Toy Guns, Tragic Heroes, and Tough Questions - Dennis AMA

Life Audio.

On today's episode of Timeless Wisdom.

Uh, I'm a conservative and my wife's liberal, um, and I've got an 8-year-old son who, who in the absence of a plastic toy gun will pick up a stick, pretend it's a gun, and of course, exactly, that's right. Well, of course, I get a mountain of grief from my wife over this, and, and it just disgusts her that he does this, and I want your take on that. If I believe it's a natural thing—

it disgusts her that he goes around shooting, pretending he's shooting, right? I see. Well, I need to talk to your wife because it's sometimes easier for a stranger than for a husband, or vice versa, for a wife to talk to the husband. But what exactly troubles her? I mean, I understand, you know, I want to speak gently because it's your wife and I don't want to cause any tension.

That's coming up on Timeless Wisdom with Dennis Prager.

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Welcome to Timeless Wisdom with Dennis Prager. Hear thousands of hours of Dennis's lectures, courses, and classic radio programs. And to purchase Dennis Prager's Rational Bibles, go to DennisPrager.com. Let Dennis be Dennis.

That's right. And I let you be you. Whatever is on your mind about me, about you, about life, about death, and enjoy the music. Okay everybody, this is the third hour on Friday on the Dennis Prager Show. Whatever is on your mind, I love it. You seem to love it too, which is nice, because if we had differing views of an hour of my show, that wouldn't work. If I liked it and you didn't, that wouldn't be good. And if you liked it and I didn't, that wouldn't be good either. I'm Dennis Prager. I don't know if I said that, so I have to say it. And here I am. I'm going to tell you something. This is dramatic. Ready? My trainer— I'm with her, I think, like 2 and a half years now. No, 2 years. 2 years, I think. Whatever, but it's a lot because it's 3 times a week when I'm in town. So she just got married and she's pregnant, and she found out the sex of the child. She is unbelievably traditional. She doesn't even know she's traditional. She just thinks she lives on Earth. Says it's a boy. By the way, it is very funny. I hope she's not listening. She's probably training somebody. She said, "You know, it was a mother's intuition. I knew it was a boy." And that stuff cracks me up. There is no such thing as mother's intuition with regard to the sex of whom you're carrying. Every single theory is not true. Every single one. Well, if the belly is like this, or if it cooks like this, There was no way outside of an ultrasound to know, okay? Just want you to know. Anyway, she showed me, uh, the first picture she's ever had of her son, and she's 5 months pregnant, so she's in her 20th week. And she showed me the picture, and do you know what I saw? It's actually— I had her send it to me, text it to me. It is dramatic. The child's hand is up like this. All 5 fingers are as clear as a black and white photo. And I didn't say to her, because I don't talk the issues that I talk— I don't know, I don't even know how she votes after all these years, because it's not something I talk to her about. And, uh, but I, I, the first thing I thought was, how could anybody morally defend abortion looking at that picture?

Hello, folks.

It shows you how people fool themselves. She doesn't call what she's carrying a fetus. Nobody says to her, the most pro-choice friends of hers don't say, "Hey, how's the fetus doing?" They go, "How's the baby doing?" So isn't that a bizarre thing? If the mother wants it, it's a baby. If she doesn't want it, it's a fetus. That's the proof that people use language to deflect from the moral question. Alrighty, everybody. Dustin in Carson, California. Hello, Dustin.

Hey, Dennis Prager, a longtime fan.

Thank you.

I'm a college professor and I'm writing a book about why we shouldn't get rid of Shakespeare, and I wanted to know what your favorite Shakespeare play is and why.

I saw your call, so I've been thinking about it and thinking about it. First of all, I hope you get Do you have a publisher?

Uh, not yet, just working on that.

I really, I really hope you get one. It's a very important book to write because he was a giant and his understanding of the human condition is astonishing. It is just astonishing.

But, uh, the idea of getting rid— sorry, sorry.

