Depression is a cruel state. It robs you of an ability to have hope or feel joy. You stop being you — you become a lesser version, the one that doesn’t remember the normal you.
I know what it’s like. My wife fell into deep clinical depression in 1996, and it lasted about [...]
First, the confession. I do not know what went down in Rwanda in 1994. And I can’t begin to comprehend the depth of the problems there.
That said, this article about a Rwandan woman has been haunting my mind ever since I read it in May of 2008.
In it, CNN interviews a woman who, through the [...]
Note: This is the digest version of a longer essay.
–
In a continuing discussion about children and learning, I’d like to share my family’s view and philosophy on this matter. It mainly deals with what we force our children to learn, and what we don’t.
The Fundamental
First of all, we recognize that forcing is undesirable, and is [...]
I didn’t mean to turn the previous post into a discussion about the state of education, but the ensuing conversation headed that way.
Particularly, my friend Laurie had a very pointed observation about what knowledge must be instilled in our children, even if you have to force them to. Here’s what she said:
Should students [...]
Note: This is a digest version of the guest post featured on The Positivity Blog. Special thanks to the blogger Henrik Edberg for featuring my post!
—
Elsewhere, I defined that low self-esteem is the root of all problems. In it, I defined 3 levels of self-esteem — your right to exist, your trust in your abilities, [...]
Note: This is a digest version of a longer essay.
—
Continuing my exploration of our emotional nature, I am expanding upon a system defined by Elisabeth and Jerry Hicks from their book “Ask and It Is Given.” It is called Emotional Guidance Scale.
This is an excellent tool in assessing where you are and figure out [...]
Note: this is a condensed version of a longer essay.
–
So, the basis of all desires is to be Who-We-Are, the way we are meant to be. Being Who-We-Are is the key to living a fulfilling life.
That seems obvious, but in reality we often do acts that not only prevent us to be Who-We-Are, but take [...]
Note: this is a summary version of a longer essay.
–
The basis of all desires is to be who you are.
All the things you do out of desire is an extension of your fundamental desire to be Who-You-Are. Everything from the choice of your vehicle to who you hang out with to what you wear, [...]
My 1-year-old son, Noah, has always been an eater. From the moment he realized that he could put solid food into his mouth and chew (lack of teeth was a minute detail for him), he would bang on his high-chair tray, demanding more solid food. My wife and I were always astounded by [...]
Failures and mistakes bum us out. It’s worse when you know it’s your own fault.
How do you react?
Do you beat yourself up?
I know I used to. I would punish myself for mistakes. I would take away treats and rewards, saying “You don’t deserve that, Ari.”
It’s as if I was training myself like Pavlov’s dog.
But nowadays, [...]
