The front page of today’s The New York Times has a photo of the aftermath of a suicide bomber’s horrific attack on a group of Afghan Shiites who were taking part in a religious ceremony. Human perversity sometimes seems unfathomable, but we must keep trying to make sense of … [Read more...] about Terrorism and the Death Drive
inner passivity
Neither a Procrastinator Nor a Dawdler Be
Procrastination is such a maddening trait that literary scribes have bestowed upon it an abundance of witty attention. William Shakespeare weighed in more than once, as in Henry VI, “Defer no time; delays have dangerous ends.” Here’s a list of 180 procrastination quotes, but … [Read more...] about Neither a Procrastinator Nor a Dawdler Be
How Deeper Awareness Can Eliminate Shame
Shame is largely a mystery to those people who suffer from the painful affliction. It’s even a mystery to psychological experts who struggle to define it. However, we can get clarity and understanding about it when we go deep into our psyche. Better yet, with deep awareness we … [Read more...] about How Deeper Awareness Can Eliminate Shame
The Dreary Distress of Boredom
Yawn. Nothing interesting going on today. Day after day, the same old thing, going around in a daze, inwardly dead. Life used to be more fun. Why is the world so dull? Why am I bored so much of the time? Hey, it's natural enough to be bored or restless when waiting two … [Read more...] about The Dreary Distress of Boredom
The Tyrant that Rules Our Inner Life
Much suffering is produced through our relationship with our inner critic. This part of our psyche is also called the superego or self-aggression. It’s an authoritarian aspect or agency in our psyche that holds us accountable for any real or imagined shortcomings or failures. The … [Read more...] about The Tyrant that Rules Our Inner Life