I think about suffering a lot. It may sound morbid to think about suffering frequently. But some sadness, painful emotions, and general suffering is a normal part of life. So, thinking about suffering and how to deal with it effectively is a survival skill. The Buddha certainly thought so. The Buddha was a prince who… Continue reading The Buddha on Our Thoughts, Anxiety, and Suffering
Are some people better than others? Sometimes we feel that way. For instance, we might look at other people and believe they are more successful, talented, gorgeous, handsome, or wealthy than we are. And these observations make us feel like they are better than us. Or, on a related note, we may believe we are… Continue reading Are Some People Better Than Others?
This is a message from Resilience Mouse for when we feel too small: Small things are powerful. Don't underestimate the power of small actions, thoughts, words, and steps done with love. Keep reading for Shelly's commentary. All of us feel too small sometimes--like we don't have what it takes to succeed. Maybe we feel like… Continue reading Resilience Mouse: When We Feel Too Small
I have been thinking about self-compassion lately and how it can help us tremendously. To illustrate this, let me tell you a brief story about myself. When I was in elementary school, I really had problems organizing myself for some reason. It was probably because I had a lot of big ideas and got stuck… Continue reading Does Self-Compassion Actually Help Us?
I have been teaching the Trolley Problem in my ethics class this week. The Trolley Problem is a classical ethical dilemma that people, especially philosopher Judith Jarvis Thompson, have been writing and teaching about for decades. Thompson wrote an initial article about the Trolley Problem in 1985 that you can read here: The Trolley Problem.… Continue reading The Trolley Problem and Ethical Reasoning
I once heard someone talk about our True Self and a false self. And I sensed that they were talking about something important. But I didn’t completely understand the concept at the time. Recently I was reading some of the work of psychologist and philosopher Erich Fromm. His writing can be helpful in illuminating the… Continue reading Do We Have a True Self and False Self?
I think about self-love a lot. And I believe there are two common misunderstandings we have about it. For example, sometimes we believe that to be lovable, we must do great and awesome things. We believe we must stand out from the crowd. For instance, we might believe we only deserve to love ourselves if… Continue reading Two Common Misunderstanding about Self-Love
This week I was thinking about two mistakes we often make with our emotions. I was thinking about this because I am teaching ethics this semester (as I usually do). And one of the points I regularly make to my students is that our emotions are not a suitable sole foundation for moral decision-making. "Expressions… Continue reading Two Mistakes We Often Make with Our Emotions
We often feel bad about ourselves. As a result, we often engage in painful habits and thought patterns connected with these negative feelings. For example, how often do you find yourself doing some or all the following things? Worrying about other people’s approval. Comparing yourself to other people. Trying to accomplish amazing things to earn… Continue reading Why We Often Feel Bad About Ourselves
I am really excited because I published my first recorded online course and visualization. The course is titled the Four Basic Truths, and you can find it here at Thinkific: The Four Basic Truths. The visualization is a ten-minute visualization called The Greatest Grocery store that helps you connect to and nurture your spirituality. You… Continue reading My First Online Course and Visualization