No, no, I just, I'll just answer you. All things being considered, in other words, if, if somebody were to say, hey, you can have tickets to any of his plays Which would it be? I don't think you would expect this, but it would be Othello.

Nice.

Yeah, the, uh, first of all, that's a good one.

Yeah, yeah.

Well, it has the only— and you know Shakespeare far better than I, I have no doubt, but I believe Othello, as I guess Othello we say in English because Othello is the opera, but Othello has the only purely negative character in Shakespeare, Iago. Is that correct?

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. We still don't know why he did what he did.

That's right, that's right, that's exactly— and so there are so many Iagos walking around. Anyway, that's my answer to you. Uh, the fact that you—

very much—

well, thank you very much. The fact that you have to write such a book Well, look, that's what I'm doing, I'm trying to do for the Bible. The fact that the Bible and Shakespeare need defense shows you the sick and stupid age in which we live. Where do people get wisdom from? The New York Times editorial page? Their heart? That's where they really go, their heart. They don't need wisdom, they have a heart. That's what's happened. All right, let's— oh boy, so many good calls. Don't give up, don't give up, let me go fast. Mike. Little Elm, Texas. Hi, Dennis Prager.

Mr. Prager, I was reading your father's autobiography. Hmm, good. And it brought Jew hatred out to me in a way that I'd never seen before. I'd never met a Jew before. And watching the Nazism rise in Europe and watching Islamism rise in Europe, and how our military is being cut, do you worry that there might be a second Holocaust in Europe one day?

Uh, no, I don't worry about a Holocaust in Europe because there are so few Jews in Europe to, uh, to actually, uh, have a Holocaust with regard to. I worry about a Holocaust in Israel because there are people who want to create it and announce it. Hezbollah, Hamas, Iran. I mean, think about it. The, the blasé attitude of the world and its intelligentsia in particular to the overt expressions of Nazi-like genocide vis-à-vis the Jews of Israel is, uh, is mind-boggling. I never would have predicted it as a child. I was sure that there would be the last Holocaust. I was born after it, but it was, it was obviously a big issue emotionally, even though I lost no relatives. My parents and their parents have been here. So that I do worry about, yes, and there's every reason to worry about it because there are people who want to do it to Israel. All right, and, uh, let's go to Maddie. Philadelphia. Maddie, Dennis Prager.

Hi Dennis, thank you for taking my call.

Thank you.

Um, I just had a quick question. Um, I got into a little disagreement recently with one of my teachers. I'm taking a summer class and, um, I was wondering, I would like to get your opinion, is— do you think morality, you know, good and evil, is apparent and natural to human psychology?

I, I wish I could answer you, but I don't fully understand the question.

Um, well, are you familiar with the term natural law?

Yep.

Do you believe that such a thing is self-evident?

Well, by natural law, most people meant that it was— there was a divine element to natural law, that it was, that it was part of nature. So, but it was— but it's not part of molecules and atoms, so there was a divine element. And so the founders believed in, in natural law and in the creator of natural law, right?

So that's—

and but is it like—

I believe that the human being— I think that the human being is born with a conscience, uh, but it is unbelievably easy to, uh, to dull the conscience. And, and that desires, appetites, uh, physical yearnings, uh, deformed psychology make it very easy to do evil. That's why I don't believe people are basically good, and I think that is one of the stupidest ideas a human being can hold. And I very rarely call an idea stupid. After the 20th century, to believe people are basically good means you're either ignorant of what happened in the 20th century or you believe in the tooth fairy.

That makes perfect sense.

Um, yeah, look up my article. I, I look up, uh, I have, you know, about hundreds and hundreds of columns. Just, uh, they're all listed at townhall.com under my name. And read the one on people not being basically good, or get the one from the Jewish Journal of Los Angeles, which I wrote later. Maddie, thank you. Uh, well, I have a question for Maddie. One minute. Maddie, you still there?

Yes, I'm still here.

Or you were raised in a religious home?

Deeply religious, yes.

Which religion for you?

Orthodox Catholic.

