I, Fanatic

The trouble with most folks ain’t so much their ignorance, it’s their knowing as many things which ain’t so.1 Moral development involves shedding immature, inaccurate beliefs and values, and growing into more mature and accurate ones. Consider an analogy. In elementary school, students (more…)

Change Starts from Within

  When asked how to spread Vedanta, Swami Parthasarathy quoted the words that are said to be written on the tomb of an Anglican Bishop in the crypts of Westminster Abbey in London, England. When I was young and free and my imagination had (more…)

Self-control & Self-development

Acquiring the skills necessary for successful emotion regulation constitutes a profound developmental achievement. By adulthood, however, emotion regulation is no longer simply desirable, it is absolutely necessary for daily functioning.1 Discriminate vs Indiscriminate Living Intelligent, healthy self-control is a mark of human maturity. (more…)

Self-respect, Self-confidence

Self-confidence and self-respect are indispensable qualities in human life. Without them life seems dull, oppressive, or threatening; and we lack the initiative and enthusiasm to fulfill our potential. Although different, these two qualities are inextricably linked. Self-respect To understand self-respect we can (more…)

Hit Me Again: The Value of Being Offended

The feeling of being offended or hurt by another’s opinions, beliefs, or values is something we can all identify with. It’s an unsettling and unpleasant experience, and rarely leads to healthy or appropriate responses. However with just a little intellectual training, (more…)

Happiness & Higher Values

Throughout life, humans seek pleasure, peace, satisfaction. All of our activities target an inner sense of completion and contentment, of being in harmony with circumstances and oneself. However, observation of our own experiences reveals that the sense of contentment and harmony (more…)

Trigger Unhappy

Something strange is happening at America’s colleges and universities. A movement is arising, undirected and driven largely by students, to scrub campuses clean of words, ideas, and subjects that might cause discomfort or give offense. (Lukianoff & Haidt, 2015, np) Recent articles in (more…)

Self-Development: Critical Thinking Matters

In our discussion of social evolution we need sometimes to remember that the very perfection of society must always appear as imperfection; for a highly developed society is dynamic. … A static society … is in a condition of arrested development; (more…)

Self-Development Practices

  Why do we sometimes experience a sense of ennui for the life we have chosen? Why do relationships fail to deliver the satisfaction we expect? Why do we feel uncertain, anxious or out of control? Why do we act in ways (more…)