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Speaker 1: Life Audio.
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Speaker 2: On today's episode of Timeless Wisdom.
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Speaker 3: I just wanted to know, well you mentioned earlier in the week that you commonly receive standing ovations when you give speeches. I just wanted to know how you stay humble given that.
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Speaker 4: I'm the one with the question about does God have a favorite race and the reason I ask that is because I as a Hispanic have noticed through life and I don't want you to, when I ask this question I want you to think of the numbers, not the ones that make it, because there's always one or two that are going to succeed no matter what. But I want you to look at the overall picture and the numbers that we represent.
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Speaker 5: Dennis, I am driven crazy by the professionals that I listen to on the radio. You do a good job of this, by the way. You do a good job in the good way, not the bad way.
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Speaker 1: Right, I understand.
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Speaker 5: But I listen to people on radio. I stop watching television, and I become hypersensitive to speech. And what I hear when I listen to people who are professionals is, I mean it. You know.
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Speaker 6: Um. Ah.
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Speaker 1: That's right. That is correct.
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Speaker 5: Why is speech, what happened? Because it used to be that talk radio, the people who did talk radio really took pride in what they said.
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Speaker 7: That's coming up on Timeless Wisdom with Dennis Prager. Welcome to Timeless Wisdom with Dennis Prager. Hear thousands of hours of Dennis' lectures, courses, and classic radio programs. And to purchase Dennis Prager's Rational Bibles, go to DennisPrager.com.
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Speaker 1: You, you make this hour. You can start right now. Don't wait for me to say a word. Anything you want to talk to me about. that I have covered, that I did not cover, anything personal. Do you want to know about digital cameras? Do you want to know about the meaning of life? Do you want to know why I smoke a pipe and cigar? Anything that you have ever wondered or not wondered but might start wondering right now. If you are new to the show, is there something you want to know about me? If you are old to the show, is there something you'd rather not know about me? Anything. 1-8-PRAGER-776. 1-8-P-R-A-G-E-R-776 is the number. Digitize. That is 1-8-7-7-2-4-3-triple-7-6. All righty. So let's go to your calls, whatever is on your mind. And let's begin in Hastings, Minnesota with Charlotte. Hello, Charlotte.
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Speaker 8: Well, hi.
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Speaker 1: All right. What's on your mind?
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Speaker 6: Well, I'm wondering.
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Speaker 8: If you ever procrastinate about things, and what do.
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Speaker 1: You procrastinate about? The more correct question for me is, is there anything I do not procrastinate regarding? Let me tell you something. I am such a natural procrastinator that the reason that I take on so many projects and therefore have done a relatively, I guess, a lot of work in my life is that I know that if I don't take a time-bound project, I will never do anything. I will spend my day just having fun. And so that's the reason I write a column every week. I can't procrastinate. I mean, it's owed Monday at noon. I have no choice. If I book contract, it is owed. In fact, on my happiness book, I gave Random House all their money back, which, of course, I had spent already, because I didn't have the book ready.
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Speaker 8: When you were in college, did you wait until the night before to write your paper?
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Speaker 1: If not the actual morning of the paper, that is correct.
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Speaker 8: Okay.
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Speaker 1: I remember, in fact, writing a paper. This is very funny. Well, it's interesting. I wrote a paper, and this was June 4th, 1967. I was in college. And I know the date because... I spent the entire night writing a paper. I remember that, you know, June is when college ends, so the final paper was due. And I listened, I was then into classical music, so I listened all night to the classical radio station that had no news. So all they did was play music. I did not know the Six Day War had just broken out in the Middle East, which was June 5th. So I just Wrote my paper right through it and woke up to see that this huge war had broken out in the Middle East, which then preoccupied me. But yes, I did at the last moment. And that's why I have taken on so many tasks in life, in order to undo my natural laziness.
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Speaker 8: I get so mad at myself because I procrastinate about paying my bills. It's not that I don't have the money to pay the bills.
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Speaker 1: Oh, I hate it.
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Speaker 8: It's just not a fun thing to do.
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Speaker 1: Charlotte, I really am not kidding. There is a certain number of bee stings I rather have than pay bills. That is how much I hate that. I am totally with you. Folks, that is the thing. Most of us are like that. If you think you procrastinate, welcome to the human race. I'd like to know the people who don't. I'd like to know people who prepared their paper at college, The day they got the assignment or whatever it was. You know, got it in two weeks early. These are supermen to me. Supermen and superwomen. Okay, thank you. That was enjoyable. And in Simi Valley, California, it's Tracy. Tracy Dennis Prager. Hi.
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Speaker 6: Hi, Dennis.
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Speaker 9: Hi.
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Speaker 6: I have an ethical problem. I saw a personal ad for the husband of a woman I know from my synagogue. And I keep debating whether or not to let her know or not.
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Speaker 1: How did you know it's him? People don't put their real names in.
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Speaker 6: They don't have names. They put weird names.
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Speaker 1: So how do you know it's him?
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Speaker 6: Because his picture is there.
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Speaker 7: Oh.
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Speaker 6: Two pictures, actually.
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Speaker 1: On a singles website?
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Speaker 4: Yes.
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Speaker 6: It's one of those online dating services.
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Speaker 1: Boy, he's got a lot of nerve. I mean, forget the adultery part. He has a lot of nerve.
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Speaker 8: Yeah.
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Speaker 1: I mean, that's really astonishing, actually.
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Speaker 6: I showed the picture to my husband, and he agrees that it's him.
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Speaker 1: Well, what I would do is.
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Speaker 1: In general, I don't think it's right to tell the spouse those things. You are playing a role that is so devastating that it may not be your place to. But it doesn't mean you shouldn't speak to him. And I think you could say, look, whatever is going on in your marriage is your business and not mine. But that is publicly humiliating to your wife.
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Speaker 6: The problem is I don't know him very well. I know her because she's very active in the temple. He's not active in the temple, and I don't know him very well. I've seen him a few times.
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Speaker 1: Well, then I would send him, you know, it's easy. I don't know if you can email him or something. Just say, and, you know, I would in that case, if I think I would, where I knew the person even tangentially. I would say, you know, again, I'm not going to get involved in your marriage and in its problems, but I will say that by your posting your picture, you are humiliating your wife, and that just seems, that is wrong. See, there are a lot of different elements to to the whole infidelity question anyway and the public humiliation to me is is the most serious one interestingly yeah so that's uh that's i would i would contact him not her okay okay.
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Speaker 6: Okay well your opinion is the same as rabbi brisky is it.
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Speaker 1: No kidding yeah wow well then i then i then i'm more convinced it's right because i so respect him Okay. Thank you so much. Oh, how interesting. That is very interesting. I wonder what others would think about that. 1-8 Prager 776. All right. And let's go to Phoenix. Is it Megan or Megan?
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Speaker 6: Megan.
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Speaker 1: Megan, thank you for calling.
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Speaker 10: My question is, you were talking about situational ethics the other day.
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Speaker 1: Yes, I was.
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Speaker 10: And I just was wondering your interpretation of Abraham sacrificing or being obedient to take Isaac up for sacrifice.
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Speaker 1: I will be happy to tell you my take.
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Speaker 5: Okay.
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Speaker 1: I have not only no problem with that story, it is one of the great epic stories of history and one of the great moral revolutions. What God asked Abraham to do, and remember Abraham, It is critical to remember this. The very first sentence of the story says, and the Lord tested Abraham. In other words, the reader is told from the outset, God never wants human sacrifice. So we know that from the first sentence of the story. All right, that's critical that people know that. Number two, why would God even test him with something so terrible? The answer is... at that time, child sacrifice was the way in which pagans, non-monotheists, showed their devotion to their gods. What God was saying to Abraham is, are you prepared to show me the loyalty and devotion that pagan worshippers are prepared to show their gods.
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Speaker 4: Okay.
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Speaker 1: For Abraham, in that time, that was normal. But the story teaches that the God of Abraham does not want us to sacrifice children. We show our loyalty to God by doing what God wants, which is primarily being good to other people.
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Speaker 10: Okay, but it's not about obedience.
