What is your automatic response to the question “Is the World Getting Better or Worse?” If you are like a lot of people your answer to this question is something like, “Well, obviously, it is getting worse.” And if you are anything like me, and many folks, you could martial a lot of evidence to… Continue reading Is the World Getting Better or Worse?
Lately I have been thinking about the power of playful thinking. You might be aware of the book The Power of Positive Thinking that Norman Vincent Peale wrote and published first in 1952. This book certainly isn’t the only book in the positive thinking genre, but it’s probably one of the most famous ones. Peale’s… Continue reading The Power of Playful Thinking
Lately, I have been thinking about existentialism, cynicism, and World Anxiety. If you are anything like me, you probably often feel World Anxiety. World Anxiety feels differently to different people, but mine is the feeling that the word is both a beautiful and terrifying place. And it is the feeling that politics and the state… Continue reading Existentialism, Cynicism, and World Anxiety
The other night I ended up watching Mad Max: Fury Road again. (It’s a long story.) I saw it when it first came out and enjoyed it. But it really struck a chord with me this second time around. And I started thinking about transcendence. Note: This post contains spoilers. Fury Road is the fourth… Continue reading Mad Max: Fury Road and Transcendence
Most people have heard the old phrase, “Cleanliness is next to godliness", but I would like to coin a new phrase: Playfulness is next to godliness. And I believe this second phrase is closer to the truth. And believe it or not, I’m not the only one who thinks playfulness is next to godliness. I’ve… Continue reading Playfulness is Next to Godliness
David Abram, in his book Spell of the Sensuous, makes a thought-provoking claim that nature makes us more human. Abram writes, We cannot measure our humanity if we do not have the distance from it we gain from immersing ourselves in nature . . . Without the oxygenating breath of the forests, without the clutch… Continue reading How Nature Makes Us More Human
Do you consider playfulness a virtue? Did you know there is actually a virtue of playfulness? It's called eutrapelia. If you are like a lot of people, you probably think of play as belonging to the arena of childhood. You might even think—and you would be right—that play is essential for healthy child development. However,… Continue reading Aristotle on Eutrapelia, the Virtue of Playfulness
The word toxic is having quite a moment on social media these days. And understandably so. The term toxic behavior, as it is used in psychological discourse, often refers to behaviors like the following: Refusing to think about how our behavior affects other people. Refusing to recognize other people’s needs and values. Consistently prioritizing our… Continue reading How Ethics Helps Us Avoid Toxic Behavior
People discuss wokeness a lot lately. For example, some folks urge people to “stay woke”, while others criticize the dangers of what they term “woke” politics. Either way, the word woke is an emotionally laden word. As such, it may be helpful to examine the word more carefully. Did You Know? The term woke has… Continue reading About Wokeness and Love
What is the cause of inflation? We have experienced inflation in the United States (and globally) for the last couple of years. And it is hard on people. So naturally, people frequently discuss the cause of inflation, often in hopes that we can stop inflation or decrease it. I am especially interested in conversations about… Continue reading The Cause of Inflation
