The Third Essence

Now God did not make the soul after the body, although we are speaking of them in this order; for having brought them together he would never have allowed that the elder should be ruled by the younger; but this is a random manner of speaking which we have, because somehow we ourselves too are very much under the …

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The True Happiness

I can’t help but notice the parallels between our era and the ancient one described by Plato: a time of unprecedented wealth that breeds masses of unhappy, disconnected people who live lives of gilded desperation. I see it everywhere I turn in the airport this morning. It seems to be the increasingly dominant spirit of the time, our Zeitgeist.

The Fear of Being Hurt

We're taught that pain is the great teacher, that suffering is unavoidable and human nature is immutable. We're told that fear is a naturalism powerful, and primitive emotion that helped and continues to help human beings navigate the dangers and pitfalls of the natural world and human society. We're persuaded to huddle in masses, for …

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The Privilege of Vision

There is an old proverb which says: "Where there its no vision, the people perish..." The corollary is equally true: where there is vision, the people flourish. There cannot be real growth, true development without vision. This is as true for the individual as it is for any grouping of individuals. It is true for …

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Stop believing, start knowing.

What do you know? What do you really, truly know about yourself, humanity, and the cosmic context in which our stunningly beautiful planet is set? Why are you here? Why are we here? Where are we going? Is our presence haphazard and our purpose socially constructed? Or are our lives set in a larger, purposeful, …

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Stand Corrected

"I was wrong." You cannot move gracefully toward a greater understanding of truth without a willingness to stand corrected, regardless of the provenance of the correction. It's ok to admit you are wrong; in fact, to admit you are wrong is to give evidence of the strength of your character, especially when so admitting produces …

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The Blessing of an Addictive Personality

A recent conversation with new friends helped me to see addiction and addictive personalities in a new way and I hope to articulate that perspective in a way that may help you to gain a greater sense of control, security, and peace in your life. Like most things in life, addictive personalities are a double-edged …

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Cool under Pressure

I’ve always admired people who keep their cool under pressure. This ability allows for graceful navigation of even the most intense circumstances. I’m sure you’ve also noticed that it also affords those who possess it a little more time to process, decide and act, which, in turn, makes them generally more effective in handling the …

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