Jeff Davidson's Blog, page 37
April 7, 2014
Ritual: by Emma Restall Orr
Notes from Ritual: A Guide to Life, Love, and Inspiration by Emma Restall Orr
* In our busy modern schedules, rituals are often seriously lacking. Yet, they can bring richness and meaning to our daily habits.
* We can use rituals to bring the sacred into everyday life.
* A walk through the park or lighting a candle to welcome the day allows us to reconnect with each other and our own psych.
* In an era when many of us live far from our families and most people don’t know their neighbors, rituals offer a feeling of community and belonging.
* Rituals enrich our sense of who we are both individually and collectively.
* Rituals can be easily adapted to suit any event or occasions and fit within any reader’s own spiritual tradition.
* Rituals can be devised to celebrate a marriage, welcome and name a child, deal with grief, deepen our creativity, heighten our sexuality, enhance our mealtimes, and energize our lives throughout the life cycle.
* In our busy modern schedules, rituals are often seriously lacking. Yet, they can bring richness and meaning to our daily habits.
* We can use rituals to bring the sacred into everyday life.
* A walk through the park or lighting a candle to welcome the day allows us to reconnect with each other and our own psych.
* In an era when many of us live far from our families and most people don’t know their neighbors, rituals offer a feeling of community and belonging.
* Rituals enrich our sense of who we are both individually and collectively.
* Rituals can be easily adapted to suit any event or occasions and fit within any reader’s own spiritual tradition.
* Rituals can be devised to celebrate a marriage, welcome and name a child, deal with grief, deepen our creativity, heighten our sexuality, enhance our mealtimes, and energize our lives throughout the life cycle.
March 25, 2014
Meaning in the Everyday
I recently re-read
LifeCraft: The Art of Meaning in the Everyday
by Forest Church, Beacon (1999) which contained some eye-opening assertions.The author says that to a greater or lesser degree everyone shares the following characteristics. They are:* Self conscious about their appearance
* Feeling guilty about things that they have done or have failed to do
* Sometimes have a hard time accepting themselves or forgiving others
* Have secrets which they feel may betray them at any moment
* Fail in ways that matter both to themselves and their loved ones
...despite success in other aspects of their lives
* Feel stressful, as if happiness is fleeting.
* Worry about aging or concerned with dying
* Have been betrayed
* Wonder what is the meaning of life.
March 18, 2014
Emotional Longevity
A mini review of Emotional Longevity by Norman Anderson
Why do optimists have lower blood pressure and heightened immunity? Why have studies found asthmatics breathe easier after writing down traumatic events? And how is it that good relationships are a buffer against everything from heart disease to the common cold and religious observance so often goes hand-in-hand with longevity
Norman Anderson, CEO of the American Psychological Association, believes in a new approach to health as a way to understand longevity. Instead of the traditional view of physical health, Anderson says the interaction of six "well-being" factors can explain the differences in longevity.
1) biological
2) psychological
3) behavioral
4) economic
5) religious/spiritual
6) emotional
* He argues that there must be a scientific explanation for why some people recover from serious illness such as a heart attack while other patients remain disabled.
* This multifaceted approach goes beyond the increasing acceptance of nontraditional medicine; it is an entirely new way to approach life, with specific medical support.
Why do optimists have lower blood pressure and heightened immunity? Why have studies found asthmatics breathe easier after writing down traumatic events? And how is it that good relationships are a buffer against everything from heart disease to the common cold and religious observance so often goes hand-in-hand with longevity
Norman Anderson, CEO of the American Psychological Association, believes in a new approach to health as a way to understand longevity. Instead of the traditional view of physical health, Anderson says the interaction of six "well-being" factors can explain the differences in longevity.
1) biological
2) psychological
3) behavioral
4) economic
5) religious/spiritual
6) emotional
* He argues that there must be a scientific explanation for why some people recover from serious illness such as a heart attack while other patients remain disabled.
* This multifaceted approach goes beyond the increasing acceptance of nontraditional medicine; it is an entirely new way to approach life, with specific medical support.
March 14, 2014
Older and Wiser
Behavioral scientists have long believed that old age and cognitive decline went hand-in-hand. Now, it appears that rather than cognitively declining, we are simply accumulating more and more information. This accumulation causes us to be a little slower when it comes to recalling specific details, but we're actually smarter as we age.
As our median age of membership increases, dispelling the myth of cognitive decline is encouraging to NSA members because it broadens an array of possibilities for our advancing years and those of our audiences. Do you want to tackle an intellectual challenge which, until this point in your life, has not been on the front burner? You have the capability.
Reference: "The Myth of Cognitive Decline: Non-linear Dynamics of Lifelong Learning" by Michael Ramscar, et al. In Topics in Cognitive Science, volume 6, issue 1, pages 5 to 42, January 2014.
As our median age of membership increases, dispelling the myth of cognitive decline is encouraging to NSA members because it broadens an array of possibilities for our advancing years and those of our audiences. Do you want to tackle an intellectual challenge which, until this point in your life, has not been on the front burner? You have the capability.
Reference: "The Myth of Cognitive Decline: Non-linear Dynamics of Lifelong Learning" by Michael Ramscar, et al. In Topics in Cognitive Science, volume 6, issue 1, pages 5 to 42, January 2014.