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Speaker 1: Oh, it was about obedience.
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Speaker 6: Sure it was.
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Speaker 1: Absolutely it's about obedience to God.
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Speaker 10: The question, or the situation we're talking about with Nazi Germany, I mean, we have a command to not bear false testimony.
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Speaker 1: Right, that's correct.
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Speaker 10: So, in that circumstance, okay, are we to be obedient to that command?
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Speaker 1: But there is a, but God, oh, I see, but God has a hierarchy of commands. That is very important that you know that. God wants us to save, to preserve innocent life even before he wants us to always tell the truth.
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Speaker 10: But he commanded Abraham to sacrifice Isaac.
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Speaker 1: Only to test him to see if he was as obedient to him as the pagans were to their gods. That's all. Because that was the way in which one showed obedience to a god in those times. Gee, I hope that's clear. And if it's not, stay on. We'll be back in a moment. 1-8 Prager, 776- What's the stupidest thing I have ever done? Okay, I'll think of that during the break. You're listening to The Dennis Prager Show.
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Speaker 7: This episode of Timeless Wisdom will continue right after this. Now, back to more of Dennis Prager's Timeless Wisdom.
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Speaker 1: Howdy, y'all. This is Dennis Prager, and it is The Dennis Prager Show. I'll get to, even though the person hung up, which is, that's a first. I say I'm going to get to a call and they still hang up. Who knows? Maybe there was an emergency in his or her life. Anyway, I want to explain something about the last call. It's very important. People get tripped up on this because I explain that, of course, I believe in moral absolutes, but I also, of course, believe in situational ethics. They're not contradictory. And a lot of people get confused by that. You can see my write-up on it. It was the case for Judeo-Christian values part 11, I believe. Now, I give the example. It's wrong to lie almost all the time, but the situation will determine it. If you know where a Jewish family is hiding during the Holocaust and the Nazi comes over to you and says, where is the Jewish family hiding? You can lie. You have to lie to save their lives. I mean, that's obvious. But then you'll say, well, then how do you know? Because God doesn't want us to lie. Well, the answer is that God himself has a hierarchy of values. For example, it says honor your father and mother. Well, what if your father and mother tell you to go and murder? Well, then, hey, do I have to honor my father and mother? Of course not. You show them honor in whatever way you do, but you don't have to listen to them. Because there's a hierarchy of values. I'm telling you, the more I live, the more I want to write a book titled God Has Common Sense. I think we often act, a lot of religious people act as if he doesn't. Okay, let's continue here. Oh yeah, so anyway, the caller who wants to know, what is the stupidest thing I ever did? And I really have knocked my brain here to think of what might qualify. And I've certainly made mistakes. The stupidest thing, well, I voted for Carter. That may be the stupidest, in terms of just stupid, that may be the stupidest thing I ever did. He truly harmed this country. I can't say that about many presidents. He's a very, very big fool in my eyes, and I hate to use the word because it's an ad hominem attack, and I admit it. He may be a very sweet man personally. That's not my point. This is the man who sat next to Michael Moore and said Michael Moore's vile, vile propaganda work was one of the two greatest films he ever saw. He is a very foolish man. So I voted for him the first time. It was probably stupid that I never bought stocks and listened to my grandfather. God bless him. Although it certainly saved me a lot of time and a lot of loss of money, perhaps, but a lot of aggravation. Probably also I would have made had I been wiser. I don't know. That might be one of, I don't know if it's, it might qualify. Uh, I can tell you the stupidest question on the radio I ever asked. I think it was the star. I, there might be a, uh, there might be a few rivals to that. The, the trucker who called my show and I was, I asked him, what are you hauling? I remember he was in Arizona. He was very, very, very dear man. So I just wanted to converse with him. And I said on the air, so what are you hauling? He said, Oh, two tons of celery. And then I said, my God, what does that smell like? Oh, you actually have it? 45,000 pounds of celery. Yes, sir. That's awesome. What does it smell like?
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Speaker 11: Um, smells like celery.
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Speaker 1: He was so sweetie. He didn't want to hurt my feelings. What did I think they smelled like? Tulips? Anyway, uh, Live radio will always have some embarrassing moments. That was one of the great ones. And we continue. And in Glendale, California, Eric. Eric Dennis Prager, thanks for calling.
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Speaker 6: Hi, Dennis.
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Speaker 1: Hi.
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Speaker 3: I just wanted to know, well, you mentioned earlier in the week that you commonly receive standing ovations when you give speeches. I just wanted to know how you stay humble, given that.
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Speaker 1: Well, I have a real problem in that if I answer you, People will say, how could a guy be humble and then say he's humble? So I'm really stuck. But I will answer you anyway, because it's a very fair question. I know that I am not arrogant. I know it. I have a lot of self-confidence, but I know that I'm not arrogant. And I'll tell you exactly. There are a number of ways that these things do not affect me. Number one, I believe, for example, if a standing ovation... It is entirely to what I put out. It is the ideas. It is the values. People are responding to what I said. Now, they're responding to me, too. I know that. But I'm not there, and this is the biggest thing. I'm not in this for popularity or for praise. Everything I do, and this will sound almost weird to some people, and I don't know how to put it. But I try to do everything because, well, see, no, I mean, I'm afraid about the way it'll sound, but I don't know how to put it any other way. I want to do what God wants me to do. And so I really, I make a little prayer before every speech that may I just do what you want me to do. Not may I be successful, not may I be popular, not may I be loved, not may they may clap for me, but I just, that, and that, that is a way, a very big way, if you believe you're just a vehicle, then you don't, you don't start thinking I'm, you know, I'm the be-all and end-all. Secondly, I'm very secure, so I don't, people who need ovations and who need praise are And we all need it to an extent. I mean, let's be honest, it's a wonderful thing. But I mean who need it in a large sense. They're not secure. The Hollywood actor or actress who lives for their name in lights and to get a standing ovation at the Academy Awards, they're not secure, I feel for them. They're not happy. Number three, and this is a factor too, although not as big as the first one, but it's a big one. I have been in public life since I'm 21. I have not been an adult and not been in public life. I gave my first public lecture at 21. And nothing has ever come overnight, so I never had to deal with what some people in public life do, instant fame. Mine has always been so gradual that it's like the lobster is being boiled and doesn't know it. It just happened. But the other thing is, I'm just Dennis. I'm just Dennis. It never occurs to me to think beyond that. I am gifted with the ability to touch people. It's a gift. I didn't do a damn thing to get it. I was born with it. It was given to me. I believe by God. If one doesn't believe in God, then it was by nature. But I didn't do anything to earn it. So all I have is to use it responsibly, and that's it. That's what I'm here for.
00:20:24
Speaker 12: That's a good perspective.
00:20:25
Speaker 1: Okay? You're very kind to ask it. Thank you very much.
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Speaker 7: This episode of Timeless Wisdom will continue right after this.
00:20:38
Speaker 5: Thank you, Dennis, for your life and philosophy.
00:20:40
Speaker 4: I gave my life to Jesus years ago, and I've been praying for you earnestly.
00:20:45
Speaker 1: Keep fighting.
00:20:45
Speaker 9: Keep the faith.
00:20:46
Speaker 5: I believe God has more for you to do. God bless you, Dennis.
00:20:54
Speaker 13: Dennis, this is Jason, long-time listener in Whittier, California. Thank you so much for your show. So glad that you are doing better. God bless you. You have been in my prayer.
00:21:12
Speaker 1: Hi, Dennis Brager here.
00:21:14
Speaker 9: Well, as you know, I've been off the air since my injury in November 2024. Thank you for your prayers. Believe me, I've missed talking to you. I'm starting the Ask Me Anything episodes on the Timeless Wisdom podcast, and I'd love to hear from you. Whether your question is about faith, morality, politics, history, relationships, happiness, or even my life, give me a call and leave a voicemail.
00:21:44
Speaker 1: The number is 877-243-7776. That's 877-243-7776.
00:21:45
Speaker 9: Please include your first name and where you're calling from. I will.