Thank you. Well, you know, it's tempting to do 3 hours of just having people call in, 6 hours, 9, 12, 15. But it's better to have a surplus of good than a deficiency. We'll be back in a moment. I'm Dennis Prager.

This episode of Timeless Wisdom will continue right after this.

For nearly 3,000 years, Homer's The Odyssey has shaped Western imagination. It tells the story of Odysseus as he faces monsters, shipwrecks, false comforts, and impossible choices on his long journey home. As one of the foundational works of Western literature, Homer's epic is more than mythology. It explores permanent questions about courage, duty, loyalty, family, leadership, temptation, and the search for home. In one of the epic's defining moments, Odysseus rejects the offer of immortality from the goddess Calypso, choosing instead the long and difficult journey home. His decision reveals one of the central themes of The Odyssey, that a life of duty, family, and home is greater than a life devoted to comfort or glory. Achilles chose glory. Odysseus chose home. That's why Hillsdale College has released its newest free online course, The Odyssey. Taught by Professor Benedict Whelan, the course reveals why Homer's masterpiece remains one of the greatest works of Western literature. Find this free course at hillsdale.edu/odysseus. Hillsdale.edu/startnow. The Odyssey from Hillsdale College. Go to hillsdale.edu/startnow.

Now back to more of Dennis Prager's timeless wisdom.

All right everybody, Dennis Prager here. By the way, I, I shouldn't even say this because in some ways it's going to be an insult to Triple G, and I hate insulting Triple G in front of a couple million people, but it's fun. When I was asked by this professor what's my favorite Shakespeare play, why did he whisper in my earphones his favorite Shakespeare play, Hamilton? I made that up. Why didn't you feel insulted? You were supposed to feel insulted. Oh, so what? It's false. All right, everybody, 1-800-PRAGER-776. Whatever is on thine mind. All right, Louisville, Kentucky, and Steve. Hello, Steve. Dennis Prager.

Hey, Dennis, it's a real honor to speak with you.

Thank you.

I, I've got to tell you that, uh, my kids bought a fountain pen for me for Father's Day.

Why did they do that?

Well, it's kind of funny, uh, there's a little boutique-ish men's store, uh, here where I live with, uh, you know, nice shirts and nice ties and, you know, classic sort of things. And I said, uh, they wanted to know what to get me, and I said, well, just go there and anything from there would be great. And so they went there and, and, and they said, we found this and we really thought that you would enjoy it. And in fact, I've absolutely loved it. It's my first fountain pen.

What brand is it?

It is— I don't know the name.

Oh, you can't call me about a fountain pen and not know the brand.

No, no, no.

It's like telling me you got a car and I don't know what brand it is.

Dennis, wait a second. TWSBI are the letters on the pin.

TWSDI.

Pardon me?

TW— say it again.

TWSBI.

TWSBI.

Yeah. Oh, I don't know. I mean—

oh, let me see, let me see. Look at that. Oh, look at that. I've never heard of it. But it doesn't matter. The only issue that matters with anything like this, a camera, a pen, it doesn't matter. Will you enjoy it and will you use it?

Absolutely.

Then that's the only— that's all that matters. Is it— I assume it's a medium point, you know. See, if you were here, I would teach you how to clean the pens. I would teach you the difference between the nibs, whether it is a gold nib or a steel nib. I would teach you about fine versus medium versus broad. Uh, and of course the greatest joy, or one of the greatest joys, is the staggering number of inks.

Yes.

So don't confine yourself to black or blue. I, I love writing, for example, with purple.

Okay, I, I would not think that of you, but you seem like a basic black kind of guy.

Oh wow, that is so sad. I'm gonna cry, I'm gonna cry. Is that how I come across? Basic black?

You don't seem to be such a sensitive guy as you've turned out to be. You just like plain black ink and now you emotionally crumbled on me.

Oh boy, this is a tough call, this is a tough call.

All right, look, I love everything.

Uh, you're a kind man. Enjoy your pen. If you saw, folks, if you saw the number of bottles of inks that I have, you would think I was an eccentric. Jim in St. George, Utah. Hello, Jim.

