Shakespeare loved his fools. He would put them on stage during the darkest moments of a play. King Lear, raging against his fate amid a storm, had his fool. Today, we are blessed with clowns who make us giggle despite the political cesspool we are living in.  Thank you, Andy Borowitz

One of my favorite Shakespearian lines comes from A Midsummer Night’s Dream when Puck says to his Lord, “What fools these mortals be.” (Act iii, Scene 2.)  He spoke at a time before psychiatry existed, and no one had coined the term cognitive dissonance disorder.  

I e-mailed a friend, a former student of mine, the other day as we hadn’t communicated for a while. Naturally, I asked how he was and the answer came back just as I had hoped. He was fine. His family was fine. His job was fine. He added that he was reacquainting himself with the pia