00:22:00
Speaker 9: Answer as many questions as I can on future episodes of the podcast. Obviously, I can't respond to every question, but I will listen or read every question. I look forward to hearing from you. Thank you for listening.
00:22:17
Speaker 2: Now, back to more of Dennis Prager's timeless wisdom.
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Speaker 1: Orange, California, and George. George Dennis Prager, hi.
00:22:27
Speaker 14: Hi, Dennis. Glad to talk to you.
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Speaker 11: Thank you.
00:22:30
Speaker 14: What I wanted to ask you is, I know your feelings, and anybody who listens to your show knows your feelings about TV as a waste of time.
00:22:37
Speaker 1: Yes, I'm sure.
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Speaker 14: But what I wanted to ask you about is reading fictional novels.
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Speaker 1: Yeah. Well, I don't think that's a waste of time at all. There are novels. First of all, no matter how trashy a novel, it's four light years above television. So, I mean, so, so there's no comparison. However, uh, within the world of novels, uh, there is pure entertainment and there is entertainment with insight into the human being. So I, I would, those who read for only entertaining novels, you know, I have no judgment to make. Uh, it's still, it's still so much ahead of, of, of anything that is so often done by others to, to, uh, to, to entertain themselves. On the other hand, given the number of great novels that also deliver insight into the human nature, one would hope that they would vary their reading to that as well. I have definitely paid a price not reading novels. I do not consider it a terrific part of my life. When I read novels in college that were good, They were awesome, and they stayed with me much more than nonfiction. Anybody who wants to understand the Soviet Union will do best by reading We the Living by Ayn Rand or the two Orwell books, Animal Farm and 1984, than any nonfiction book. So I know the power of a great novel. But for what I do in the limited time that I have, I have to read nonfiction. Okay?
00:24:20
Speaker 14: I thought about if I spend... Four hours reading a novel that one hour I should take out and read something self-improving or something.
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Speaker 1: Well, one hour on nonfiction would be good. I think over, you know, not doing any nonfiction is a loss. And some nonfiction is written in a way like McCullough writing on Truman. It's written like a novel. All righty. Garrett. Garrett in Fort Worth. How are you? Dennis Prager. Hello, Garrett in Texas. Come in, Garrett.
00:24:57
Speaker 14: You got me.
00:24:58
Speaker 1: Okay, great.
00:24:59
Speaker 11: Hey, Dennis, thanks a lot for taking my call.
00:25:01
Speaker 1: Thank you.
00:25:02
Speaker 11: Why do we call some of the villains of the past and present, some of them by their last name, Hitler, Mussolini, and Stalin, and other ones once in a while and it makes me sick? Saddam, Osama, like their brother Bob or our best friend Bob.
00:25:22
Speaker 1: It's a great question, and I think I have an answer. It's entirely dependent upon which works. For example, let's take Stalin. Nobody is going to say, hey, you know what Joseph did? No, I mean, you can't. You know, Joseph killed 40 million people. Joseph who? So it doesn't work. Hitler and Stalin are distinctive enough names. Saddam Hussein, the reason I am convinced is Hussein... Doesn't tell you, Hussein in the Arab world is almost like Smith. So it doesn't tell you enough. But Saddam is more specific. Now Bin Laden is an interesting one. I have never called him Osama. I find that ridiculous. I do say Bin Laden or Osama Bin Laden. So that's an interesting one. I don't know how many people call him Osama. I think he's referred to as Bin Laden. So it depends on the distinctiveness of the names. That is what, that generally is how we, whether we call them by the first or the last, that's why I gave the, you know, Mussolini is enough of a name. Why are we going to say Benito? You know, Benito, he ran a fascist country. You know, you can't do that. So I think there is reason. But Saddam, it's because of his last name. It's too common, and he was confused with King Hussein. That was the other reason. Remember, he was in power when King Hussein was the king of Jordan.
00:26:47
Speaker 11: Understood.
00:26:48
Speaker 7: This episode of Timeless Wisdom will continue right after this.
00:26:57
Speaker 2: Now, back to more of Dennis Prager's Timeless Wisdom.
00:27:01
Speaker 1: Hello.
00:27:02
Speaker 4: You know, I've been wanting to call you for like a month, and I always put it off and I put it off. But, you know, it's gotten to the point now where I know that you have a lot of, you know, religious programs and beliefs and stuff like that that you talk about all the time. This is the perfect person to ask. I'm the one with the question about, does God have a favorite race? And the reason I ask that is because I, as a Hispanic, have noticed through life, and when I ask this question, I want you to think of the numbers, not the ones that make it, because there's always one or two that are going to succeed no matter what, but I want you to look at the overall picture and the numbers that we represent. I've noticed that in my race, which is Hispanic, everywhere I go, It seems like we're the housekeepers. We're the people that work in the fields. We're the people that do all the labor and everything. And I stop and think, you know, when I was growing up, I wanted to be successful. I wanted to have my own business and be something and have nice things in life. But, you know, now that I'm 50, I'm 50 years old and I have some debt. I mean, quite a bit of debt. And I stop and think, golly, you know, if I paid off by the time I'm 60 or 65, see, my dream never happened. I just carried that debt, and I stopped and think, golly, what I didn't want to become, I just, by some force or something, I just became that, like my dad did, like my parents did. Everybody in my family just seemed to fall into that same situation.
00:28:31
Speaker 1: How many generations are you in America?
00:28:34
Speaker 4: Oh, gosh. Well, you know what? My mom is from Monterey, Mexico. My dad is from from the United States, of course. Now, I don't know how far back, but I would say the grandparents came from Mexico.
00:28:47
Speaker 1: Do you have children?
00:28:50
Speaker 6: We have children.
00:28:50
Speaker 1: Yes, we do.
00:28:51
Speaker 4: Now, I am stressing education to them. I want them to be very successful. But I stop and think sometimes, why is it that no matter how hard I've tried to become successful, I feel like there's some things in our culture or something that do not permit us to go. Let me give you an example. No matter how hard I wanted to study and be really good at math. I could never grasp math.
00:29:15
Speaker 1: Me neither. Me neither, Vincent. I could never grasp math.
00:29:18
Speaker 4: I could never grasp math.
00:29:19
Speaker 1: Anything beyond early algebra and geometry, and I was a lost case.
00:29:24
Speaker 6: Right.
00:29:24
Speaker 4: Well, you know, and then I look at television, and I look at the Academy Awards. I look at programs like that, and it's always white people honoring white people. And I tell my son, you know what, son? It's very important that you study, because I can guarantee you that as soon as the Academy Awards is over, all the Hispanics are going to come out and start cleaning up the place you know because that's just the way I have become.
00:29:45
Speaker 1: This is a very touching call but I have a lot of things to say to you I just have so much to say and I want to get so many calls so that's why I'm torn so let me just give you a couple of ideas first of all Hispanic is not a race There's no such thing as a Hispanic race. You mean Latino.
00:30:02
Speaker 4: I meant the Mexican-Americans or whatever.
00:30:06
Speaker 1: Well, first of all, it's a culture. Okay, it's not a race. It's a culture. Cultures do have values, and values help determine, they're not alone, but they help determine the level of success, socioeconomic success, that people will generally have. Values are critical. Now, So there's no such thing as a race that is destined to be cleaning up after another race. There's no such thing. And believe me, the number of people who could call and say the same thing, Turks in Germany can call up a German show and say the same thing. Blacks could have said the same thing. Gee, look at our position in the United States, at least historically. You will find this fascinating, but you know what? The vast majority of Jews who came over, and Jews are a very successful ethnic group, but when they first came over, they were overwhelmingly in the tailors and sold men's and women's clothing. Were they destined to be tailors?
00:31:14
Speaker 6: No.
00:31:14
Speaker 1: The next generation was imbued with the deep, deep desire to get ahead and learn, and the American dream became available to most American Jews. So there is, you know, the Irish could argue the same thing. Are they destined to be whatever profession that the Irish flocked into? Everybody could ask this question. The United States, America shatters all of that stuff. You make what you want of your life, and your children will probably do socioeconomically even more than you might have.
00:31:51
Speaker 13: Right.
