Victoria Ray's Blog, page 9

On Anger

 Some days, we try to justify our momentary rage by finding the faults in others; other days, we believe that being angry should be permittable or even encouraged at the personal level. In fact, many people around us are convinced that the only way to control anger is to express our feelings in an assertive but non-aggressive way (simply to show we are annoyed). As you can see, anger is...

The Power of Words

written by Laolu Ogundele   I’m sure we’ve all heard the statement, “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” Isn’t that a most controversial viewpoint – one that makes you wonder if the originator was a verbal abuse victim in denial? Think about it. Think about everyday life. Words would never hurt you… Really? How many people have been imprisoned because of a false accusation? Think...

The Edges of Now

Arthur Schopenhauer said, “The past does not exist, the future does not exist, and the present is fleeting.” So, here I am, arriving from ‘no past’ directly to ‘the slipping away present.’ What can I do now? What can we do now if we never truly live in the present but constantly think about the future or the past? And why should we? The present is usually stressful, tedious, or...

Our Plasma Selves

(Based on the book, “A New Science of Heaven,” by Robert Temple)  The Universe is made up of more than 99% plasma, meaning it is made of “incomplete or partial atoms”. Our world and everything we see, touch and experience around us is so called “physical/atomic matter” – and it’s less than 1% of the universe. Contrary to what we might assume, living as we do in a material world,...

The Concept of Happiness

written by Laolu Ogundele  “I want to be happy…”  Well, that’s a song that was created by late American broadway composer, Vincent Youmans and his crew in the early 1920s. It is a catchy tune that has been featured in a number of films since its release. But what’s most interesting to me is the music title, “I want to be happy…” What does it really mean? We all think we...

Everywhere I go, there I am

(Based on the book ‘Happy’ by Derren Brown)  What is the secret of happiness? How do you know when you feel true happiness? And what does it really mean to be happy? We often ask ourselves these questions at different stages of our lives, and every self-help book claims to have the answer. Moreover, the endless hours of “positive thinking”, constantly setting and striving for goals, and following visualization rituals...

An Orchestra of Bones: The Restless Spirit of The Dead

written by Laolu Ogundele Here’s a philosophical question for you. What would it feel like to have skeletons in your closet? Scary? Shameful? Embarrassing? Okay… Now, how about a church full of skeletons? What would THAT feel like? You won’t be far from the truth if you chuckled and imagined it’d be a fitting setting for a horror movie. But the residents of the beautiful Austrian town called Hallstatt won’t have to...

Andrei Platonov and The Soul of The World

Andrei Platonov once said, “From our ugliness will grow the soul of the world.” He was right. He knew the hardships of life better than anyone else… Yes, this world is ugly. Almost 1 billion people are illiterate. More than 800 million people don’t have access to clean water or a reliable food supply. Approximately 13% of the world lack access to electricity. Plastic choking the oceans. Global warming. Shootings at...

Depersonalized Violence or When Free Will Is Not So Free

Based on The Insanity of Normality (Arno Gruen) and Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness (Richard H. Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein) You have the free will to choose either to be or not to be… We learn it very early on, almost from the cradle; but as soon as we grow up, we are simply capitulating by giving up our free will to the group we belong...

The Mythology of Food

Eat less fat. Eat less sugar. Eat less meat. Eat more vegetables. Don’t skip meals. Eat little but often. Drink eight glasses of water a day. Less alcohol, less dairy, less caffeine, fewer diet drinks. With all this advice, we might soon forget how real food tastes because the media, national guidelines, and food labels are secretly trying to sell us unhealthy meals as healthy products. A myriad of food...