How do you know that you are depressed? Is it just plain obvious to yourself and those who are closest to you? Did a doctor diagnose you with depression? Read more
What follows are a series of questions and exercises that are intended to strengthen your capacity to deal with life circumstances that can cause chronic depression. I encourage you to work on no more than one exercise per day to give yourself ample time to consider the thoughts and feelings that each exercise brings up for you. Read more
During times of reflection, I regularly think about Stephen Covey's suggestion to find the right walls to climb before I spend my limited days climbing.
Spending time to identify the right walls to climb can sometimes require more energy than the actual process of climbing; it can bring about much frustration and second guessing. Still, my experience has been that working hard to carefully choose which walls we want to scale is worth the effort, and is an important part of striving to develop the ability to live with wisdom. Read more
If you have been reading my blog for a year or more, you probably know that I appreciate the work of a writer named Kent Nerburn. Several years ago, I came across an impactful letter that he once wrote to his son on how to choose a life partner, and I have been following his work ever since.
This morning, I found the following passage at his blog, one that I connected with right away. I have long thought about the types of people in this world who we can really empower with our efforts, and I think Kent's passage provides useful guidance on this life issue. Read more
One evening back in May of 2000, a documentary on PBS caught my attention. It was about the many thousands of young Korean women who were essentially forced into sexual slavery by Japan during World War II.
The interviews with some of these Korean women - now grandmothers living in Korea, Japan, and China - were difficult to watch because of how sad their stories were, but I found myself barely able to move for the entire film. Read more
I recently heard about a program on the Animal Planet channel that featured the 50 most amazing facts about animals that few people know about.
I thought that some of our readers would find some of the facts that I learned from this program to be as fascinating as I do. What follows is a summary of the facts that surprised me the most. Read more
Is there a soul among us who cannot help but appreciate the laid-back nature of the slow and steady turtle? Last week, I ran across a fascinating article on the world's most lovable reptile.
What follows are some amazing facts about turtles that I learned from the Times article:
Due in large part to its slow metabolism, a turtle can survive for centuries. In March of 2005, a giant tortoise named Adwaita died in a Calcutta zoo at 250 years of age.
As long as you are proud you cannot know God. A proud person is always looking down on things and people; as long as you are looking down you cannot see something that is above you.