Dennis, how are you?

I'm not answering you because I'm—

yeah, go ahead. How are you? You don't answer.

I do. It's not true. I always answer. I always say fine or great, thank you. But I don't say, "How are you?" You're right, I don't.

Okay. But you speak several languages and you're very— you understand cultural norms and social norms.

Right. Social niceties.

So just curious, why is that?

Because of time. Because of time. Solely because of time. If I met you in the street and you go, "How are you?" I'd go, "Fine, how are you?" But on the radio, if I did "How are you?" to every "How are you?" I am asked, it would get tedious to the listener. So I simply answer, but it's very conscious. I'm very conscious of what I'm doing in that regard. So just know, "How are you?" means hello in America. By the way, that's why I don't object people say, "Oh, it's a pain. People always say, 'Dennis, how are you?'" I don't find it's not a pain. It's the American way of saying hello. I have no issue with it. I just don't take up a lot of time. But that's the way Americans work. How are you? By the way, every country has that. You know, what's new? Let's see, how you— let's see, what else? Let's see. Comment ça va? How is it going? That would be French. Sto slisna in German— in Russian, that. So that would be— or kak dela? How are things? Or what's heard? Hebrew would be, what's heard? Yeah. How are you? Maybe very American. Back in a moment.

This episode of Timeless Wisdom will continue right after this.

Dennis, I have been enjoying the Timeless Wisdom again. I listened for years. You have impacted my life positively with your humility, intellect, ability to communicate, your sense of humor. Fascinating subjects. We pray for you here in Utah, and I am grateful to know that you still have your intellect. We love you and want you to know of your importance to us. Thank you.

Are you enjoying Timeless Wisdom? We'd love to hear from you. Call 877-243-7776 and leave a review, share your thoughts, or just even an encouraging word for Dennis Your voicemail might just make it on the show. That's 877-243-7776. That's 877-243-7776. Thanks for listening and for your support. Now back to more of Dennis Prager's timeless wisdom.

Okay, let's go to, uh, one of the less significant calls of the day, and Maria in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Hi. Hi Dennis, thank you for taking my call. All right, so let's see, if you want to see good hockey, why don't you come to Minnesota for the Minnesota High School State Hockey Tournament in March? And they have cheerleaders, high school cheerleaders on skates.

I mean, that's like unbelievable combination.

I know.

In all seriousness, how good is the, is the best high school hockey?

Dennis, I— my husband's a high school hockey coach, and I've been going to these for a long time, 20-some years, 28 years. And it is fabulous because fighting is not good.

I hate the fighting in hockey, and I love hockey.

I know you do.

Yeah, what you said. So that's why I think you should come, and you could come to our Sabbath And you don't have to— so it's just Wednesday, so you wouldn't miss your Sabbath.

Well, you have Sabbath on Wednesday?

No, but I'm saying you, you could come Friday night.

Oh, that's very sweet of you.

Uh-huh.

Yeah.

Are you— you're Jewish?

No, we talked— you, you took my call on Tuesday. We, um—

oh, you're the— you're the— you're among the Christians who observe the Sabbath Friday night. Gotcha. Okay, I— okay, beautiful. Um, the, uh, so just one more question about back to the hockey. Do, uh, do pro scouts come to these games?

Yes, they do.

I would think so. Okay, even though they're that young, they still—

yeah, well, they're not much younger than somebody because they encourage the high school kids to play juniors, right?

It makes sense. Yes.

Yeah.

So do you have kids?

Uh, we have 6 kids. Our youngest is 18. We're almost done.

So you, um, let me think, uh, you could have a hockey team just of your kids.

Um, yeah, we could actually.

Yeah, 2 defensemen, goalie, and, you know, right wing, left wing, and center. That's it.

Yeah, you got it.

I think that's great. How many parents could say that? We have enough kids to make a hockey team.

The Kings send out a line of Wayne Gretzky along with Luke Robitaille and Dennis Prager.

Gretzky wins the faceoff.

