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
A lot of people have problems with religion. It’s to the point that I often feel that, as a religious person, I can’t talk about what I really believe in for fear of being labelled. I have been called a fanatic. I have been told that I can’t think for myself and that’s why I… Read More Differences in Opinion: Let’s Stop Oppressing One Another
My husband and I are currently living in a lovely little area that has a wonderful library, which, as you can imagine, we have been taking fully advantage of. The benefit of using a library versus a bookstore–other than the savings!–is that older books are as clearly marked and accessible as newer books. Borna picked… Read More Borna’s Monthly Book Roundup Number 4
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
My love for obsession with The X-Files, resurrected to its fullest force with the announcement of a special six episode special event, has come as a surprise to those of you who know me mainly for my posts on community building and personal development and as the author of the Spirit Within Club series. (On… Read More The Truth Is In This Post: My On-Going Love Affair with The X-Files
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
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
Happy Valentine’s Day! Taking a day to celebrate romantic love is sweet indeed. After all, from romantic love is born a family; romantic love creates a healthy space where children are raised; a healthy family creates a strong family; and a strong family unit contributes to the well-being of society. Rethinking that gift, are you… Read More A Valentine’s Day Special: Applying the Lessons of Romantic Love to Other Relationships
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