Articles by Dietrich Fischer
We found 498 results.
Leprosy in Social Body
Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
3 Sep 2018
Leprosy is primarily a disease of the nervous system, which has the effect that patients no longer feel pain.
→ read full article
The Downside
Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
27 Aug 2018
When God created the various countries, he used some balance; each country got some advantages and some disadvantages.
→ read full article
A Glass of Milk
Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
27 Aug 2018
As a poor student, Howard Kelly supported himself by selling magazine subscriptions door-to-door. It did not always go well.
→ read full article
Rufus Jones
Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
20 Aug 2018
Rufus Jones (1863-1948), an American Quaker, who helped found the American Friends Service Committee in 1917, went to England after World War I to try and help with the reconstruction.
→ read full articleSearch for Meaning…
Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
13 Aug 2018
An English teacher wrote the words, “a woman without her man is nothing” on the blackboard and told the students to punctuate it correctly.
→ read full articleIn Conclusion…
Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
6 Aug 2018
A biology teacher wanted to warn his students about the harmful effects of alcohol.
→ read full article
A Butcher Knife
Prof. Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
6 Aug 2018
In modern warfare, those who issue orders to kill seldom see their victims face to face.
→ read full articleCorrection
Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
30 Jul 2018
General Smith died and the local newspaper printed a eulogy.
→ read full articleNumbness
Prof. Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
30 Jul 2018
If a frog is put into hot water, it jumps out. If it is put into tepid water, and the water is gradually heated, he remains in the water until he is boiled.
→ read full articleReality, Perception, Truth
Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
23 Jul 2018
An Amish boy and his father were visiting a mall. They were amazed by almost everything they saw, but especially were intrigued by two shiny, silver walls that could move apart and back together again.
→ read full articleHeroism
Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
2 Jul 2018
An oil well caught fire.
→ read full articleStatus
Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
25 Jun 2018
When relations between the Soviet Union and China soured in the early 1960s, Khrushchev met Chu En Lai and told him,
→ read full articleAuthorship
Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
20 Jun 2018
During the German occupation of France, a German soldier entered Picasso’s studio and saw a small reproduction of his painting “Guernica”.
→ read full articleFor God’s Sake!
Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
11 Jun 2018
A wife invited some people to dinner.
→ read full articleLawyers
Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
4 Jun 2018
Santa Claus, the tooth fairy, an honest lawyer and an old drunk are walking down the street together when they simultaneously spot a hundred dollar bill.
→ read full article
Costa Rica Prospers without a Military
Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
4 Jun 2018
While other Central American countries have long suffered from war and military coups and squandered much of their resources on the military, Costa Rica has enjoyed peace, stable democracy, and comparative prosperity. Its per capita income is double that of its Central American neighbors.
→ read full articleLife Management
Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
28 May 2018
A professor gave a lecture on time management. He filled a mason jar with a dozen fist-sized rocks, until no more would fit. He asked his students, “Is this jar full?”
→ read full articleExpert Justification
Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
28 May 2018
A tourist’s car broke down in a small village.
→ read full articleOdds
Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
21 May 2018
A man did not feel well and went to see his doctor.
→ read full article
A Snowflake
Prof. Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
21 May 2018
Randy Kehler, who later became national coordinator of the Nuclear Freeze movement in the United States, was drafted into the Army in the early 1970s to go fight in Vietnam. Like many others, he refused to serve and was sentenced to prison. But unlike many others, he did more than that.
→ read full articleThree More…
Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
14 May 2018
An Irishman arrived late at night at a bar in Belfast and saw a big fight.
→ read full articleA Warm Room
Prof. Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
14 May 2018
As long as peace negotiators focus on the elimination of weapons, anyone with a gun or bomb can sabotage the peace process. Violence relates to an unresolved conflict like smoke to fire. To stop the smoke, it is necessary to quench the fire, not the other way round.
→ read full articleA New Friendship
Prof. Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
7 May 2018
Al was walking home from school. Suddenly he saw that the boy in front of him had fallen and dropped a large pile of books and other things that he was carrying. Al bent down and helped him pick up the scattered items.
→ read full articleOpportunisms
Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
7 May 2018
Dan was a single guy living at home with his father and working in the family business.
→ read full articleSocial Skill
Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
30 Apr 2018
A Swiss farmer’s son was for the first time at a ball.
→ read full articleWords Can Save Lives
Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
30 Apr 2018
A group of frogs were walking through a forest. Suddenly, two of them fell into a hole. All the other frogs gathered around the hole and looked down over the edge.
→ read full articleWhatever…
Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
23 Apr 2018
A father told his young son, “You have gotten a little sister.”
→ read full articleLet the People, Not the Politicians or Generals, Decide
Prof. Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
23 Apr 2018
The province of Schleswig had changed hands between Denmark and Prussia several times during the 19th century and was under German control before World War I.
