Human society is extremely complex and extremely interesting; all the way from our neuro-biology to civilization as a whole. Topics include individual psychology, communities, organizations and societies primarily in pursuit of patterns that make understanding how we behave easier.
There are a million ways to do anything, but only about a 100 ways to do them really well. The trick is to develop the skills required to find one of these 100 quickly, be persistent until you do, and being willing to let go of the ways that aren’t … Continue reading
Yesterday I had an energetic discussion with a former minister friend on the topic of faith. Continue reading
Beliefs are the coin of the realm in human social interaction. Everything we talk about is in some way an expression of a belief. Continue reading
Stress equals reality minus expectations. Continue reading
I’ve been pondering the contribution of major life changes to growth. We have several opportunities for these, but not all of them happen to all of us. Continue reading
A backlog item is a topic that I’d like to spend more quality time on but can’t at the moment. You’ll be able to find backlog items in the backlog list. See the menu in the upper right. In his book The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has … Continue reading
Two extremely conflicting points-of-view are usually both wrong. Try to find the third way. The third way is rarely compromise. It more often involves repeatedly asking “Why?” until you understand what’s really trying to be accomplished. Only then bring to bear ideas, tools and approaches that address the revealed underlying … Continue reading
It turns out that I’m in better company than I might have guessed. [iframe style=”width:120px;height:240px;” marginwidth=”0″ align=right marginheight=”0″ scrolling=”no” frameborder=”0″ src=”//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=ss_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=hawksprphotog-20&marketplace=amazon®ion=US&placement=B00555X8OA&asins=B00555X8OA&linkId=4VEBLUMBDRF6Y2MW&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true”] One of my favorite books is Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman. I’ve recommended this book to at least a dozen people. I was listening to an interview … Continue reading
I read this introduction to the book The Battle for God, By Karen Armstrong, and thought it was very insightful. It appears to be taking a balanced historical view of the causes of religious fundamentalism. [iframe style=”width:120px;height:240px;” marginwidth=”0″ marginheight=”0″ scrolling=”no” frameborder=”0″ align=”right” src=”//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=ss_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=hawksprphotog-20&marketplace=amazon®ion=US&placement=0345391691&asins=0345391691&linkId=WE2KJZC43LARAYNA&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true”]What I thought was particularly interesting was the … Continue reading
I’m constantly amazed by the persistent belief that humans are not part of the world around us and that we can step out of it at any time we choose. Continue reading