00:31:51
Speaker 1: Because you have had the value of stressing education and achievement.
00:31:56
Speaker 9: Yes.
00:31:56
Speaker 4: Well, you know, I do stress education to the kids, and I remind them of what is out there. You know, golly, we don't, you know. I mean, I try to get them to stay motivated and all that other stuff. But, you know, like, another thing I'm going to tell you, you talk about the Jewish people becoming very successful and all. But, you know, the one thing that separates the Jewish people from, let's say, my race is that I've noticed that they help each other. I mean, if they're down, they help each other.
00:32:16
Speaker 1: That's a value. You're right. You know what? That's a very powerful call. I love your honesty. That's why I love your call. I have to let you go only because of time. It's a wonderful call. You're right. That is, and people know, I am very honest and open and critical. I mean, I had a show about Jews and not having a mission or sensing a mission, and I'm very critical on that problem. that religious Jews tend to be more isolated from the world, and the Jews who have a mission tend to not be religiously inclined at all. But this is a great trait that Jews have. There is a very deep sense, at least among Jews who identify as Jews, of helping each other. That is absolutely right. If there is a destitute Jew in Argentina, the Jews of Australia will get money for that Jew. That is true. In fact, I asked this question during the Reagan era constantly. Why does every synagogue have a Save Soviet Jewry sign and I never see on churches Save Soviet Christian signs? And people know my great admiration for America's Christians. But values is everything. Vincent, it's everything. Not race, not ethnicity. Values are everything. That's why I am the opposite of the left who think that economics is determinant. Values are determinant.
00:33:42
Speaker 7: This episode of Timeless Wisdom will continue right after this. Now, back to more of Dennis Prager's Timeless Wisdom.
00:33:56
Speaker 1: Uh, Lancaster, there we go, Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Chris, hello Chris, Dennis Prager.
00:34:01
Speaker 6: Yeah, hi Dennis.
00:34:02
Speaker 1: Hi.
00:34:02
Speaker 12: Thanks for taking my call.
00:34:03
Speaker 1: Thank you.
00:34:04
Speaker 12: I'm calling about my son. who's graduating from high... Well, we hope he's graduating from high school this year.
00:34:10
Speaker 1: Yeah.
00:34:11
Speaker 12: And he's been accepted to a college. And we're trying to decide what he should do for a year. And here's the issue. My son is profoundly ungenerous. He doesn't put himself out for other things and for other people.
00:34:27
Speaker 1: Right.
00:34:27
Speaker 12: He has good qualities, but this is... I mean, to the point where it's a very serious problem. And so I am... seeking things for him to do, or a thing for him to do, that would get him out of himself, expose him to some genuine need. I mean, I've thought of the army, the Peace Corps, if it still exists. I'd like it to be something Jewish, because he is Jewish, and I think there's, you know, it's good to tap into your tradition.
00:34:58
Speaker 1: Well, if you are Jewish, and you want to combine the two, why doesn't he volunteer to in some of the hospital-type or other type, social-type services in Israel for victims of terror.
00:35:12
Speaker 12: That's pretty darn good.
00:35:14
Speaker 1: Yep, that'll give him a dose of reality. Yes, exactly.
00:35:20
Speaker 12: Which is what I'm looking for.
00:35:22
Speaker 1: Okay, let me know what happens.
00:35:23
Speaker 12: Thank you very much.
00:35:24
Speaker 1: You're welcome very much. Thank you. And over to Howard in Philadelphia. Hello, Howard. Dennis Prager.
00:35:32
Speaker 5: Dennis, I am driven crazy by the professionals that I listen to on the radio. And you do a good job of this, by the way. You do a good job in the good way, not the bad way.
00:35:41
Speaker 1: Right, I understand.
00:35:42
Speaker 5: But I listen to people on radio. I stop watching television, and I become hypersensitive to speech. And what I hear when I listen to people who are professionals is, I mean, you know, um, ah.
00:35:55
Speaker 1: That's right. That is correct.
00:35:57
Speaker 5: Why is speech... What happened? Because it used to be that... talk radio, the people who did talk radio really took pride in what they said, and they weren't sloppy, and I think we've gotten sloppy.
00:36:10
Speaker 1: Not just professionals, but everybody. I listen a lot to talk radio, and by and large, I'd say, well, I would say 50% of the broadcasters do not do many ums. About 50% do more than they should. I had to learn not to, and I'll tell you how you teach yourself. This is a good, this is an excellent thing for everybody listening because almost everybody has to speak publicly in some way, even if it's just at a table at a dinner party. People, you know why people do um? Do you know why?
00:36:46
Speaker 5: Yes, they're thinking. I wanted to put a plug in for.
00:36:49
Speaker 1: But wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, hold on a second. They're thinking, I know, no, that doesn't explain why they're saying um. That explains why they're not saying anything. But why are they saying um while they're thinking? And I'll tell you, I have figured it out. It is because people fear that if there is no audible noise, people will stop listening. It is a psychological thing and a very understandable one. But they're wrong. That's right, they're wrong. Quiet can actually be an attention demander.
00:37:30
Speaker 9: Yes.
00:37:31
Speaker 5: I'm not a professional speaker, Dennis, but I do speak publicly, and I do speak often. And the pause, I think, is the most profound, most powerful thing to use in a speech.
00:37:43
Speaker 1: Providing it's not overused as a gimmick. If it's a natural pause. When it's a gimmick, I can't stand it. But if it's natural, I had to teach myself the following. Dennis, it's okay not to have a sound going over the air. But it's very hard to learn not to say um. Well, you know, there were about 100 people there. You know, it just comes out very naturally. But you are right, and I am very aware of it when I speak. I say I mastered it 90%, not 100%. And I'm very aware of it when I listen.
00:38:20
Speaker 5: I have one more word, Dennis, that's starting to drive me crazy. And you tell me if you think that's being too picky to mention it. The word actually. It just seems to me that everybody throws it at the end of a sentence. I went out to dinner, actually. I actually spoke to him. And I'm thinking in my mind, well, you actually spoke to him as opposed to what? Speaking to him?
00:38:45
Speaker 1: That's interesting. Well, you might be picky on this. I don't know. I have not noticed that actually has been overused. You know has, and of course the grape killer today, like actually. That is something I've worked on with my kids, and actually they have pretty much extirpated it from their vocabulary. Anyway, it's a good call, Howard. I appreciate it very much. It's like....
00:39:21
Speaker 2: Tomorrow on Timeless Wisdom with Dennis Prager.
00:39:24
Speaker 1: See, the rhetoric, and this is what is so important, and believe me, I need to tell you folks, I've come... a ways, as they say, on this journey because I was raised, I don't mean in my family, I mean in my educational system, to believe that abortion was just a woman doing what she wants with her own body, a woman just... quote-unquote, ending her pregnancy. Who are we to tell a woman you have to be pregnant? And I had essentially bought all of that. This is something. I'll never forget. I have to give him credit here. It was in a dialogue with Jerry Falwell, and he made a very telling point, and it had an impact on me. I was in my 20s, and it had an impact on me. He said, when a woman is pregnant... Do we ever say to her, how's your fetus? Or do we say, how's your baby?
00:40:27
Speaker 7: Join us tomorrow to hear more on Timeless Wisdom with Dennis Prager. Visit DennisPrager.com for thousands of hours of Dennis' lectures, courses, and classic radio programs. And to purchase Dennis Prager's Rational Bibles. We want to take just a second to thank the team at Life Audio for their partnership with us on the podcast. Go to lifeaudio.com to find dozens of other Faith Center podcasts and their network, including shows about prayer, Bible study, parenting, and more.
Speaker 1: Life Audio.
00:00:04
Speaker 2: On today's episode of Timeless Wisdom.
00:00:08
Speaker 3: I just wanted to know, well you mentioned earlier in the week that you commonly receive standing ovations when you give speeches. I just wanted to know how you stay humble given that.
00:00:17
Speaker 4: I'm the one with the question about does God have a favorite race and the reason I ask that is because I as a Hispanic have noticed through life and I don't want you to, when I ask this question I want you to think of the numbers, not the ones that make it, because there's always one or two that are going to succeed no matter what. But I want you to look at the overall picture and the numbers that we represent.
