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"Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom." — Benjamin Franklin As Benjamin Franklin left Independence Hall after the Constitutional Convention in 1787, a woman reportedly asked him, "Well, Doctor, what have we got—a republic or a monarchy?" Franklin's reply has echoed through American history: "A republic, if you can keep it." As America celebrates its 250th birthday this year, I find myself thinking about that exchange. Franklin seemed to understand something that we o

“The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate… to have made some difference that you have lived and lived well.”— Ralph Waldo Emerson One of my favorite ways to drift into sleep is a quiet little ritual you may recognize as a loving-kindness meditation. It’s a simple practice — offering kind wishes to ourselves and others: “May I be happy. May I be healthy. May I be at ease.” When I'm lying in the dark, I start with myself,

The idea is that if you practice the Naikan part of Constructive Living, life becomes a series of small miracles, and you may start to...