Dalai Lama and Finding Common Ground Yoda proposes that hate is the Dark Side of the Force (as talked about in my previous blog), but the Dalai Lama provides a solution to the problem. Finding common ground. The Approach Of The Dalai Lama One of the Dalai Lama’s most notable talents is his ability…
It’s been a while since I last posted! I’m focusing a lot of time on my Tech Happy Life site, and co-authoring a book on raising balanced kids in a technological world with my good friend and colleague, Dr. Jon Lasser. I’m going to try to alternate my blogs between Tech Happy Life and…
You might have seen the recent cover story on “The Mindfulness Revolution” in Time magazine. It gives a nice introduction to the practice as well as why it can be so helpful. Mindfulness is simply being in the present moment non-judgmentally. I’ve blogged about mindfulness countless times over the years. Here’s a blog about what…
There is no doubt that William Shakespeare had an exceptionally brilliant mind. I listened to a story on NPR once that listed out many of the phrases and expressions that we use daily that come from Shakespeare – it was mind-boggling! Here are just a few: *All that glitters is not gold. *I have…
Although I can’t claim that I’m Buddhist, I’m really drawn to Buddhist psychology, and I’ve read a number of books by the Dalai Lama. I count him among a short list of very influential people in my life. In one of his books, perhaps it was The Art of Happiness, he presents a simple (but not…
Honestly, I didn’t make that title up. I’m paraphrasing a recent news headline and just continuing the thread from my previous blog. The theme of which is the following: Suffering is an avoidable part of life. There are many forms of suffering. Some we can label as true suffering (e.g., loss of a loved…
Various forms of loss and disappointment are a part of life – we lose jobs, experience illness, miss opportunities, the value of our retirement plummets, friends move away, and loved ones die. We suffer when these things happen. Suffering is part of life and unavoidable. For simplicity’s sake, let’s lump any negative emotion (e.g.,…
I love aphorisms – short, memorable quotes that point to powerful truths. For instance, I love the saying, “I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.” A related one that points to a similar truth is from French novelist Honore De Balzac (1799-1850), “Our worst misfortunes never happen, and most miseries lie in…
There’s a song by the group 10,000 Maniacs, who disbanded in the early 90s, entitled “These Are Days.” It’s a beautiful song, as sung by lyricist and frontwoman Natalie Merchant. Probably everyone has heard it at one time or another by now. The sentiment is very strong, and it contains a wonderful mindfulness concept….
I had to go take care of a traffic ticket today at a precinct office – not a favorite task, but I try to take a flexible approach to life and see situations from different perspectives. It’s very challenging to do this with some things, but it works well with many others. The Dalai…