Reflections On the Art of Increasing Joy, Meaning and Belonging In Daily Living
People rarely change without strong intentions and a lot of practice. We are habitual creatures. Even a modest change in behavior takes at least 40 consecutive days of practice to initiate a routine. I have no idea why 40 days is magic. Still, I’ve found that if I adopt a new behavior for forty straight …
Continue reading "Better Together, Part 4: “We Can Work It Out”"
“Tell me why is it hard to make arrangements with yourself?” -Neil Young If you've hung with me to this point in the series, you know that I believe the most significant problem America faces is our growing separation from one another. It's a problem because "separation" is wired into our consciousness. Each individual experiences …
In the introduction and Part 1 of this series, I made two claims: The first was that our growing separation from one another is the most significant problem our nation faces. The second was that our disagreements are, in a sense, "wired in," arising from the unique context of our experience and predispositions. On the …
Continue reading "Better Together, Part 2: “To Our Children’s, Children’s, Children”"
How did we get to be so politically divided? It seems like a simple question, but I’ve yet to come across a definitive answer. I believe it comes down to the fact that it's impossible to put oneself in another's shoes. Perhaps our views would change if we exchanged backgrounds and life experiences with a …
Continue reading "Better Together, Part 1: “There’s Only You and Me, and We Just Disagree.”"
"Better Together" is a new series addressing our Nations's greatest problem, our growing separation from one another. ------------------------------------------------ In a recent survey, more than fifty percent of college students said they would refuse to date someone from the opposite political party. A lot has changed since I was in school! Earlier this year, I had …
—————————————————————— Please Note: This will be my last post until after the Labor Day Holiday. I’m freeing up time to work on a new series. Hopefully, it will be worth the wait. —————————————————————— Basketball fans are familiar with commentators' use of the term "Bigs," referring to a team's star seven-footers. Dr. Julie Krull, author of …
"The world is deep; deeper than day can comprehend." -Friedrich Nietzsche. Nietzsche's statement is born out in the new James Webb telescope (JWT) image of deep space. If you missed it, here it is: https://www.nasa.gov/webbfirstimages The image contains thousands of galaxies like our Milky Way. It took light from the most distant galaxies in the …
Most of us fall into the trap of comparing ourselves to someone else and coming up short. Perhaps the comparison involves an accomplished friend or an admired artist. I'm certainly guilty of this. After playing a tune on the guitar or writing a post, I'll often compare the result to a song I'm attempting to …
The title quote is attributed to Yogi Berra. It's absurd yet relatable! My academic training was in economics, specializing in price forecasting. Forecasting involves applying statistical models to past data to anticipate future events. In applying my newly minted knowledge to the business world, I quickly discovered the truth in another Yogi line: "In theory, …
The other day I was cutting up downed limbs left over from bad winter storms at the cabin. Afterwards, I was exhausted. I suppose I need to step up my aerobic exercise. No big deal! Sometimes, storms disturb our inner peace. When that occurs (and it always does), it is a big deal. Whether we …
Towards A Life Well-Lived 