00:00:40
Speaker 5: Dennis, I am driven crazy by the professionals that I listen to on the radio. You do a good job of this, by the way. You do a good job in the good way, not the bad way.
00:00:49
Speaker 1: Right, I understand.
00:00:50
Speaker 5: But I listen to people on radio. I stop watching television, and I become hypersensitive to speech. And what I hear when I listen to people who are professionals is, I mean it. You know.
00:01:01
Speaker 6: Um. Ah.
00:01:02
Speaker 1: That's right. That is correct.
00:01:05
Speaker 5: Why is speech, what happened? Because it used to be that talk radio, the people who did talk radio really took pride in what they said.
00:01:13
Speaker 7: That's coming up on Timeless Wisdom with Dennis Prager. Welcome to Timeless Wisdom with Dennis Prager. Hear thousands of hours of Dennis' lectures, courses, and classic radio programs. And to purchase Dennis Prager's Rational Bibles, go to DennisPrager.com.
00:01:32
Speaker 1: You, you make this hour. You can start right now. Don't wait for me to say a word. Anything you want to talk to me about. that I have covered, that I did not cover, anything personal. Do you want to know about digital cameras? Do you want to know about the meaning of life? Do you want to know why I smoke a pipe and cigar? Anything that you have ever wondered or not wondered but might start wondering right now. If you are new to the show, is there something you want to know about me? If you are old to the show, is there something you'd rather not know about me? Anything. 1-8-PRAGER-776. 1-8-P-R-A-G-E-R-776 is the number. Digitize. That is 1-8-7-7-2-4-3-triple-7-6. All righty. So let's go to your calls, whatever is on your mind. And let's begin in Hastings, Minnesota with Charlotte. Hello, Charlotte.
00:02:28
Speaker 8: Well, hi.
00:02:29
Speaker 1: All right. What's on your mind?
00:02:31
Speaker 6: Well, I'm wondering.
00:02:32
Speaker 8: If you ever procrastinate about things, and what do.
00:02:35
Speaker 1: You procrastinate about? The more correct question for me is, is there anything I do not procrastinate regarding? Let me tell you something. I am such a natural procrastinator that the reason that I take on so many projects and therefore have done a relatively, I guess, a lot of work in my life is that I know that if I don't take a time-bound project, I will never do anything. I will spend my day just having fun. And so that's the reason I write a column every week. I can't procrastinate. I mean, it's owed Monday at noon. I have no choice. If I book contract, it is owed. In fact, on my happiness book, I gave Random House all their money back, which, of course, I had spent already, because I didn't have the book ready.
00:03:28
Speaker 8: When you were in college, did you wait until the night before to write your paper?
00:03:32
Speaker 1: If not the actual morning of the paper, that is correct.
00:03:35
Speaker 8: Okay.
00:03:36
Speaker 1: I remember, in fact, writing a paper. This is very funny. Well, it's interesting. I wrote a paper, and this was June 4th, 1967. I was in college. And I know the date because... I spent the entire night writing a paper. I remember that, you know, June is when college ends, so the final paper was due. And I listened, I was then into classical music, so I listened all night to the classical radio station that had no news. So all they did was play music. I did not know the Six Day War had just broken out in the Middle East, which was June 5th. So I just Wrote my paper right through it and woke up to see that this huge war had broken out in the Middle East, which then preoccupied me. But yes, I did at the last moment. And that's why I have taken on so many tasks in life, in order to undo my natural laziness.
00:04:49
Speaker 8: I get so mad at myself because I procrastinate about paying my bills. It's not that I don't have the money to pay the bills.
00:04:55
Speaker 1: Oh, I hate it.
00:04:56
Speaker 8: It's just not a fun thing to do.
00:04:58
Speaker 1: Charlotte, I really am not kidding. There is a certain number of bee stings I rather have than pay bills. That is how much I hate that. I am totally with you. Folks, that is the thing. Most of us are like that. If you think you procrastinate, welcome to the human race. I'd like to know the people who don't. I'd like to know people who prepared their paper at college, The day they got the assignment or whatever it was. You know, got it in two weeks early. These are supermen to me. Supermen and superwomen. Okay, thank you. That was enjoyable. And in Simi Valley, California, it's Tracy. Tracy Dennis Prager. Hi.
00:05:46
Speaker 6: Hi, Dennis.
00:05:47
Speaker 9: Hi.
00:05:48
Speaker 6: I have an ethical problem. I saw a personal ad for the husband of a woman I know from my synagogue. And I keep debating whether or not to let her know or not.
00:06:01
Speaker 1: How did you know it's him? People don't put their real names in.
00:06:05
Speaker 6: They don't have names. They put weird names.
00:06:10
Speaker 1: So how do you know it's him?
00:06:11
Speaker 6: Because his picture is there.
00:06:14
Speaker 7: Oh.
00:06:15
Speaker 6: Two pictures, actually.
00:06:17
Speaker 1: On a singles website?
00:06:20
Speaker 4: Yes.
00:06:22
Speaker 6: It's one of those online dating services.
00:06:25
Speaker 1: Boy, he's got a lot of nerve. I mean, forget the adultery part. He has a lot of nerve.
00:06:32
Speaker 8: Yeah.
00:06:34
Speaker 1: I mean, that's really astonishing, actually.
00:06:37
Speaker 6: I showed the picture to my husband, and he agrees that it's him.
00:06:42
Speaker 1: Well, what I would do is.
00:06:48
Speaker 1: In general, I don't think it's right to tell the spouse those things. You are playing a role that is so devastating that it may not be your place to. But it doesn't mean you shouldn't speak to him. And I think you could say, look, whatever is going on in your marriage is your business and not mine. But that is publicly humiliating to your wife.
00:07:14
Speaker 6: The problem is I don't know him very well. I know her because she's very active in the temple. He's not active in the temple, and I don't know him very well. I've seen him a few times.
00:07:28
Speaker 1: Well, then I would send him, you know, it's easy. I don't know if you can email him or something. Just say, and, you know, I would in that case, if I think I would, where I knew the person even tangentially. I would say, you know, again, I'm not going to get involved in your marriage and in its problems, but I will say that by your posting your picture, you are humiliating your wife, and that just seems, that is wrong. See, there are a lot of different elements to to the whole infidelity question anyway and the public humiliation to me is is the most serious one interestingly yeah so that's uh that's i would i would contact him not her okay okay.
00:08:22
Speaker 6: Okay well your opinion is the same as rabbi brisky is it.
00:08:26
Speaker 1: No kidding yeah wow well then i then i then i'm more convinced it's right because i so respect him Okay. Thank you so much. Oh, how interesting. That is very interesting. I wonder what others would think about that. 1-8 Prager 776. All right. And let's go to Phoenix. Is it Megan or Megan?
00:08:54
Speaker 6: Megan.
00:08:55
Speaker 1: Megan, thank you for calling.
00:08:58
Speaker 10: My question is, you were talking about situational ethics the other day.
00:09:01
Speaker 1: Yes, I was.
00:09:03
Speaker 10: And I just was wondering your interpretation of Abraham sacrificing or being obedient to take Isaac up for sacrifice.
00:09:14
Speaker 1: I will be happy to tell you my take.
00:09:16
Speaker 5: Okay.
00:09:17
Speaker 1: I have not only no problem with that story, it is one of the great epic stories of history and one of the great moral revolutions. What God asked Abraham to do, and remember Abraham, It is critical to remember this. The very first sentence of the story says, and the Lord tested Abraham. In other words, the reader is told from the outset, God never wants human sacrifice. So we know that from the first sentence of the story. All right, that's critical that people know that. Number two, why would God even test him with something so terrible? The answer is... at that time, child sacrifice was the way in which pagans, non-monotheists, showed their devotion to their gods. What God was saying to Abraham is, are you prepared to show me the loyalty and devotion that pagan worshippers are prepared to show their gods.
00:10:26
Speaker 4: Okay.
