vs. Politics—why politicians make lousy scientists. Why we need to listen to legitimate scientists and avoid politicians with agendas when we make national policy.
• Apologetics—why science, anthropology, mathematics, and history make it illogical to believe there is no God. I won’t try to convince you there is a God as much as I will try to make the case that atheism make no sense using the tools of science, math, research, and history that are available to us today.
• Generosity—why you do yourself a disservice when you are not generous. And why you benefit more than the recipient when you give to an important cause or organization of your choosing.

         I hope to address these and other topics, as well as write a couple of book reviews, in the coming weeks and months. If I am perseverant and stick to my guns, I will write one or more blogs per week. That’s my goal. And I hope you will at least occasionally read what I have to say, and more important, respond with comments, observations, and arguments of your own.

         Well, it’s time to get started.