The Dao of Parenting (and other things)
I am just two and a half years into being a parent. So, an expert on the topic I am not. I have, however, studied Asian religions and philosophy for over 20 years now, spending many months living in monasteries in India and China, earning a Ph.D. in Buddhist ethics, and teaching in a number of universities. So, on that topic, the word expert might apply. That said, today I
Our Dear Sophie – Part 2 of 4
When I was 11, my Dad got wrongfully fired, and we had a lawsuit and won. Thus, to make us kids feel better, he and my Mom got us a pet cat. Like any good parents would do. Veronica Veronica had similar gray colors as Sophie. White edges. And she was pure tigress. Although she came from the gas station, and only cost 5 bucks, she acted like she was
Getting Over Hedonism
The theory of hedonism is simple: we pursue everything in life for the pleasure it gives us. The delicious sandwich I ate at lunch, the coffee I had before that, the time I spent in the sauna, all driven by pleasure. So the theory goes. And for many things, that makes sense. All of these things did give me pleasure. But I also checked and responded to work emails. I
The Joys of Slowing Down
One of the complaints that my wife and I often have in our lives is that we never have time. We’re too busy. This is a reflection of modern life. Everything is moving at almost dizzying speeds. Even 20 years ago, American society was moving fast. Commercials were constantly selling us on the latest gadgets we had to have. Cable news channels were getting better and better at hooking us
Can money buy happiness?
When I was in college 20 years ago here in Missoula, Montana, my philosophy professor assigned the book, Authentic Happiness (Simon & Schuster, 2002) by Martin Seligman. This seems like a great time to review some of its wisdom and see what has rung true for me over the last two decades. One of the most memorable take-aways for me came in its lessons about money. The simple message was
Our Dear Sophie – Part 1 of 4
So our cat, Sophie, has been diagnosed with kidney failure. I knew something was wrong. Smaller stools, lack of urine, and more lethargy. And as with any possible loss, I was and am still in a state of denial. Add to this, the vet found a heart murmur which could be indicative of heart failure. Her levels are very bad, and so it’s just not looking good for our dear