Tag Archives: happiness

A Prophetic Film from 1940

It’s title: To New Horizons. The logic is sunny and simple, but it has proven (thus far) to be pretty much dead on.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Between Gods And Animals, The Sweet Spot

From the vantage of the Greco-Roman pagans, because we’re neither gods nor exclusively animals, human beings are in a very, very sweet spot. Arguably the best spot. Think about it. The gods can make choices; they can fight and have … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Want to Get Out of a Depressive Funk?

Pick a card. Imagine each of the following as a card, pick one, and move toward it: courage; mastery; discipline; desire; productivity; acceptance; laughter; imagination; assertion; reason; beauty; silence; hope; organization; truth; efficiency; meaning; wholeness; love; justice; travel; home. In other words, … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Two Needles In The Global Haystack Found One Another Through The Internet

Then they started Skyping:

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Get Loose: When’s the Last Time You Really Opened Out Your Body?

Research suggests that opening out the body with postures reminiscent of Blake’s Vitruvian man increases esteem, confidence in speaking, and risk-taking. Two ways to open your body are to do some very particular yoga postures or dance. In the below video, Daft Punk … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Meaning of Life in the Midst of Large Numbers

In For the Time Being (1999), Annie Dillard (b. 1945) writes the following: “There is now, living in New York City, a church-sanctioned hermit, Theresa Mancuso, who wrote recently, ‘The thing we desperately need is to face the way it is’” … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

What’s the Single Best Thing You Can Do for Your Brain and Health?

This piece of advice comes from Matthew Walker, a professor of psychology and neuroscience at UC Berkeley, as reported at The Atlantic Monthly website: “I think you have about 16 hours of optimal functioning before the brain needs to go offline … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Celebrating Beardage

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Buddha’s Take on Suffering vs. Nietzsche’s

If you think about it, we respond to whatever arises into consciousness with desire, aversion, or neutrality. And the things that appear to consciousness are always in flux: they arise, they ripen, they decline from attention and disappear. Then others … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Huell Howser Impersonator

Comedian James Adomian parodies Huell Howser perfectly here (but you’ll have to click over to YouTube to watch it): __________ Howser was an institution on public television in California, going around the state interviewing people. Homosexual and originally from Tennessee, … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

How To Do It

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

2012: The Best Year In All Of Human History?

It sounds like a joke, but that’s the thesis of the lead article in The Spectator’s 2012 Christmas issue: Never has there been less hunger, less disease or more prosperity. The West remains in the economic doldrums, but most developing … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Follow Your Heart (Maybe)

In the below video, Alan Watts makes a provocative point: do what you really want. If you fail at it, then you can money grub and settle later, or you can even starve to death. Better to live a short life going … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Your Happiness Immune System and Set Point

__________ What I take from this TED talk: Live your life bravely and ethically because, regardless of what happens, a year from now you’re likely to be more or less as happy as you’ve always been. There are two surprising … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

What’s Your Emotional Style, And How Attentive Are You To Emotions?

An interesting new book: __________ And a nice contrast of emotional styles:

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

A Good Reason to Stop Fearing Cancer

If you worry about detecting cancer early, and therefore anxiously get regular cancer screenings, the New York Times today has an article on cancer screening that puts the whole subject into perspective: early detection doesn’t reduce the actual mortality rates from most … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

A Bit of Happy News for the Weekend

Willem Buiter is Citgroup’s chief economist, and here’s CNBC today reporting his forecast for the global economy over the next 40 years: “We expect strong growth in the world economy until 2050, with average real GDP growth rates of 4.6 percent … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Cheer Up?

A bit of optimism for a Sunday:

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

In Philadelphia, Opera Singers Interrupt a Marketplace

A bit of guerilla opera in Philadelphia: Hmm. Do you suppose that the inward experience of death might be like this? Perhaps you’ll be walking along one day when an epiphany of light and song will break in on your life, and … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Why I’m Trying to Get to Know the Muslims in My Community (And Why I Hope You’ll Consider Trying to Do the Same)

Friday, September 17th, 2010 is International Have a Meal with a Muslim Day. Won’t you consider participating? Find a Muslim in your community and say, “Hey, would you like to take a walk, have coffee, or share a bite to … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments