Did we win?
I have thought of myself as a Buddhist for over 40 years. Okay. So I'm a sort-of Buddhist. I can live with that.
I just read through my latest copy of The Shambhala Sun. It's a great magazine and usually I find one or two articles of interest. Today I was bored, and read through the whole thing. The issue was peppered with ads for American Buddhist teachers looking like used car salesmen. Glowingly healthy, with brilliant toothy smiles, and names like Lama Hanapurna Charlene Bagwell, they positively radiated happiness and soothing enlightenment.
Whatever happened to the Four Noble Truths? I may be a sort-of Buddhist, but I have the First Noble Truth [dukkha, or suffering] carved into my soul. So why is everybody so excruciatingly happy? ...................... did we win?
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Sunday, August 9, 2009
OMG shot in head LOL
In Waterloo, Iowa, you can now text in your emergency rather than dial 911. Apparently this is a good thing because many children already believe texting is the best way to handle an emergency. Hey, it works for everything else, right?
(sample texted message courtesy of "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me" on NPR)
I'm Good Enough, I'm Smart Enough, and Doggone It, People Like Me! (Stuart Smalley, SNL)
Sorry, Stuart. Apparently that's not enough to get you in the Senate. You're going to have to rely on your intelligence and determination.
According to a new study reported in Psychological Science, repeating positive affirmations may backfire. The study found that individuals with low self-esteem actually felt worse about themselves after repeating positive self-statements. These techniques, say the authors, tend to "backfire for the very people who need them the most."
Incidentally, two of the three authors of the study are from the University of Waterloo. I could have written the whole day's blog without ever leaving town.
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