March 12, 2014
Heavy Personal Debt is no Joy
An AP report indicated that "Americans are falling behind on their credit card payments at an alarming rate. Racking up heavy personal debt is the antithesis to Breathing Space!
March 7, 2014
Have You Figured It Out?
My friend and colleague, Bob Wendover is about to release a new book that should be on your desk:
Figure It Out! Making Smart Decisions in a Dumbed-Down World is a practical guide to everyday decision making. With all the competition for our time and attention these days, it's getting harder and harder to find the concentration to solve problems.
Figure It Out presents a simple, three- principle system for making better decisions when it so tempting to take the easy way or simply avoid an issue. It's full of practical stories and illustrations. On top of this, you can access 18 short instructional videos that will help you flesh out the concepts in each chapter.
To watch the preview and read a sample chapter, go to www.bobwendover.com/book
Figure It Out! Making Smart Decisions in a Dumbed-Down World is a practical guide to everyday decision making. With all the competition for our time and attention these days, it's getting harder and harder to find the concentration to solve problems.
Figure It Out presents a simple, three- principle system for making better decisions when it so tempting to take the easy way or simply avoid an issue. It's full of practical stories and illustrations. On top of this, you can access 18 short instructional videos that will help you flesh out the concepts in each chapter.
To watch the preview and read a sample chapter, go to www.bobwendover.com/book
February 27, 2014
What Brings True Happiness? "Ten Keys to True Happiness"
"Ten Keys to True Happiness" based on a study published in New Scientist include:
1.Wealth 6. Friendship2. Desire 7. Marriage3. Intelligence 8. Faith 4. Genetics 9. Charity 5. Beauty 10.Age
1.Wealth 6. Friendship2. Desire 7. Marriage3. Intelligence 8. Faith 4. Genetics 9. Charity 5. Beauty 10.Age
You Can Get Lucky
Professor Richard Wiseman discusses “How to Get Lucky” in The Skeptical Enquirer:
"Open your mind: consider chance opportunities. Lucky people regularly have them, unlucky people don't. To determine why, I gave lucky and unlucky people a newspaper and asked them to tell me how many photos were inside. On average, unlucky people spent about two minutes on this exercise. Lucky people spent seconds. Why? Because on the second page of the paper, in huge type, was the message ‘Stop counting: There are 43 photographs in this newspaper.’ Lucky people tended to spot the message. Unlucky ones didn't.”
"I put a second message half-way through the paper: ‘Stop counting: tell the experimenter you have seen this and win $250.’ Again, the unlucky people failed to see the message.”
"The lesson: unlucky people miss chance opportunities because they are too busy looking for something else. Lucky people see what is there rather than just what they are looking for."
"Open your mind: consider chance opportunities. Lucky people regularly have them, unlucky people don't. To determine why, I gave lucky and unlucky people a newspaper and asked them to tell me how many photos were inside. On average, unlucky people spent about two minutes on this exercise. Lucky people spent seconds. Why? Because on the second page of the paper, in huge type, was the message ‘Stop counting: There are 43 photographs in this newspaper.’ Lucky people tended to spot the message. Unlucky ones didn't.”
"I put a second message half-way through the paper: ‘Stop counting: tell the experimenter you have seen this and win $250.’ Again, the unlucky people failed to see the message.”
"The lesson: unlucky people miss chance opportunities because they are too busy looking for something else. Lucky people see what is there rather than just what they are looking for."
February 18, 2014
The Power of Asking
An article in Psychology Today contends that if you want more out of life, ask. Simply asking for what you want is highly correlated with getting it! Great news or what?
February 15, 2014
Over-Build, Under-build
From an article six years ago:
Buildings to go up like never before. Haya El Nasser, writing in USA TODAY, reports that “residential and commercial development in the next quarter-century will eclipse anything seen in previous generations as the nation moves to accommodate rapid population growth.” This is based on a report from the Brookings Institution. Other findings:
* About half the homes, office buildings, stores and factories that will be needed by 2030 don't exist today.
* The U.S. population is expected to increase 33% to 376 million by 2030, 76 million more people than today.
* To serve that population, almost millions of new housing units will have to be built.
* About 20 million of these units will replace destroyed or aging homes.
“For generations, Americans favored single-family homes on larger lots. Development spread to where land is cheaper but within commuting distance to jobs. Communities must decide if they "want to develop policies consistent with those preferences or constrain them," says John Kasarda, director of the Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. "Sprawl is a choice."
Buildings to go up like never before. Haya El Nasser, writing in USA TODAY, reports that “residential and commercial development in the next quarter-century will eclipse anything seen in previous generations as the nation moves to accommodate rapid population growth.” This is based on a report from the Brookings Institution. Other findings:
* About half the homes, office buildings, stores and factories that will be needed by 2030 don't exist today.
* The U.S. population is expected to increase 33% to 376 million by 2030, 76 million more people than today.
* To serve that population, almost millions of new housing units will have to be built.
* About 20 million of these units will replace destroyed or aging homes.
“For generations, Americans favored single-family homes on larger lots. Development spread to where land is cheaper but within commuting distance to jobs. Communities must decide if they "want to develop policies consistent with those preferences or constrain them," says John Kasarda, director of the Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. "Sprawl is a choice."