00:10:27
Speaker 1: For Abraham, in that time, that was normal. But the story teaches that the God of Abraham does not want us to sacrifice children. We show our loyalty to God by doing what God wants, which is primarily being good to other people.
00:10:51
Speaker 10: Okay, but it's not about obedience.
00:10:53
Speaker 1: Oh, it was about obedience.
00:10:55
Speaker 6: Sure it was.
00:10:56
Speaker 1: Absolutely it's about obedience to God.
00:10:58
Speaker 10: The question, or the situation we're talking about with Nazi Germany, I mean, we have a command to not bear false testimony.
00:11:06
Speaker 1: Right, that's correct.
00:11:07
Speaker 10: So, in that circumstance, okay, are we to be obedient to that command?
00:11:13
Speaker 1: But there is a, but God, oh, I see, but God has a hierarchy of commands. That is very important that you know that. God wants us to save, to preserve innocent life even before he wants us to always tell the truth.
00:11:27
Speaker 10: But he commanded Abraham to sacrifice Isaac.
00:11:31
Speaker 1: Only to test him to see if he was as obedient to him as the pagans were to their gods. That's all. Because that was the way in which one showed obedience to a god in those times. Gee, I hope that's clear. And if it's not, stay on. We'll be back in a moment. 1-8 Prager, 776- What's the stupidest thing I have ever done? Okay, I'll think of that during the break. You're listening to The Dennis Prager Show.
00:11:54
Speaker 7: This episode of Timeless Wisdom will continue right after this. Now, back to more of Dennis Prager's Timeless Wisdom.
00:12:07
Speaker 1: Howdy, y'all. This is Dennis Prager, and it is The Dennis Prager Show. I'll get to, even though the person hung up, which is, that's a first. I say I'm going to get to a call and they still hang up. Who knows? Maybe there was an emergency in his or her life. Anyway, I want to explain something about the last call. It's very important. People get tripped up on this because I explain that, of course, I believe in moral absolutes, but I also, of course, believe in situational ethics. They're not contradictory. And a lot of people get confused by that. You can see my write-up on it. It was the case for Judeo-Christian values part 11, I believe. Now, I give the example. It's wrong to lie almost all the time, but the situation will determine it. If you know where a Jewish family is hiding during the Holocaust and the Nazi comes over to you and says, where is the Jewish family hiding? You can lie. You have to lie to save their lives. I mean, that's obvious. But then you'll say, well, then how do you know? Because God doesn't want us to lie. Well, the answer is that God himself has a hierarchy of values. For example, it says honor your father and mother. Well, what if your father and mother tell you to go and murder? Well, then, hey, do I have to honor my father and mother? Of course not. You show them honor in whatever way you do, but you don't have to listen to them. Because there's a hierarchy of values. I'm telling you, the more I live, the more I want to write a book titled God Has Common Sense. I think we often act, a lot of religious people act as if he doesn't. Okay, let's continue here. Oh yeah, so anyway, the caller who wants to know, what is the stupidest thing I ever did? And I really have knocked my brain here to think of what might qualify. And I've certainly made mistakes. The stupidest thing, well, I voted for Carter. That may be the stupidest, in terms of just stupid, that may be the stupidest thing I ever did. He truly harmed this country. I can't say that about many presidents. He's a very, very big fool in my eyes, and I hate to use the word because it's an ad hominem attack, and I admit it. He may be a very sweet man personally. That's not my point. This is the man who sat next to Michael Moore and said Michael Moore's vile, vile propaganda work was one of the two greatest films he ever saw. He is a very foolish man. So I voted for him the first time. It was probably stupid that I never bought stocks and listened to my grandfather. God bless him. Although it certainly saved me a lot of time and a lot of loss of money, perhaps, but a lot of aggravation. Probably also I would have made had I been wiser. I don't know. That might be one of, I don't know if it's, it might qualify. Uh, I can tell you the stupidest question on the radio I ever asked. I think it was the star. I, there might be a, uh, there might be a few rivals to that. The, the trucker who called my show and I was, I asked him, what are you hauling? I remember he was in Arizona. He was very, very, very dear man. So I just wanted to converse with him. And I said on the air, so what are you hauling? He said, Oh, two tons of celery. And then I said, my God, what does that smell like? Oh, you actually have it? 45,000 pounds of celery. Yes, sir. That's awesome. What does it smell like?
00:16:23
Speaker 11: Um, smells like celery.
00:16:31
Speaker 1: He was so sweetie. He didn't want to hurt my feelings. What did I think they smelled like? Tulips? Anyway, uh, Live radio will always have some embarrassing moments. That was one of the great ones. And we continue. And in Glendale, California, Eric. Eric Dennis Prager, thanks for calling.
00:16:50
Speaker 6: Hi, Dennis.
00:16:51
Speaker 1: Hi.
00:16:52
Speaker 3: I just wanted to know, well, you mentioned earlier in the week that you commonly receive standing ovations when you give speeches. I just wanted to know how you stay humble, given that.
00:17:02
Speaker 1: Well, I have a real problem in that if I answer you, People will say, how could a guy be humble and then say he's humble? So I'm really stuck. But I will answer you anyway, because it's a very fair question. I know that I am not arrogant. I know it. I have a lot of self-confidence, but I know that I'm not arrogant. And I'll tell you exactly. There are a number of ways that these things do not affect me. Number one, I believe, for example, if a standing ovation... It is entirely to what I put out. It is the ideas. It is the values. People are responding to what I said. Now, they're responding to me, too. I know that. But I'm not there, and this is the biggest thing. I'm not in this for popularity or for praise. Everything I do, and this will sound almost weird to some people, and I don't know how to put it. But I try to do everything because, well, see, no, I mean, I'm afraid about the way it'll sound, but I don't know how to put it any other way. I want to do what God wants me to do. And so I really, I make a little prayer before every speech that may I just do what you want me to do. Not may I be successful, not may I be popular, not may I be loved, not may they may clap for me, but I just, that, and that, that is a way, a very big way, if you believe you're just a vehicle, then you don't, you don't start thinking I'm, you know, I'm the be-all and end-all. Secondly, I'm very secure, so I don't, people who need ovations and who need praise are And we all need it to an extent. I mean, let's be honest, it's a wonderful thing. But I mean who need it in a large sense. They're not secure. The Hollywood actor or actress who lives for their name in lights and to get a standing ovation at the Academy Awards, they're not secure, I feel for them. They're not happy. Number three, and this is a factor too, although not as big as the first one, but it's a big one. I have been in public life since I'm 21. I have not been an adult and not been in public life. I gave my first public lecture at 21. And nothing has ever come overnight, so I never had to deal with what some people in public life do, instant fame. Mine has always been so gradual that it's like the lobster is being boiled and doesn't know it. It just happened. But the other thing is, I'm just Dennis. I'm just Dennis. It never occurs to me to think beyond that. I am gifted with the ability to touch people. It's a gift. I didn't do a damn thing to get it. I was born with it. It was given to me. I believe by God. If one doesn't believe in God, then it was by nature. But I didn't do anything to earn it. So all I have is to use it responsibly, and that's it. That's what I'm here for.
00:20:24
Speaker 12: That's a good perspective.
00:20:25
Speaker 1: Okay? You're very kind to ask it. Thank you very much.
00:20:31
Speaker 7: This episode of Timeless Wisdom will continue right after this.
00:20:38
Speaker 5: Thank you, Dennis, for your life and philosophy.
00:20:40
Speaker 4: I gave my life to Jesus years ago, and I've been praying for you earnestly.
00:20:45
Speaker 1: Keep fighting.
00:20:45
Speaker 9: Keep the faith.
00:20:46
Speaker 5: I believe God has more for you to do. God bless you, Dennis.
00:20:54
Speaker 13: Dennis, this is Jason, long-time listener in Whittier, California. Thank you so much for your show. So glad that you are doing better. God bless you. You have been in my prayer.
00:21:12
Speaker 1: Hi, Dennis Brager here.
