One thing I know about happiness is that it comes from the narrative of our life. The story we tell ourselves. But too often, we let others write that story for us. Unhappiness and discontent inevitably follow. The only person who can write the story of your life properly is you. In order to change our narrative to an authentic one, one we write ourselves, we must change our perspective, and thus our perceptions of our world. This is not a new idea. Plato explained it in “Allegory of the Cave” over 2,300 years ago. A small change in perception can mean a huge change in what we see. And changing how we see lets us write a new narrative. The Dalai Lama also explores this idea of the relationship between perception and a good life in his book The Art of Happiness (99¢ in the remainder bin . . . maybe you can buy happiness after all!).
I once got into a flame war with a 9/11 truther. It was totally by accident. He had stolen the email distribution list from one of my colleagues and had sent me some nonsensical garbage in which he “proved” mathematically that concrete floors have the same air resistance properties as a silk parachute. I fell […]
The Clinton Conspiracy Test Read More »
I spent my 21st birthday in a bunker outside of Long Binh Vietnam. Not exactly ideal circumstances for such an important occasion. But I did have a cake courtesy of my mom. She sent a Betty Crocker yellow cake with a can of chocolate frosting. It hadn’t traveled very well and was a little stale,
Sad to say, Americans have become so used to politicians lying that fact checkers now classify claims based on the level of deception involved. We not only expect our leaders to lie to us, but we cheer when their lies match our beliefs and boo when they don’t. The long ago hope that the Internet
Jeb Bush’s 650% Markup Read More »
The white door with peeling paint closed in my face as my mother and aunt retreated into the room. I was caught off guard by my banishment. As an only child, visiting my aunts and uncles, who had dozens of children, was always fun for me. Lots of playmates and lots of people to blame
Roy Moore and his Unnatural Agenda Read More »
What else do we have to understand about Ferguson, the NYPD, and Trevon Martin? Look at it this way. There’s a commercial that consists of videos of different species of animals frolicking together. These are an Internet staple. Cats with birds, dogs with fish, lions with gazelles, and countless other unusual pairings from YouTube fill
Why Ferguson Still Matters Read More »
Wow! My measles essay “The Natural Consequences of Unvaccinated Children” really struck a nerve among anti-vaxxers. They raised enough questions and counterarguments that it will take more than 1,200 words to answer all of them. But with the help of the Internet, I will cover some basic research that everyone should know. First of all, thank