He gives it to Robitaille. Robitaille gives it to Dennis Prager.

Here's Prager to center ice with Gretzky.

2-on-1 break. Gretzky back to Prager. He stumbles and falls.

You know, that's worse than the punishment room. Me being booed by all these fans at Staples Center. Oh, that was revenge for the, uh, that you said Hamilton was Shakespeare's best play. Uh, alrighty, let's go to Emily, who was 16 years old as of this call in Los Angeles. Are you 16 and a half, 16 and a quarter? What is it?

Um, I'm like, I just turned 16, so Okay, very good.

So you apparently had called in, uh, recently, and I said call me back.

Yeah, um, I called like 2 weeks ago, and I was talking about, uh, women choosing to work and, uh, instead of choosing a family or whatever.

Right, right. Good. Yes, so I recall that actually, and I did ask you to call back. So go ahead.

Um, yeah, I was a little under the weather, so now I'm good.

Now you do sound better.

Yeah, thank you.

You sound right on top of the weather right now.

Um, yeah, it just seems like you're upset with contemporary women because like they seek a life beyond being like—

Oh no, I'm not upset with them at all. I think they are going to be upset. I'm not— why would I be upset with a woman? I'm upset with a woman who decides not to marry, just as I'm upset with a man who decides not to marry. Okay, well, I mean, but I, I think that women have been sold a bill of goods that they will derive as much joy and happiness in life from career success as men do. I think that that happens, but it is, it is the exception rather than the rule with regard to women's nature.

Well, how do you know about all women?

Like, I don't. There's no, there's no such thing as all women or all men. But can I talk about— No, I never use the word all. I, I generalize And all generalizations— here I am using the word all— all generalizations are exactly that, a generalization, not a statement of all. There's almost nothing I can say all about.

Yeah, okay, well, I mean, I think that most women will—

would be happier with a fulfilled relationship with a man and children who give her more or less happiness than from a great career when she looks at her life at 50, let alone at 75.

Last time you said like God or nature is misogynist, and I just, I really think that's not true.

Well, I needed to know, I would need to know what, no, I needed to know what the context was. If you said that that's a misogynist— I think you said that's a misogynist idea, and then I said God or nature is misogynist then.

Yes.

Yes, if you think that. I don't— why is it misogynist to say that a woman would derive her greater pleasure from relationships and humans than from career? Why is that misogynist?

Because it's saying that women are, you know, would be happier being confined to a home.

Well, why is it— why are— why was it— why do you use the word confined? Why would a woman be happier confined to a job?

Because it stimulates society as a whole. I mean, I'm not— feminism is not—

The best thing you could do for society is raise good children. There is no career you could have other than finding a cure for cancer that would even come close to raising good children. If you really want to serve society, it's the single best thing you can do.

Okay, well, I just— I mean, but why don't you say the same thing about men?

I do. I want every man to marry, but I, but I know male nature, and male nature— for males to be happy, no matter how much joy they have in their, in their, uh, marriage and with their children, they— their essence needs to be fulfilled through conquering something outside of the house.

Okay. And also one more thing, um, you talked about how men— or women shouldn't like go into careers because men don't like older women, and by postponing it they're getting older and men don't want to be with an older woman. And I think— I mean, it— I think it depends on the circumstance. It's like—

everything depends on circumstances, but again, the general rule is that you have a greater choice in men at 25 than at 55. Ask every single woman who's 55 whether or not that's true.

Do you think that's more important than a career though?

Yes, that was my whole point. I do. Yes, that's right. And you're being told the opposite, and this radio show is saying the opposite of what you're being told. I can't thank you enough, Emily, for for raising this issue. Back in a moment.

This episode of Timeless Wisdom will continue right after this.

