What do you want, and why do you want it? How intense is your wanting? To what degree is your wanting a form of suffering? These are questions tackled by philosopher-entrepreneur Luke Burgis in his book, Wanting: The Power of Mimetic Desire in Everyday Life (St. Martin’s … [Read more...] about Haunted by Incessant Wanting
inner conflict
Inner Conflict’s Role in Child Suicide
The mental-health pandemic pummeling young people doesn’t get the headlines Covid does. Even last fall when the American Academy of Pediatrics declared a national emergency in child and adolescent mental health, warning of “soaring rates” of depression, anxiety, and loneliness, … [Read more...] about Inner Conflict’s Role in Child Suicide
Putin’s Psyche
Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine, a display of barbaric consciousness, is an example of how inner conflict, the war zone in our psyche, is a force capable of producing a devastating war among nations. All it takes is one conflicted, politically powerful person—in this … [Read more...] about Putin’s Psyche
Can You Be Your Own Therapist?
This is a new version of a blog I posted on this website in 2014. It goes into more detail about the process of freeing ourselves from emotional and behavioral problems. This revised version will appear in the Appendix of my latest book, which I expect to publish by … [Read more...] about Can You Be Your Own Therapist?
The Difference Between Learned Helplessness and Inner Passivity
My readers know how ardently I put the focus on inner passivity. It is, I contend, the primary mischief-maker of the psyche, the largely unconscious part of us that keeps us from being at our best. Inner passivity, a primary component of inner conflict, is the straw house … [Read more...] about The Difference Between Learned Helplessness and Inner Passivity