→ read full articleNot Crazy
Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
16 Apr 2018
A mental patient believed he was a mouse.
→ read full articleThe Whole Truth
Prof. Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
9 Apr 2018
“Seek the company of those who are searching for the truth, but avoid those who have found it.” — Vaclav Havel
→ read full articleBy the Way…
Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
9 Apr 2018
John Kenneth Galbraith called Reaganomics “horse and sparrow economics.”
→ read full articleFraming Questions
Prof. Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
2 Apr 2018
The psychologists Amos and Tversky developed the theory of “framing” by demonstrating that people give different answers depending on how a question is asked. The following are two examples.
→ read full articleExplaining to a Blind Person [Jokes to Be Taken Seriously]
Prof. Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
2 Apr 2018
Someone asked Albert Einstein at a party: “Oh, you are Albert Einstein, could you please explain me your relativity theory in three or four sentences?”
→ read full articleSchooling
Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
12 Mar 2018
A young cowboy from Wyoming went off to college, but half way through the semester, he had foolishly squandered all his money. He called home.
→ read full articleThe End of Dueling
Prof. Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
12 Mar 2018
During medieval times, it was a sign of honor and courage for men to challenge a rival to a duel by sword, typically someone who was in love with the same woman.
→ read full articleOdds
Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
5 Mar 2018
A patient did not feel well and went to see his doctor. The doctor examined and told him, “I have some bad news and some good news.”
→ read full articleHot Water
Prof. Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
26 Feb 2018
If a frog is put into hot water, he jumps out. If he is put into tepid water, and the water is gradually heated, he remains in the water until he is boiled.
→ read full articleSounds Familiar… ?
Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
26 Feb 2018
A man is taking a walk in Central park in New York. Suddenly he sees a little girl being attacked by a pit bull dog. He runs over and starts fighting with the dog.
→ read full articleBisons and Bears
Prof. Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
19 Feb 2018
In the past, when the main danger bisons faced were predators such as bears, the best protection they had against danger was for them to form a circle, with the strong bulls on the outside and the females and young protected inside. But when hunters with guns arrived, forming a circle was the worst thing they could do. Instead of dispersing and running away, they presented a fixed, easy target and were massacred in large numbers.
→ read full articleForgetfulness
Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
19 Feb 2018
An elderly man went for his annual checkup to the doctor. After examining him, the doctor said, “I have two bad news for you. The first is that you have cancer.”
→ read full articleClever
Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
5 Feb 2018
President Bush was informed that there was a threat of a bird flu epidemic.
→ read full articleCouples
Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
22 Jan 2018
A man believed his wife was hard of hearing.
→ read full article
Jack
Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
8 Jan 2018
A fifth grade teacher began her first day with a new class. All the students were neat and well behaved, except for Jack, a boy in the front row, who was slumped in his chair and seemed to need a bath.
→ read full articleInfected
Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
8 Jan 2018
After an interval of four million years, two planets meet again in the universe.
→ read full articleCover-up
Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
1 Jan 2018
A man comes home and finds his dog with the neighbor’s pet rabbit in his mouth. It is dead.
→ read full articleOh, God!
Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
25 Dec 2017
A very good hearted young man came to the gates of heaven. He asked God, “Why have you brought me here so early? I was still in perfect health and wanted to do many more good deeds.”
→ read full articleTitles
Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
18 Dec 2017
Someone who farms is a farmer.
→ read full articlePut Out the Fire Before It Is Too Late
Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
18 Dec 2017
There was a man called Nicolas who was happy in life except for one thing: he and a neighbor distrusted each other. One day, his chicken strayed into the neighbor’s garden.
→ read full articleAmy Biehl
Prof. Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
11 Dec 2017
Amy Biehl was a young Princeton graduate who went to Capetown, South Africa, in 1992 as a volunteer to work with an NGO to help overcome apartheid.
→ read full article
Seven Men and an Elephant
Prof. Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
4 Dec 2017
Seven men were in a dark room touching an elephant. One touched his leg and said, “An elephant is like a tree trunk.”
→ read full articleGood Deed
Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
4 Dec 2017
A reverend walking down the street noticed a little boy trying to reach the doorbell of a house.
→ read full articleAnalogy
Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
27 Nov 2017
The following analogy characterizes the attitude of a typical Trump administration official in relation to the looming energy crisis.
→ read full articleGetting to the Roots of the Problem
Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
27 Nov 2017
A man had frequent nightmares. Someone was hiding under his bed what made him wake up sweating and trembling every night.
→ read full articleOldest Profession
Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
20 Nov 2017
A surgeon, an engineer and an economist were arguing which was the oldest profession.
