Dear Drama Observers, “What we most need in this moment of crisis,” said Stuart Stevens, longtime political strategist and childhood friend of mine when interviewed this week by PBS, “is a sense of agreed upon truth.” Stuart went on to say, “And just at this moment when we need to believe someone, to believe experts, […]
Dear Drama Observers, A technique often used by manipulators is gaslighting, which I’ve previously discussed on other occasions. This week, I’d like to take a deeper dive and describe what goes on in the mind of the one who gaslights. You and I will be spelunking into the gaslighter’s mental caverns, so grab your gear […]
Dear Drama Observers, In times of crisis, we naturally search for ways to explain that which seems unexplainable. When things are out of control, we long for certitude over ambiguity, predictability over randomness, and decisiveness over indecision. I’ll say more about all that but first, let me tell you a story. Several years ago, I […]
Dear Drama Observers, COVID-19 is somewhat like a Drama Person, I suppose. It’s unpredictable, people try to keep their distance from it, everybody’s talking about it, nobody quite knows how to deal with it, people will cancel gatherings to keep it from showing up, everyone longs for it to leave, and it drives people crazy […]
Dear Drama Observers, I was recently called “boomer” by a “millennial.” In the context of our conversation, the label ascribed to me had less to do with my age cohort and more to do with my old man ways. While it was delivered good-naturedly, the tag was roughly equivalent to being called “geezer.” But hey, […]
Dear Drama Observers, Michael Scott, the lead character from The Office, was being interviewed once for a corporate position. When asked to describe his weaknesses, Michael replied, “I work too hard. I care too much. And sometimes, I can be too invested in my job.” Yeah, those were his “weaknesses.” Michael Scott, played by Steve […]
Dear Drama Observers, A columnist was being interviewed once about his years of writing. Early in his career, he asked a mentor how he’d be able to find a fresh topic to write about each week and was given this piece of sage advice (I’m paraphrasing): “Every week, something will annoy you. Write about that.” […]
Dear Drama Observers, I recently attended a two-day seminar for mental health professionals on trauma. I spent those days drinking from a gushing fire hydrant of information about all aspects of trauma which included: its detrimental impact on psychological well-being, its physiological effects on the brain, and what can be done in the present to […]
Dear Drama Observers, Character is who you are when no one’s watching. We’ve all heard that quote which has been attributed to the legendary UCLA basketball coach, John Wooden, among others. In people of character, there’s a congruence between their public and private lives. It’s a high compliment to say of someone: “He is who […]
Dear Drama Observers, I often find that something I posted a while back is more relevant today than when I first posted it. Below is one such post. *** Story #1 In the summer of 1997, I went downtown early one morning and a man with a mask knocked me out, slit my throat, and […]