Many people think that their emotional state is almost exclusively due to the reality that they are experiencing. After all, basic biology and psychology teach the classic “stimulus-response” model in living organisms where a change in the environment will trigger a response in the affected creature. This is mostly true, as life forms that did no...
Read MoreWhen you’re feeling cynical, miserable, or pessimistic, you are likely to say words to this effect: “Life sucks, and then you die.” What causes this? Well, all life situations are a result of nature and nurture: so some of your life outlook is built in your genetics, and some of it comes as a result of your life experiences.
Read More“The only constant is change.” You’ve heard the saying before, usually when something great is coming to an end. It’s often a harsh reminder that no matter what you do, there will always be more to do and always be entropy slowly eroding the progress you make in this world. At the same time, many people today can’t even handle 5 minutes without...
Read MoreHumans have advanced cognitive abilities that allow them to think about themselves and the world around them. That gives them greater survival capabilities, but it also allows them to wallow in despair. The question is, what causes the latter to occur? In other words, why are you questioning your existence?
Read MoreCognitive dissonance occurs when there is a conflict between a belief you hold and a behavior, new information, or a conflicting belief. The "dissonance" in this case causes discomfort, necessitating a change in the person's behavior or beliefs to alleviate it. The most famous example in history is the Aesop fable of Sour Grapes. In the fable, a...
Read MoreWhen you can’t feel anything other than depression, loneliness, isolation, dread, or emptiness, getting back to normal can require a monumental amount of willpower and effort to push through the resistance and lack of motivation. Unfortunately, there is no silver bullet or perfect solution to the problem because there are several different causes...
Read MoreLife is getting more grim, right? Climate change, fascism, a global pandemic, social unrest, terrorism, potential wars of the cold, nuclear, and civil kind, flattening of lifespans and homeownership levels…it seems like every day there is a reason to be pessimistic. But of course that’s absolutely absurd to think that’s an objective assessment....
Read MoreThis seems like it should be the shortest blog post ever: “Should you believe what’s true or what benefits you? What’s true, of course! What a stupid question!” Okay, well what if someone just had the greatest failure or disaster of their lives and the truth is that their life will never be the same again? What if their dog, friend, or family me...
Read MoreBelief. It can get you through the greatest tragedies. It can also hold you back. How do you know the difference, and how can you prevent your beliefs from being a roadblock to realizing your full potential? One of the saddest situations is when someone chooses to live in misery because of their beliefs about their situation. An example is when...
Read MoreThe pandemic has caused a lot of soul-searching and deep questions on the meaning of life. The biggest one is whether people can find deeper meaning in their lives through COVID-19, but they are also asking why things like this happen. Let's address these questions in this post:
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