00:21:14
Speaker 9: Well, as you know, I've been off the air since my injury in November 2024. Thank you for your prayers. Believe me, I've missed talking to you. I'm starting the Ask Me Anything episodes on the Timeless Wisdom podcast, and I'd love to hear from you. Whether your question is about faith, morality, politics, history, relationships, happiness, or even my life, give me a call and leave a voicemail.
00:21:44
Speaker 1: The number is 877-243-7776. That's 877-243-7776.
00:21:45
Speaker 9: Please include your first name and where you're calling from. I will.
00:22:00
Speaker 9: Answer as many questions as I can on future episodes of the podcast. Obviously, I can't respond to every question, but I will listen or read every question. I look forward to hearing from you. Thank you for listening.
00:22:17
Speaker 2: Now, back to more of Dennis Prager's timeless wisdom.
00:22:23
Speaker 1: Orange, California, and George. George Dennis Prager, hi.
00:22:27
Speaker 14: Hi, Dennis. Glad to talk to you.
00:22:30
Speaker 11: Thank you.
00:22:30
Speaker 14: What I wanted to ask you is, I know your feelings, and anybody who listens to your show knows your feelings about TV as a waste of time.
00:22:37
Speaker 1: Yes, I'm sure.
00:22:40
Speaker 14: But what I wanted to ask you about is reading fictional novels.
00:22:44
Speaker 1: Yeah. Well, I don't think that's a waste of time at all. There are novels. First of all, no matter how trashy a novel, it's four light years above television. So, I mean, so, so there's no comparison. However, uh, within the world of novels, uh, there is pure entertainment and there is entertainment with insight into the human being. So I, I would, those who read for only entertaining novels, you know, I have no judgment to make. Uh, it's still, it's still so much ahead of, of, of anything that is so often done by others to, to, uh, to, to entertain themselves. On the other hand, given the number of great novels that also deliver insight into the human nature, one would hope that they would vary their reading to that as well. I have definitely paid a price not reading novels. I do not consider it a terrific part of my life. When I read novels in college that were good, They were awesome, and they stayed with me much more than nonfiction. Anybody who wants to understand the Soviet Union will do best by reading We the Living by Ayn Rand or the two Orwell books, Animal Farm and 1984, than any nonfiction book. So I know the power of a great novel. But for what I do in the limited time that I have, I have to read nonfiction. Okay?
00:24:20
Speaker 14: I thought about if I spend... Four hours reading a novel that one hour I should take out and read something self-improving or something.
00:24:31
Speaker 1: Well, one hour on nonfiction would be good. I think over, you know, not doing any nonfiction is a loss. And some nonfiction is written in a way like McCullough writing on Truman. It's written like a novel. All righty. Garrett. Garrett in Fort Worth. How are you? Dennis Prager. Hello, Garrett in Texas. Come in, Garrett.
00:24:57
Speaker 14: You got me.
00:24:58
Speaker 1: Okay, great.
00:24:59
Speaker 11: Hey, Dennis, thanks a lot for taking my call.
00:25:01
Speaker 1: Thank you.
00:25:02
Speaker 11: Why do we call some of the villains of the past and present, some of them by their last name, Hitler, Mussolini, and Stalin, and other ones once in a while and it makes me sick? Saddam, Osama, like their brother Bob or our best friend Bob.
00:25:22
Speaker 1: It's a great question, and I think I have an answer. It's entirely dependent upon which works. For example, let's take Stalin. Nobody is going to say, hey, you know what Joseph did? No, I mean, you can't. You know, Joseph killed 40 million people. Joseph who? So it doesn't work. Hitler and Stalin are distinctive enough names. Saddam Hussein, the reason I am convinced is Hussein... Doesn't tell you, Hussein in the Arab world is almost like Smith. So it doesn't tell you enough. But Saddam is more specific. Now Bin Laden is an interesting one. I have never called him Osama. I find that ridiculous. I do say Bin Laden or Osama Bin Laden. So that's an interesting one. I don't know how many people call him Osama. I think he's referred to as Bin Laden. So it depends on the distinctiveness of the names. That is what, that generally is how we, whether we call them by the first or the last, that's why I gave the, you know, Mussolini is enough of a name. Why are we going to say Benito? You know, Benito, he ran a fascist country. You know, you can't do that. So I think there is reason. But Saddam, it's because of his last name. It's too common, and he was confused with King Hussein. That was the other reason. Remember, he was in power when King Hussein was the king of Jordan.
00:26:47
Speaker 11: Understood.
00:26:48
Speaker 7: This episode of Timeless Wisdom will continue right after this.
00:26:57
Speaker 2: Now, back to more of Dennis Prager's Timeless Wisdom.
00:27:01
Speaker 1: Hello.
00:27:02
Speaker 4: You know, I've been wanting to call you for like a month, and I always put it off and I put it off. But, you know, it's gotten to the point now where I know that you have a lot of, you know, religious programs and beliefs and stuff like that that you talk about all the time. This is the perfect person to ask. I'm the one with the question about, does God have a favorite race? And the reason I ask that is because I, as a Hispanic, have noticed through life, and when I ask this question, I want you to think of the numbers, not the ones that make it, because there's always one or two that are going to succeed no matter what, but I want you to look at the overall picture and the numbers that we represent. I've noticed that in my race, which is Hispanic, everywhere I go, It seems like we're the housekeepers. We're the people that work in the fields. We're the people that do all the labor and everything. And I stop and think, you know, when I was growing up, I wanted to be successful. I wanted to have my own business and be something and have nice things in life. But, you know, now that I'm 50, I'm 50 years old and I have some debt. I mean, quite a bit of debt. And I stop and think, golly, you know, if I paid off by the time I'm 60 or 65, see, my dream never happened. I just carried that debt, and I stopped and think, golly, what I didn't want to become, I just, by some force or something, I just became that, like my dad did, like my parents did. Everybody in my family just seemed to fall into that same situation.
00:28:31
Speaker 1: How many generations are you in America?
00:28:34
Speaker 4: Oh, gosh. Well, you know what? My mom is from Monterey, Mexico. My dad is from from the United States, of course. Now, I don't know how far back, but I would say the grandparents came from Mexico.
00:28:47
Speaker 1: Do you have children?
00:28:50
Speaker 6: We have children.
00:28:50
Speaker 1: Yes, we do.
00:28:51
Speaker 4: Now, I am stressing education to them. I want them to be very successful. But I stop and think sometimes, why is it that no matter how hard I've tried to become successful, I feel like there's some things in our culture or something that do not permit us to go. Let me give you an example. No matter how hard I wanted to study and be really good at math. I could never grasp math.
00:29:15
Speaker 1: Me neither. Me neither, Vincent. I could never grasp math.
00:29:18
Speaker 4: I could never grasp math.
00:29:19
Speaker 1: Anything beyond early algebra and geometry, and I was a lost case.
00:29:24
Speaker 6: Right.
00:29:24
Speaker 4: Well, you know, and then I look at television, and I look at the Academy Awards. I look at programs like that, and it's always white people honoring white people. And I tell my son, you know what, son? It's very important that you study, because I can guarantee you that as soon as the Academy Awards is over, all the Hispanics are going to come out and start cleaning up the place you know because that's just the way I have become.
00:29:45
Speaker 1: This is a very touching call but I have a lot of things to say to you I just have so much to say and I want to get so many calls so that's why I'm torn so let me just give you a couple of ideas first of all Hispanic is not a race There's no such thing as a Hispanic race. You mean Latino.
00:30:02
Speaker 4: I meant the Mexican-Americans or whatever.
00:30:06
Speaker 1: Well, first of all, it's a culture. Okay, it's not a race. It's a culture. Cultures do have values, and values help determine, they're not alone, but they help determine the level of success, socioeconomic success, that people will generally have. Values are critical. Now, So there's no such thing as a race that is destined to be cleaning up after another race. There's no such thing. And believe me, the number of people who could call and say the same thing, Turks in Germany can call up a German show and say the same thing. Blacks could have said the same thing. Gee, look at our position in the United States, at least historically. You will find this fascinating, but you know what? The vast majority of Jews who came over, and Jews are a very successful ethnic group, but when they first came over, they were overwhelmingly in the tailors and sold men's and women's clothing. Were they destined to be tailors?
