On the Duality of Life
Emerging through hardship Continue reading On the Duality of Life
Un-Reproachable Us: Your Faults Are My Fault?
A reckless driver almost took me out, but it was my fault? Seems to be the way these days, and it’s weakening us as a society. Continue reading Un-Reproachable Us: Your Faults Are My Fault?
The pitfall wherein we become unfeeling
I think one pitfall we tend to encounter, when we try to put Stoic teachings into practice, is that of becoming unfeeling, “like a stone.” I mentioned four such difficulties in a previous post. Here, I want to expand on this particular one. What this expression means, becoming or being “unfeeling like a stone,” is being emotionless, unfeeling. Or more likely, it means suppressing, or … Continue reading The pitfall wherein we become unfeeling
God At My Table
How fortunate I am to have been raised by loving parents. Although not perfect (for who in human form is?), my parents set many fine examples of how to be in this world. They encouraged–more importantly practiced–honesty, caring, generosity, and industriousness. One of their powerful examples was that of saying grace before eating our meals. As a child, with head bowed and eyes closed, I … Continue reading God At My Table
Declaration of Honour
On Saturday I listened to an interview to a Belgian politician who was saying that Governments should let out of the political scene extreme rights parties. He claimed that they receive too much visibility from the media and this is a reason for their popularity. He suggested not talking to them, as simple as that. Some agreed with him, others did not, because we are … Continue reading Declaration of Honour
How to handle transitions in life
Hello! Let’s talk about life transitions today. As you might know, I recently finished my dissertation and I will no longer be a student. I have been a student for about 24 years by now. So, this new chapter in my life is very exciting and I am looking forward to it but also a bit intimidating. I do not know how life is when … Continue reading How to handle transitions in life
Great Writers Are Great Readers… and Listeners
Over the past 3 years with Pointless Overthinking, I’ve loved getting to know our community of bloggers and blog-lovers. I’m surrounded by inspiration and aspire to give back even a fraction of the amount of motivation I’ve received. Through this community, I connected to a podcast created for writers that explores topics of the writer’s journey such as: the fear of failure, rejection, trusting the … Continue reading Great Writers Are Great Readers… and Listeners
Expanding Circles: Spiritual Exercises as a Bridge Towards Cosmopolitanism
As noted by the philosopher Aristotle, humans are ‘social animals’ who exist and thrive in communities. We have the ability to devise sophisticated institutions enabling us to co-operate with others across cultures and borders. We can see how interwoven our lives all are through the complex interdependencies in our economies, societies and in the natural environment. As humans, we exist in broader networks and are … Continue reading Expanding Circles: Spiritual Exercises as a Bridge Towards Cosmopolitanism
Influence: Remembering Prince On His Death Day
“Come out to my car and check this out,” my cousin said. He was a few years older than me and always kept me up to speed on what the cool, older kids were into. I was in middle school, he would graduate soon. It was Christmas Day 1984. We were visiting extended family at my grandmothers apartment. So I went with him, down from … Continue reading Influence: Remembering Prince On His Death Day
The Story of Gain and Loss
The paradigm of reality that is related in this article is radically different from the one that we’ve been conditioned to believe. Almost everyone, particularly in western-type cultures, has been programmed to blindly accept that they are a separate self (the little “i”) who either gains, and is, therefore, labelled a success; or losses, and is, therefore, labelled a failure. Due to this, it’s our natural tendency to judge … Continue reading The Story of Gain and Loss
1000 Origami Cranes
In Japan, they believe that folding 1000 origami cranes may bring good fortune. Today, this ancient Japanese practice has spread around the world, embodying faith, hope and peace. And God knows how much we need them now. According to an ancient Japanese belief, folding 1000 paper cranes can bring good fortune in your life. The legend tells that the crane may live for a thousand years; … Continue reading 1000 Origami Cranes
Community Colleges Are Helping to Transform America
Note: This blog was originally published as an Op-Ed in the San Antonio Express-News. I’m republishing it here today because it relates nicely with Learning to Question: A Pedagogy of Liberation, a book I’m reading and one I wrote about in my most recent Pointless Overthinking blog. *** I am an American educator. My job is hard, and I sometimes feel like I’m fighting a … Continue reading Community Colleges Are Helping to Transform America
Let it happen
Hello there! Today, going with the theme of my last few posts, I want to discuss one other internal change I went through in the past 5-6 months: no longer claiming to know what is good for me and leaving it God’s hands what happens in my life. As I mentioned in an earlier post, my marriage was called off one month before the actual … Continue reading Let it happen
Erich Fromm on Having Versus Being
In To Have or to Be? the sociologist Erich Fromm argues that there are two distinct modes of existence. These are unique ways in which we relate to others and the world around us. Having The first is the ‘having mode.’ This is characterized by an attitude of acquiring or possessing things. It is when an individual defines themselves by what they have or own, … Continue reading Erich Fromm on Having Versus Being
April, 2022, Meet April, 1945
Please accept my apologies for posting two days in a row. It’s generally not a good thing to do with so many of my talented colleagues able to offer so many great pieces. But I felt a need to write this as I lay awake last night, and realized that April is the month American, British, and other Allied soldiers first discovered the freshly abandoned … Continue reading April, 2022, Meet April, 1945
I Got A Problem With Easter
A humorous look at our Easter “fun” and trauma-causing traditions. Continue reading I Got A Problem With Easter
The Blink of A Porch Light
We are warned by psychologists and counselors to heal our apparent wounds; to recognize the importance of dealing with our emotional issues. To carry them into the so-called future is paramount to inviting a tiger to claw at us whenever it pleases. Such is not a way to live, or thrive, because there remains the threat that the wound will rip open again and bleed … Continue reading The Blink of A Porch Light
Can You Focus Only on One Thing?
In a world where we boast of being able to do several things at once, we rarely focus on one thing. If you listen to music on the train, you probably also browse the news or Instagram. When you cook dinner, the TV may be on in the background. Maybe you even make a shopping list in your head while talking with a friend. We’re … Continue reading Can You Focus Only on One Thing?
Participating in Something New and Special
Some weeks ago, I checked out Learning to Question: A Pedagogy of Liberation, by Paulo Freire and Antonio Faundez, from the library at the college where I work. Yesterday, after having the book sit around unread since I’d taken it home, I decided the time was right and opened it up. I’m not far enough along in the text to be able to comment on … Continue reading Participating in Something New and Special
And Now A Brief Pause In Pointless Overthinking For Some Shameless Self-Promoting
PEOPLE OF EARTH : If you’re free and/or bored today at either 1:00pm or 6:00pm American Eastern Daylight Time, please click on a link below to watch a FREE live stream of a reading from New York City of my new play about Dorothy Parker. For those of you who may not know, a play reading is where the actors (two, in this case) read … Continue reading And Now A Brief Pause In Pointless Overthinking For Some Shameless Self-Promoting