A couple of years ago, I went through an extremely difficult situation. A misunderstanding was being compounded by past experiences, and a friend of mine was reacting badly—and increasingly so—to every attempt I made to iron things out. I cannot understate the pain of that experience nor the amount of time and energy I poured… Read More The Importance of Learning to Reflect Without Backbiting
Many people I know have playlists that vary according to their mood, the period of their lives they are at, and what they are going through at that time. And not just musical playlists—playlists of funny clips on YouTube, of inspiring videos, or of brain food like TED talks. And while there are always one… Read More Fuel for my Current Midnight Musings: Five Great TED Talks
I recently wrote about living in a culture encouraging constant discontent. Ensuing conversations with readers were filled with great ideas on how to weed out discontent from our lives. Many were aiming to become content individuals who worked hard to constantly better themselves, their condition, and the well-being of those around them. Most agreed that… Read More What One Can Do To Go from Constant Discontent to Contentment
I often write about the importance of building communities in which inhabitants discuss, understand, and appreciate each other’s beliefs, however different they may be (here, here, and here). The touchier the topic, the clearer the need for an increasing number of people to develop these capacities, lest any attempts at a conversation on said matter… Read More Learning to Live with Diversity: Accepting Modesty in an Era of Everything But
Journaling has been such an important part of my quest to achieve New Year’s resolutions. Because I spend so much time jotting down thoughts, reflections, quotes, learnings, and insights, I choose both pens and journals very carefully. While I have a propensity for Moleskine journals, other journals also make their way into my hands. These… Read More Spring Forth with New Year’s Resolutions, Part II: Inspirational Journals
After a long winter, springtime is finally here! What with the lengthening days and Naw-Rúz, it’s a perfect time to revisit one’s New Year’s resolutions. I don’t know about you guys, but I often need a lot of external help in keeping some of my tougher resolutions and persevering through slumps; one of the tools… Read More Spring Forth with New Year’s Resolutions, Part I: Mantras, Ahoy!
Community and personal development go hand in hand. While we can feel powerless to make a significant contribution to our communities, we thankfully always have the power to make a change in our personal lives. Easier said than done! Personal development can be, to say the least, pretty intense. Thankfully, it does not always require… Read More Grow Baby Grow: Taking Advantage of the Many Benefits of Gardening
Like so many others, I was saddened to hear that Jon Stewart plans on retiring from hosting the Daily Show later this year. What I will miss the most is the light he shone on the way the news stories can be distorted. Stewart’s analysis of news reports is a sorely needed skill in an… Read More Jon Stewart, Brian Williams, and Free Content Obsession
Oftentimes, it feels like we’re encouraged to live in a state of constant discontent. We are told that there is always something missing in our lives, something more we can have, something else to aim for, something that we have to do next. In high school, we’re told to think about university; in university, we’re… Read More Constant Discontent: Enjoying the Now Created by Then for When’s Sake
Happy Valentine’s Day! Taking a day to celebrate romantic love is sweet indeed. After all, from romantic love is born a family; romantic love creates a healthy space where children are raised; a healthy family creates a strong family; and a strong family unit contributes to the well-being of society. Rethinking that gift, are you… Read More A Valentine’s Day Special: Applying the Lessons of Romantic Love to Other Relationships