Dr. Ellen Langer

so level one and three are not the same this they're both not helping but they're very different people interesting one's just kind of like whatever the other one's saying i don't want to rob them of the opportunity of empowering themselves right so and this goes there are so many things i i spend a lot of time with um language that is interesting to me because i think here in the world that we live in today

Most people are not enjoying the lives that they could be enjoying, and they don't know what's available to them.

So many years ago, I was asked to give a sermon in one of the Harvard churches.

Okay, and I say yes to everything.

So I say yes, I'm not religious, and if I were to be religious, I'm Jewish, so what's an appropriate topic?

That's forgiveness.

It sounds sort of religiously.

It's not, but I could get away with it.

So I start to think about forgiveness, and I come up with something that's almost sacrilegious.

If you ask 10 people, is forgiveness good or bad, what are they going to tell you?

Good.

That's good.

If you ask 10 people, is blame good or bad, what are they going to tell you?

Bad.

It's bad.

Gee, but you have to blame before you can forgive.

So our forgivers are our blamers.

Now, do you blame people for good things or bad things?

You blame people for bad things.

But things in and of themselves are neither good nor bad.