→ read full articleThe Dull Ax
Prof. Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
20 Nov 2017
A lumber jack worked long hours every day to exhaustion, wasting a lot of time and energy cutting trees with a dull ax.
→ read full articleQuickies
Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
13 Nov 2017
George Bush came late to a cabinet meeting. He explained that he wanted to finish a puzzle.
→ read full articleThree for the Week Ahead
Prof. Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
13 Nov 2017
A young woman suffered from cancer. Her doctor asked her what she enjoyed most in life.
→ read full articleJokes to Be Taken Seriously
Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
6 Nov 2017
The philosophers of ancient Greece concluded that by far the wisest among them was Socrates. They went to him and asked how he had become so wise.
→ read full articleHow a Seemingly Bad Luck Can Turn Out to Be a Good Luck
Prof. Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
30 Oct 2017
How a Loss Can Turn into a Gain – What looked like a total disaster at first turned out to be a lucky coincidence.
→ read full articleLucky Coincidence
Prof. Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
23 Oct 2017
Kenneth Boulding once said, “History is like a pinball machine. A slight change in initial conditions can bring vastly different outcomes.” Johan Galtung gave an illustration of this that he had heard from André Fontaine, the editor of Le Monde, on a flight from Seoul–where they had attended a conference together–to Paris.
→ read full articlePicking Berries
Prof. Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
16 Oct 2017
This is a metaphor for work on peaceful conflict transformation. If you look at a conflict from only one point of view, you see a very limited set of problems and possible solutions.
→ read full articleWhich Direction?
Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
16 Oct 2017
After a summit meeting, Reagan, Brezhnev and Deng Xiaoping were being driven to the airport in a limousine. The driver arrived at an intersection and asked which way to go.
→ read full articleKeeping Peace in Transilvania
Prof. Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
9 Oct 2017
The media tend to report about cases where mediation fails and fighting breaks out, but they almost never report about cases where fighting has been avoided, and how this was achieved. They have turned the old adage “no news is good news” into “good news is no news.” Better coverage of success stories could encourage others to help prevent war.
→ read full articleDisarmament
Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
9 Oct 2017
When someone argued, “We have had nuclear weapons for 50 years and nothing has happened,” Helen Caldicott replied,
→ read full articleEfficiency
Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
2 Oct 2017
During the French Revolution, a doctor, a lawyer and an engineer were sentenced to be beheaded on the guillotine.
→ read full articleCommon Ground
Prof. Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
25 Sep 2017
Unity based conflict resolution does not focus on the points of disagreement, but seeks points of unity, common interest, and gradually expands from there, to arrive at a mutually acceptable solution to problems.
→ read full articleFairness
Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
25 Sep 2017
Taking his seat in his chambers, the judge faced the opposing lawyers.
→ read full articleTrue Skill
Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
18 Sep 2017
The yogi Raman was a true master of the art of archery. One morning, he invited his favorite disciple to watch a display of his skill. The disciple had seen this more than a hundred times before, but he nevertheless obeyed his teacher.
→ read full articleWeather Forecasters
Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
18 Sep 2017
A tribe of American Indians on a reservation heard on their radio that there would be a cold winter. So they stacked up plenty of firewood.
→ read full articleCourtroom
Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
11 Sep 2017
A man caught in embezzlement asked his lawyer, “Would it help my case if I sent the judge a box of cigars?”
→ read full articleDouble
Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
4 Sep 2017
The people of Minas Gerais in Brazil are said to love cheese. A man there met a fairy and she promised to grant him three wishes.
→ read full articleCamp David
Prof. Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
4 Sep 2017
The key to successful negotiations is to find creative solutions that give all parties what is most important to them.
→ read full articleOpportunity Creation
Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
21 Aug 2017
A friend of mine and his wife were getting divorced. They quarreled about who should get the house. Both hired expensive lawyers and were close to spending more than the value of the house.
→ read full articleDrunks
Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
21 Aug 2017
Recently, a routine police patrol was parked outside a local neighborhood bar in Minnesota. Late in the evening, the officer noticed a man leaving the bar so intoxicated that he could barely walk.
→ read full articleA Key to Heaven and Hell
Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
14 Aug 2017
The physicist Richard Feinman once met a Buddhist monk.
→ read full articleIQ
Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
14 Aug 2017
A team of psychologists has developed a new measure of intelligence, a metric measure. The basic unit is the tary.
→ read full articleDogs
Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
7 Aug 2017
A man goes into a bar with his dog and tells the bartender,
“I have taught my dog how to talk.”
Expertise
Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
31 Jul 2017
A foreign tourist’s car got stuck in a small village.
→ read full articleHeart Attacks
Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
24 Jul 2017
A married couple enjoyed their new fishing boat together, but it was always the husband who was behind the wheel operating the boat. However, he was concerned about what might happen in an emergency.
