It is not hard to know the difference between the seeker and non-seeker in life, is it–those who acquiesce to a dutiful role and those who yearn for excitement and adventure? The latter are the ones who receive all the glory and fame, and the former are faceless and forgotten by history. Both groups, however, have their moments of pain, their moments of solitude. (1)
Continue reading The joy of discovery — keep your imagination alivePodcast Episode 27: You can lead a joy filled and flourishing life.
Podcast Episode 26: The oak tree that beat me! This is often what occurs in life!
You are happy: what is wrong with you?
I think all of us would find it somewhat strange to say that the natural “human condition” is to be in a state of happiness: but it is. Numerous studies suggest that we live longer and in a higher of contentment when we have a positive view of our reality than if we eke out our sunset days in a morose and embittered state.
Continue reading You are happy: what is wrong with you?Podcast Episode 25: When you feel panicked, just and reflect and then take control.
Podcast Episode 24: Faith in yourself to lead a positive and constructive life
The escape to find yourself and other adventures
I am old enough to remember a time that communication was on foot. It was virtually impossible to phone a girl, so you had to go to her house, knock on the back door (the front being too audacious) and inquire if she was at home. No one can ever forget the prying eyes of the grandmother seated beside the stove in the kitchen. Being a bit bookish, my imagination easily pulled me back to 19th century Britain and the physically-gnawing coal fields of Eastwood Nottinghamshire, the birthplace of D.H. Lawrence. (1885-1930) His reality was shaped by the horrific and mind-numbing work in the collieries, the coal mines:
Continue reading The escape to find yourself and other adventuresPodcast Episode 23: The massive camp was dedicated to killing people, either immediately or by being worked to death.
Podcast Episode 22: The value of friendship
Bravery is not enhanced by size but by action
We live in a world that is seemingly inundated with violence, both personal and societal. Most history books attest to the carnage of the First World War (1914-1918), for example, a war that eviscerated thousands of young soldiers on both sides: their remains yet to be unearthed. Individual scholars point to this conflict as normalizing our acceptance of murder and carnage. (1) I often ask my students who would they like to hit or abuse. The answer is invariably one of shock and disbelief. No one it seems wants to strike anyone. Who then is committing its most extreme state: killing?
Continue reading Bravery is not enhanced by size but by action