Do you remember how frustrating it was when, as a child, living in a world of contradictions? When you were told you couldn’t do something by an adult only to see them doing that very same thing? Or to be told by one adult not to do something only to be told by another that… Read More How to Live in a World of Contradictions Without Going Completely Nuts
Last week’s post on cultural appropriation inspired some very interesting conversations. Most interesting was the fact that most reactions came from well-meaning individuals who work hard on eliminating prejudices from their day-to-day lives. It’s difficult for people like us to realise that, despite all the time, energy, and love we put into this cause, we… Read More Cultural Appropriation: Contextualizing our Work to Eliminate All Prejudices
A couple of years ago, I went through an extremely difficult situation. A misunderstanding was being compounded by past experiences, and a friend of mine was reacting badly—and increasingly so—to every attempt I made to iron things out. I cannot understate the pain of that experience nor the amount of time and energy I poured… Read More The Importance of Learning to Reflect Without Backbiting
The richness of the diversity of opinions, if tapped adequately, can generate invaluable insights which contribute to the advancement of the well-being of humanity. One example of this is chronicled in the book “Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln”. Author Doris Kearns Goodwin describes how President Lincoln chose to work alongside his… Read More Some Thoughts on Michael Bublé and The Bum – Part 2
Many people I know have playlists that vary according to their mood, the period of their lives they are at, and what they are going through at that time. And not just musical playlists—playlists of funny clips on YouTube, of inspiring videos, or of brain food like TED talks. And while there are always one… Read More Fuel for my Current Midnight Musings: Five Great TED Talks
I often write about the importance of building communities in which inhabitants discuss, understand, and appreciate each other’s beliefs, however different they may be (here, here, and here). The touchier the topic, the clearer the need for an increasing number of people to develop these capacities, lest any attempts at a conversation on said matter… Read More Learning to Live with Diversity: Accepting Modesty in an Era of Everything But
Continuing with my established tradition to refer to inaccurate numbers when writing posts for this blog, I would like to share a totally made up and very vague statistic: that most people in the world are nice. At least of the people that I know and interact with regularly, most are. From the members of… Read More The Most Peaceful Anti-Trolling Movement Ever: Go Forth and Comment, Kind People!
My Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr feeds have been taken over by an increasingly acerbic conversation between fans and critics of the newly released 50 Shades of Grey movie and the book that inspired it. With the best of intentions, a critic of the movie could share a long list of reasons why it’s unhealthy—such as… Read More 50 Shades of Shaming: Regaining the Lost Art of Conversation
Justice and unity are both essential in creating healthy communities. But when it comes to the practical application of both within the same setting, things can get a little difficult (to put it mildly). I’m sure many have faced a situation where for the sake of unity, an injustice was perpetuated. It recently happened to… Read More Justice and Unity in Interpersonal Relationships: Gently Rocking the Boat
Punctuality is considered an important part of the character of a well-rounded person. Many are taught early on that being punctual is important. It reflects our own trustworthiness as well as respect for other people’s times. Many also learn that a pattern of constantly changing plans at the last minute reflects the opposite: that we… Read More The Balancing Act between Punctuality and Flexibility