Who dares suggest the American dream could be thwarted by an indistinct entity a mere two letters long? The CIA certainly doesn’t have a dossier on it. Yet one ingredient of personal suffering and national self-sabotage is the id. Yes, I know that’s an odd, whimsical word, one … [Read more...] about A Participant in National Self-Sabotage
consciousness
A Singular Cause of War
Political scientists and other experts say there is no simple cause of war. Human nature, they say, is just another ingredient in the recipe for war, along with varying portions of racism and religion, geography and language, and economics and culture. This notion that war arises … [Read more...] about A Singular Cause of War
Enjoy the Quality of Your Consciousness
Why don’t we feel more simple pleasure from being alive and conscious in a fascinating world? That has to be one of life’s great enigmas. We can feel pleasure easily enough when we’re stimulated by art, literature, movies, sports events, relationships, sex, food, alcohol, and … [Read more...] about Enjoy the Quality of Your Consciousness
Obesity and the Dopamine Fallacy
Neuroscience Adds Excess Weight to the Obesity Epidemic The Flip Wilson Show was America’s second most-watched TV show for its first two seasons in the 1970s. In his role as the sassy Geraldine Jones, Wilson, a comedic genius, had a trademark line, “The devil made me do it,” … [Read more...] about Obesity and the Dopamine Fallacy
The Three Amigos of Woe
The Three Amigos of Woe are not as well known as their compatriots in suffering, the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse—conquest, war, famine, and death. Yet the three amigos are just as big a danger to health, happiness, and prosperity. Each of the three amigos—the beggar, … [Read more...] about The Three Amigos of Woe