These are different times. Once upon a time there were warning signals that your world was about to be turned upside down. There was writing on the wall, smoke in the air, dead canaries in the mine. Unfortunately, there are few harbingers in these different times.

Many have stated that they don’t care whether people like them or not. With that attitude they will certainly get their wish. News flash for the “I don’t care if you like me” crowd. You are making things much harder than they need to be. Humans instinctively prefer to deal with likeable people. So, when you find yourself on the losing end of contest between a seemingly equal combatant, you might ask yourself if your `likeability` played a role.

There is a sense of anxiety in the air, and for good reason. The country is in a perpetual state of change. Race and race relations continue to hold center stage. The chasm between the haves and have-nots has reached epidemic proportions. The country is divided like never before. Politicians create fear among their constituencies with no apparent regard for the harm to the country. The citizenry has withdrawn into a cocoon of pseudo security, closing their minds as well as their wallets. ‘Giving’ is at an all-time low.