For nearly 3,000 years, Homer's The Odyssey has shaped Western imagination. It tells the story of Odysseus as he faces monsters, shipwrecks, false comforts, and impossible choices on his long journey home. As one of the foundational works of Western literature, Homer's epic is more than mythology. It explores permanent questions about courage, duty, loyalty, family, leadership, temptation, and the search for home. In one of the epic's defining moments, Odysseus rejects the offer of immortality from the goddess Calypso, choosing instead the long and difficult journey home. His decision reveals one of the central themes of The Odyssey: that a life of duty, family, and home is greater than a life devoted to comfort or glory. Achilles chose glory. Odysseus chose home. That's why Hillsdale College has released its newest free online course, The Odyssey: Taught by Professor Benedict Whalen, the course reveals why Homer's masterpiece remains one of the greatest works of Western literature. Find this free course at hillsdale.edu/startnow. The Odyssey from Hillsdale College. Go to hillsdale.edu/startnow.

Now back to more of Dennis Prager's Timeless Wisdom.

Scott in La Cañada, California. Great city there, Scott.

Hello?

Hello, Scott. Dennis Prager.

I'm listening to you while I work, and I was gonna say that I enjoy fountain pens. I'm 28.

There you go, Sean. Okay, it's not an age issue, Sean, you bigot, you ageist. Okay, go ahead. Thank you.

Right, but unbelievable. My dad had a fountain pen when I was really little, and I always admired it. And I think you should— I want to turn you on to, uh, TED Talks. They talk about, um, you know, appreciation and, um, uh, joy comes from, you know, learning about anything. So anyways, you—

TED you're talking about? Yeah, I'm very familiar with it.

Oh, good, good.

Okay, go ahead.

So anyways, um, my question was about relationships and, um, when age becomes a factor, in those relationships. Uh, I'm currently seeing someone, uh, who's quite a— 15 years older than me, uh, and she brings up some very valid issues about, um, the difference. And, uh, I want to know if I'm being respectful to her by continuing the relationship.

Wait, she's the one who is in effect warning you about that, that it's too big a difference from, from male to female? Or female to male?

Yes. Well, she, you know, she brings up the point that, you know, in another 10 years, you know, she'll be 50 and I'll be 35 and she'll be losing her looks and it won't be attractive, you know, blah, blah. That's one issue. And then her other issue is that she has a timeline that's a bit, you know, quicker than mine in terms of settling down, having children. Um, you know, she had—

well, she's almost past it already, right?

Exactly.

But, you know, do you want to marry her?

Um, so this relationship has gone on for less than a month and already these issues have come up. And so, you know, I would obviously need a lot more time to make that decision.

Do you know of any example? Uh, and it's not a challenge, it's just— I'm just curious, do you know of any example of a woman who's 15 years older than a man? And they're married.

Uh, well, I was going to say, uh, Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher, but they got divorced.

Yeah, I was going to— before you said that, I was going to say it's not a good example, right?

No.

All right, but I— you see that I can't answer you. The reason I can't answer is that there are millions of marriages around the world in the other direction of 15 years that are perfectly happy.

My grandparents, yeah.

Okay, right. Uh, so the question arises, why don't we know of the other? And the answer— one answer is because it just wasn't done in the past for whatever reason, right? But maybe that's not the only reason. And so I, I, I very much hesitate to tell you— not that you're— I'm not sure you're even asking to tell you what to do. But I, I would be— I, I would honor her skepticism. As much as you may love one another, and that love is obviously, if it exists, is totally genuine, uh, I think she's maturely acknowledging that what may work in one direction is fraught with danger with the other sex in the same, in the same difference of age.

Right.

And that may be one of the reasons we just don't see any. I don't, I don't know of any personally, and I don't know of any even publicly. And the one, the famous one with Demi Moore, is obviously not the best of examples. And indeed, and she's terrific looking, she's magnificent looking to this day. But, uh, so, so I don't, uh Uh, it could work, but it would be a real outlier. That's my, that's my suspicion. Gabby of Pittsburgh. Dennis Prager, hi.

Hi, Mr. Prager, it's a pleasure to be on. Uh, my name is pronounced Gabby. So a quick backstory before my question. So over the summer, my friend reached out to me and he said, Gabby, I have a big problem. My brother wants to convert to Christianity. So I know that you see a lot of virtues in both Judaism and Christianity. Do you think in the case that someone wants to convert from Judaism to Christianity, should you intervene?