→ read full articlePrevented from Speaking
Prof. Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
24 Jul 2017
Dr. Hossain B. Danesh was invited to give a series of training sessions on peace education to a group of 100 teachers in Banja Luca in 2000. Banja Luca was the capital of the Republica Srpska during the Bosnian war.
→ read full articleHolding Officials Accountable
Prof. Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
17 Jul 2017
I met Bona Malwal Madut Ring from Bahr El Ghazal in South Sudan when we were both students and lived at International House in New York. One day in 1969, he received a long phone call from London, and went there a few days later.
→ read full articleSafe Trip
Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
17 Jul 2017
A man went to an airline counter to buy a plane ticket.
“How likely is it that there will be a bomb on the plane,” he asked with concern.
Improve Yourself
Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
10 Jul 2017
In ancient times, a king walked barefoot, as it was customary at the time, to visit a neighboring town.
→ read full articleSaving a Marriage
Prof. Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
3 Jul 2017
A true mediation history from Johan Galtung. An Italian husband was fitting bathrooms with tiles for a living, while his wife, who was eight years younger, stayed home and took care of the household.
→ read full articleSelf-Determination and Peace
Prof. Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
19 Jun 2017
Self-determination is no guarantee that people will always make the optimal decision. But if they make a mistake, it is their own mistake, and they have nobody else to blame. They will learn from their mistake and make a better choice next time. However, if a central government forces them to do something against their will, and they suffer as a consequence, they will naturally turn their anger against that government. Self-determination helps avoid such conflicts.
→ read full articleSatyagraha
Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
5 Jun 2017
A British platoon blocked a road against a Satyagraha force, one of Gandhi’s nonviolent but implacable acts of mass civil disobedience.
→ read full articleViewpoint
Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
29 May 2017
During the German occupation of France, a German soldier entered Picasso’s studio and saw a small reproduction of his painting “Guernica”.
→ read full articleWorld Law
Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
22 May 2017
Grenville Clark, the co-author with Louis B. Sohn of ‘World Peace Through World Law,’ gave a talk in a town in the U.S. Midwest around the year 1900. He noticed all men were carrying two loaded guns in their belt.
→ read full articleGreedier Than Thou
Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
22 May 2017
Dan was a single guy living at home with his father and working in the family business.
→ read full articlePeace Is Like an Olive Tree
Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
15 May 2017
Building peace takes time. There is no easy way. It is easier to start a war.
→ read full articleA Buddhist Bookstore
Prof. Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
8 May 2017
A husband and wife grew increasingly apart. The husband, a businessman selling bicycles, brought his accounting books home and pored over red and black figures in the evening. His wife, who had become increasingly interested in her spiritual life and was fascinated with Buddhism, felt disgusted by her husband’s materialism.
→ read full articleLogic
Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
8 May 2017
A young man from a rural village went to study at the university in the capital.
→ read full articleJokes to Be Taken Seriously
Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
1 May 2017
The philosophers of ancient Greece concluded that by far the wisest among them was Socrates.
→ read full articleDescriptive Titles
Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
24 Apr 2017
Someone who farms is a farmer.
→ read full articleSteven Spielberg
Prof. Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
17 Apr 2017
When Steven Spielberg (born 1946), the award-winning movie director, was a young boy, he was plagued at school by a big bully who regularly ridiculed him, hit him, or put his head under the water fountain.
→ read full articleSo Much for ‘Understanding’
Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
10 Apr 2017
The United Nations conducted a worldwide survey asking, “Would you please give your honest opinion about the solutions to the food shortage in the rest of the world?” Not surprisingly, it was a huge failure.
→ read full articleHidden Gems
Prof. Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
10 Apr 2017
A diver was exploring caves along the seashore. In one of them he found an ancient leather bag. Curious to see what treasure might be hidden inside, he quickly opened it, but was disappointed to find nothing but a bunch of hardened clay balls.
→ read full articleThe Gift of Insults
Prof. Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
3 Apr 2017
A great Samurai warrior, now old, had decided to teach Zen Buddhism to young people. Despite his age, the legend was that he could defeat any adversary.
→ read full articleExplaining to a Blind Person
Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
3 Apr 2017
Someone asked Albert Einstein at a party: “Oh, you are Albert Einstein, could you please explain me your relativity theory in three or four sentences?”
→ read full articleIt Is All for the Best: A Lesson in Optimism
Dietrich Fischer – TRANSCEND Media Service,
20 Mar 2017
A king went hunting with his adviser but lost his thumb in an unfortunate accident. His adviser told him, “It is all for the best.” The king was furious, and as soon as they arrived at the palace he put his adviser in jail.
→ read full article