Merce Cardus's Blog, page 55
January 25, 2016
It’s Your Own Life, So Why Not To Set Your Own Rules?
If you’ve ever thought, “There must be more to life than this,” The Art of Non-Conformity is for you.
In the battle between hope and fear, hope usually wins out in the end
After working in West Africa for four years as a volunteer aid worker, I returned to the United States to attend graduate school in the fall of 2006. The official story is that I completed a two-year master’s degree in International Studies at the University of Washington. The real story is is that I spent $32,000 to lear...
January 24, 2016
In a Universe Made of Antimatter, Does Love Still Exist?
The question of antimatter is a specter haunting the field of physics: W
hy is there more matter in the universe than anti-matter?
Lawrence Krauss, author of A Universe from nothing, supplies an answer that, besides explaining what antimatter is, sheds light on why the question is so puzzling in the first place. Antimatter, speaking from the perspective of physics, is not a terribly strange thing. In fact, we would expect to see more of it — to balance the amount of regular matter in the univ...
Is Your Life What You Want It To Be?
In 1973 Harry Browne sent a simple message in How I found freedom i
n an unfree world — that you can live the life you want to live.
Freedom is the opportunity to live your life as you want to live it
The urge for freedom is so much a part of human nature that it can never be suppressed by laws, slogans, or commandments. There is a difference, however, between the urge and the reality.
For most people, freedom remains a pleasant fantasy–something to dream of while carrying out daily obligati...
January 21, 2016
Linkfest ~ Best Reads on Writing, Screenwriting & Self-Publishing: Poets Listen
WRITING
Scene Structure: The #1 Objective for your Novel
, Live Write Thrive| Tweet
FromThe #1 Objective for Your Novel:So ... what is the number one objective in writing your novel? (Drum roll ...)To elicit emotion.Not any one specific emotion, but some emotion.
In writing, the awkward sentences, phrases, and words will come, but after days of editing and many writing lectures from Joe,...
January 20, 2016
Why we all need to practice emotional first aid
We’ll go to the doctor when we feel flu-ish or a nagging pain. So w
hy don’t we see ahealth professional when we feel emotional pain: guilt, loss, loneliness?
Too many of us deal with common psychological-health issues on our own, says Guy Winch, author of Emotional First Aid. But we don’t have to. He makes a compelling case to practice emotional hygiene — taking care of our emotions, our minds, with the same diligence we take care of our bodies.
Favoritism
When I became a psychologist, I be...
Move The Way Love Makes You Move
In Fear: Understanding and Accepting the Insecurities of Life, Osho takes the 
reader step by step over the range of what makes human beings afraid―from the reflexive “fight or flight” response to physical danger to the rational and irrational fears of the mind and its psychology.
Only by bringing the light of understanding into fear’s dark corners, he says, airing out closets and opening windows, and looking under the bed to see if a monster is really living there, can we begin to venture ou...
January 19, 2016
Could Technology Make You Immortal? Transhumanism Seeks the Answer.
Transhumanism, a tech-centric philosophy of humanity, has grown so rapidl
y in popularity in recent years, it even boasts its own 2016 presidential candidate.
But what does Transhumanism truly aspire to? What is the core of the transhumanist manifesto?
According to philosopher, futurist, and overall cool guy Jason Silva, host of Brain Games, Transhumanism is all about harnessing technology to overcome the limitations of humanity. For example, our lives are limited by the mortality of our phys...
Writers: On Walking and Inspiration
In a series of conversational observations and meditations on the writin
g process,The Art of Slow Writing examines the benefits of writing slowly. DeSalvo advises her readers to explore their creative process on deeper levels by getting to know themselves and their stories more fully over a longer period of time.
Virginia Woolf, author of To the Lighthouse
Woolf remembered how she’d ‘made up The Lighthouse one afternoon in the square here’ (Tavistock Square in London). In her memoir ‘A Sket...
January 18, 2016
Intelligence Isn’t Black-and-White. There Are Actually 8 Different Kinds.
What does it mean when someone calls you smart or intelligent?
According to developmental psychologist Howard Gardner, author of Multiple Intelligences, it could mean one eight things. In this video interview, Dr. Gardner addresses his eight classifications for intelligence: writing, mathematics, music, spatial, kinesthetic, interpersonal, and intrapersonal.
Currently I think there are eight intelligences that I’m very confident about and a few more that I’ve been thinking about. I’ll sh...
The Productive Thinking Model
Think betteris about Productive Thinking ― why it’s important, how it work
s, and how to use it at work, at home, and at play. Productive Thinking is a game changer ― a practical, easy-to-learn, repeatable process that helps people understand more clearly, think more creatively, and planmore effectively. It’s based on the thinking strategies that people we celebrate for their creativity have been using for centuries.
The model presents a structured framework for solving problems creatively. Y...