I have told people, whether Christian or Jewish or Mormon, and I'm not, you know, a Catholic, whatever it is, I always say before you leave your religion, make sure you know what you're leaving. The vast majority of people, not all, who leave their religion don't know their religion. They know a caricature, or they know a few little things from Sunday school, or in the Jews' case, Hebrew school. So if you, if you truly know what you're leaving, then I have to respect it. In a free country, I have to respect the choice. The only difference, uh, the re— there's an emotional difference among Jews than there is among Christians, though that has nothing to do with theology, and that is sociology. And that is that the Jews correctly feel endangered. They're like an endangered species, like the white rhinoceros. And so every Jew who ceases to be a Jew is— whether it's through assimilation to nothing, which is far greater than any Jewish conversion to Christianity. Jews get unbelievably upset when a Jew becomes a Christian, but they don't get unbelievably upset when a Jew becomes a nothing. Which results— ironically, the Jew who becomes a Christian is probably more pro-Israel than the Jew who becomes nothing. I mean, it's a very— the world is a complex place. But yes, I think you have a right to intervene, any more than a Christian would have a right to intervene if somebody wanted to leave Christianity in the family or friends. Look, you know, maybe you missed this this beauty in Christianity, or you maybe you miss this profundity in Judaism. But beyond that, the only way you could prevent that is to live a very orthodox life in an orthodox neighborhood.

This episode of Timeless Wisdom will continue right after this.

For nearly 3,000 years, Homer's The Odyssey has shaped Western imagination. It tells the story of Odysseus as he faces monsters, shipwrecks, false comforts, and impossible choices on his long journey home. As one of the foundational works of Western literature, Homer's epic is more than mythology. It explores permanent questions about courage, duty, loyalty, family, leadership, temptation, and the search for home. In one of the epic's defining moments, Odysseus rejects the offer of immortality from the goddess Calypso, choosing instead the long and difficult journey home. His decision reveals one of the central themes of The Odyssey: that a life of duty, family, and home is greater than a life devoted to comfort or glory. Achilles chose glory. Odysseus chose home. That's why Hillsdale College has released its newest free online course, The Odyssey. Taught by Professor Benedict Whalen, the course reveals why Homer's masterpiece remains one of the greatest works of Western literature. Find this free course at hillsdale.edu/startnow. The Odyssey from Hillsdale College. Go to hillsdale.edu/startnow.

Now back to more of Dennis Prager's Timeless wisdom.

All righty, you're setting the agenda, and there are so many good, good questions. And, uh, you know, anything in the world, as you would now see, from, uh, CDs to, uh, to religion. All righty, let's go to Denver and Frank. Frank, Dennis Prager, thanks for calling.

Hi, Dennis, it's truly an honor to speak with you.

Thank you.

I love your show. Uh, you put out some good information, but I don't think anyone puts it out quite as eloquently as you.

Oh, thank you.

Um, my question for you, and this has to do a little bit with, uh, yesterday's conversation on the inherent differences between, uh, boys and girls. Uh, I'm a conservative and my wife's liberal, um, and I've got an 8-year-old son who, who in the absence of a plastic toy gun will pick up a stick, pretend it's a gun, and of course—

exactly, that's right.

Well, of course I get a mountain of grief from my wife over this, and, and it just disgusts her that he does this, and I want your take on that. If I believe it's a natural thing—

it disgusts her that he goes around shooting, pretending he's shooting, right? I see. Well, I need to talk to your wife because it's sometimes easier for a stranger than for a husband, or vice versa, for a wife to talk to the husband. But what exactly troubles her? I mean, I understand, you know, I want to speak gently because it's your wife and I don't want to cause any tension, but there is nothing wrong in a boy going around shooting. That's— boys like to do that. It is totally natural, just as there are natural things for girls to do. And tell her that if boys didn't shoot a lot in American history, we would have no America and we'd have no freedom. My question is, what is the boy shooting at? I mean, if he's shooting— if he's making believe he's shooting at the president or shooting at mommy, then I would have concern. But if he's shooting at bad guys— are you there?

