We’ve all been exposed to weeks of frantic General Election activity recently With politicians competing to promise how they’ll make our lives much better than they’ve been till now. We’re a pretty cynical lot in this country And the response has been underwhelming, to say the least. Typical comments from the public include “These politicians […]
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Can I become happier?
Until quite recently Psychologists believed that our disposition towards happiness depended entirely on genetics. Just like a central heating thermometer, we all have a set point for happiness and mood, and no matter what we do our sense of wellbeing comes back to same point. In many ways this is a good thing Human beings […]
The Election
One of my neighbours is a journalist with a well-known newspaper. I bumped into him a week or so ago, and asked him how things were going. He said that one of the party leaders wouldn’t ever give his paper an interview….but the other main party leader was doing fine (I won’t tell you who […]
Tradition and a mono-cultural perspective
We live in an age of diversity, of openness to others’ culture, of multiculturalism We pride ourselves on being less dogmatic and blinkered than our forefathers. And so we are, in many ways. As the globe has shrunk, many alternative worldviews have emerged. We appreciate others’ cultures – we have a healthy cross-cultural attitude. Our […]
We moderns can control many things, but we’re vulnerable too
As moderns we have contrived to surround ourselves with conveniences, shelters, technology… All of which act to keep the storms of natural life at bay. Once upon a time, this had to do with literal physical storms (survival); in a later time, the threats came from diseases and other material hazards (security). More recently, our […]
Connecting – probably the most important thing you can do!
The writer and psychiatrist Edward Hallowell in his book “Connect” tells us about the “two most powerful experiences in life”. He says they are “achieving” and “connecting.” He goes on, “Almost everything that counts is directed toward one of these two goals.” That’s worth a moment’s reflection. It’s difficult to think of any human activity that falls […]