00:31:14
Speaker 6: No.
00:31:14
Speaker 1: The next generation was imbued with the deep, deep desire to get ahead and learn, and the American dream became available to most American Jews. So there is, you know, the Irish could argue the same thing. Are they destined to be whatever profession that the Irish flocked into? Everybody could ask this question. The United States, America shatters all of that stuff. You make what you want of your life, and your children will probably do socioeconomically even more than you might have.
00:31:51
Speaker 13: Right.
00:31:51
Speaker 1: Because you have had the value of stressing education and achievement.
00:31:56
Speaker 9: Yes.
00:31:56
Speaker 4: Well, you know, I do stress education to the kids, and I remind them of what is out there. You know, golly, we don't, you know. I mean, I try to get them to stay motivated and all that other stuff. But, you know, like, another thing I'm going to tell you, you talk about the Jewish people becoming very successful and all. But, you know, the one thing that separates the Jewish people from, let's say, my race is that I've noticed that they help each other. I mean, if they're down, they help each other.
00:32:16
Speaker 1: That's a value. You're right. You know what? That's a very powerful call. I love your honesty. That's why I love your call. I have to let you go only because of time. It's a wonderful call. You're right. That is, and people know, I am very honest and open and critical. I mean, I had a show about Jews and not having a mission or sensing a mission, and I'm very critical on that problem. that religious Jews tend to be more isolated from the world, and the Jews who have a mission tend to not be religiously inclined at all. But this is a great trait that Jews have. There is a very deep sense, at least among Jews who identify as Jews, of helping each other. That is absolutely right. If there is a destitute Jew in Argentina, the Jews of Australia will get money for that Jew. That is true. In fact, I asked this question during the Reagan era constantly. Why does every synagogue have a Save Soviet Jewry sign and I never see on churches Save Soviet Christian signs? And people know my great admiration for America's Christians. But values is everything. Vincent, it's everything. Not race, not ethnicity. Values are everything. That's why I am the opposite of the left who think that economics is determinant. Values are determinant.
00:33:42
Speaker 7: This episode of Timeless Wisdom will continue right after this. Now, back to more of Dennis Prager's Timeless Wisdom.
00:33:56
Speaker 1: Uh, Lancaster, there we go, Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Chris, hello Chris, Dennis Prager.
00:34:01
Speaker 6: Yeah, hi Dennis.
00:34:02
Speaker 1: Hi.
00:34:02
Speaker 12: Thanks for taking my call.
00:34:03
Speaker 1: Thank you.
00:34:04
Speaker 12: I'm calling about my son. who's graduating from high... Well, we hope he's graduating from high school this year.
00:34:10
Speaker 1: Yeah.
00:34:11
Speaker 12: And he's been accepted to a college. And we're trying to decide what he should do for a year. And here's the issue. My son is profoundly ungenerous. He doesn't put himself out for other things and for other people.
00:34:27
Speaker 1: Right.
00:34:27
Speaker 12: He has good qualities, but this is... I mean, to the point where it's a very serious problem. And so I am... seeking things for him to do, or a thing for him to do, that would get him out of himself, expose him to some genuine need. I mean, I've thought of the army, the Peace Corps, if it still exists. I'd like it to be something Jewish, because he is Jewish, and I think there's, you know, it's good to tap into your tradition.
00:34:58
Speaker 1: Well, if you are Jewish, and you want to combine the two, why doesn't he volunteer to in some of the hospital-type or other type, social-type services in Israel for victims of terror.
00:35:12
Speaker 12: That's pretty darn good.
00:35:14
Speaker 1: Yep, that'll give him a dose of reality. Yes, exactly.
00:35:20
Speaker 12: Which is what I'm looking for.
00:35:22
Speaker 1: Okay, let me know what happens.
00:35:23
Speaker 12: Thank you very much.
00:35:24
Speaker 1: You're welcome very much. Thank you. And over to Howard in Philadelphia. Hello, Howard. Dennis Prager.
00:35:32
Speaker 5: Dennis, I am driven crazy by the professionals that I listen to on the radio. And you do a good job of this, by the way. You do a good job in the good way, not the bad way.
00:35:41
Speaker 1: Right, I understand.
00:35:42
Speaker 5: But I listen to people on radio. I stop watching television, and I become hypersensitive to speech. And what I hear when I listen to people who are professionals is, I mean, you know, um, ah.
00:35:55
Speaker 1: That's right. That is correct.
00:35:57
Speaker 5: Why is speech... What happened? Because it used to be that... talk radio, the people who did talk radio really took pride in what they said, and they weren't sloppy, and I think we've gotten sloppy.
00:36:10
Speaker 1: Not just professionals, but everybody. I listen a lot to talk radio, and by and large, I'd say, well, I would say 50% of the broadcasters do not do many ums. About 50% do more than they should. I had to learn not to, and I'll tell you how you teach yourself. This is a good, this is an excellent thing for everybody listening because almost everybody has to speak publicly in some way, even if it's just at a table at a dinner party. People, you know why people do um? Do you know why?
00:36:46
Speaker 5: Yes, they're thinking. I wanted to put a plug in for.
00:36:49
Speaker 1: But wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, hold on a second. They're thinking, I know, no, that doesn't explain why they're saying um. That explains why they're not saying anything. But why are they saying um while they're thinking? And I'll tell you, I have figured it out. It is because people fear that if there is no audible noise, people will stop listening. It is a psychological thing and a very understandable one. But they're wrong. That's right, they're wrong. Quiet can actually be an attention demander.
00:37:30
Speaker 9: Yes.
00:37:31
Speaker 5: I'm not a professional speaker, Dennis, but I do speak publicly, and I do speak often. And the pause, I think, is the most profound, most powerful thing to use in a speech.
00:37:43
Speaker 1: Providing it's not overused as a gimmick. If it's a natural pause. When it's a gimmick, I can't stand it. But if it's natural, I had to teach myself the following. Dennis, it's okay not to have a sound going over the air. But it's very hard to learn not to say um. Well, you know, there were about 100 people there. You know, it just comes out very naturally. But you are right, and I am very aware of it when I speak. I say I mastered it 90%, not 100%. And I'm very aware of it when I listen.
00:38:20
Speaker 5: I have one more word, Dennis, that's starting to drive me crazy. And you tell me if you think that's being too picky to mention it. The word actually. It just seems to me that everybody throws it at the end of a sentence. I went out to dinner, actually. I actually spoke to him. And I'm thinking in my mind, well, you actually spoke to him as opposed to what? Speaking to him?
00:38:45
Speaker 1: That's interesting. Well, you might be picky on this. I don't know. I have not noticed that actually has been overused. You know has, and of course the grape killer today, like actually. That is something I've worked on with my kids, and actually they have pretty much extirpated it from their vocabulary. Anyway, it's a good call, Howard. I appreciate it very much. It's like....
00:39:21
Speaker 2: Tomorrow on Timeless Wisdom with Dennis Prager.
00:39:24
Speaker 1: See, the rhetoric, and this is what is so important, and believe me, I need to tell you folks, I've come... a ways, as they say, on this journey because I was raised, I don't mean in my family, I mean in my educational system, to believe that abortion was just a woman doing what she wants with her own body, a woman just... quote-unquote, ending her pregnancy. Who are we to tell a woman you have to be pregnant? And I had essentially bought all of that. This is something. I'll never forget. I have to give him credit here. It was in a dialogue with Jerry Falwell, and he made a very telling point, and it had an impact on me. I was in my 20s, and it had an impact on me. He said, when a woman is pregnant... Do we ever say to her, how's your fetus? Or do we say, how's your baby?
00:40:27
Speaker 7: Join us tomorrow to hear more on Timeless Wisdom with Dennis Prager. Visit DennisPrager.com for thousands of hours of Dennis' lectures, courses, and classic radio programs. And to purchase Dennis Prager's Rational Bibles. We want to take just a second to thank the team at Life Audio for their partnership with us on the podcast. Go to lifeaudio.com to find dozens of other Faith Center podcasts and their network, including shows about prayer, Bible study, parenting, and more.