Yes, I'm here.

If he's shooting at bad guys, then I— then that's, that's, that's wonderful. That's why, by the way, I, I fell into this trap on my— with my, uh, my firstborn son. I, I fell into this, and I didn't get him toy guns. He made rye bread into guns, and, uh, and every mop and every broom in the house became a gun. And I said, this is ridiculous, I'd rather him leave those things alone. And then got him toy guns. And he's as gentle as you can imagine. But he also believes that sometimes you have to fight in order to preserve good values.

Exactly. And I think you helped me out because I got her listening to you about 2 weeks ago, and I hope she's listening today.

I hope so too. Let me know. Let me know. Thank you very much. Hello to Frank's wife out there. Glad you're listening. Hello, Steve. Dennis Prager.

Hi, Dennis. Thank you. Hey, a question that's always been on my mind for a while is, what is your perspective on stereotyping, you know, if it's done in a kind-hearted way, such as, you know, one of my favorite movies is Moonstruck, which is, it's an Italian family and they poke fun at it, or at least they present it in a way that it's quite humorous.

Or what about My Big Fat Greek Wedding?

Hilarious.

Exactly. I mean, if it did not make any sense that a Greek family would act this way, there's no humor. Yeah, so obviously there's a stereotypical Greek family there.

Yeah, well, what about— but, but what about those, those hardliners out there that would, uh, would say no, we shouldn't go there because everyone's created equal? And it, it, you know, right, the—

there—

it's a war against understanding life. Of course ethnic groups have cultural— or cultural groups better than ethnic. Sometimes culture and ethnicity are similar, sometimes they're not. But in any event, Of course, stereotypes are fine provided that it is understood. In fact, stereotypes are helpful providing that we do not assume that every member of the group has those characteristics. Then that's racism.

Sure.

But if I'm to say Americans are loud tourists, is that stupid? Is that stereotypically wrong? If you had a group of, uh, a group of Peruvian tourists, a group of Japanese tourists, a group of American— I mean, who do you think would tend to talk the loudest? All of them in a foreign country. I mean, it may be wrong, but it's legitimate to generalize. Does that mean every American tourist is loud or every Peruvian speaks softly? Of course not.

Sure.

But of course there are cultural traits, some of which are not positive, some of which are. But it doesn't make you a racist. This, the, the, the state— that's what I mean why college teaches you not to think. They say, oh, you can't stereotype. Of course you can stereotype. And by the way, they do it all the time. They stereotype men. Men are, men are, men do, men think. America is patriarchal. America is imperialist. They, they, they do it all the time. But you can't do it in order to understand life better. So the— but the question is, what is animating your stereotype? Is it a desire to hurt or a desire to understand? That's the other question.

Okay, I appreciate that. All right, I appreciate that.

Thank you very much. I appreciate your question. That's why I took it. It's a very important one. Tomorrow on Timeless Wisdom with Dennis Prager: Is there meaning to life if there is no God? And the answer is No.

Personally, I'm an atheist, and I see meaning to everything that exists.

I think that's great.

I think that—

well, what— anyway, what me— well, now that you mentioned that, what meaning do you see in a tree?

Uh, there's meaning beyond just, uh, looking at the tree and seeing the tree as a physical entity. There's an essence beyond our human understanding. Uh, so Uh, the thought I have—

Well, it doesn't make any sense to me. There's an essence, there's an essence to a tree that is beyond our human understanding, but there is no God. So you find God irrational, but you find your comment to be rational.

Well, my point is this, is obviously we're trapped within our senses and we cannot understand the tree, uh, the way that God would. Okay.

Yeah, but you don't believe in God, so why are you saying that?

Join us tomorrow to hear more on Timeless Wisdom with Dennis Prager. Visit DennisPrager.com for thousands of hours of Dennis's 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-centered podcasts in their network, including shows about prayer, Bible study, parenting, and more.

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