Emotional Control (continued) Have you ever noticed that happy people tend to control their emotions better than angry people? I wonder why? Happiness produces a state of relaxation and in comparison, anger produces a state of tension. While happiness produces a positive attitude, anger creates a strong focus on what
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When you meet obstacles, do you tend to step back or lean in? Either action can be appropriate depending on the circumstances. But one certainly seems like a more reactive response and the other, more proactive – especially when responding to a major challenge. For example, taking a step back
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Let’s talk about distraction, and how it almost magically works to achieve emotional control. But first, we have to note: distraction can be the immediate cause of an emotional outburst as well as the means to end it. Distraction works, in short, because it is a change of focus either
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All hate, destructive anger, and black-heartedness come from a well-known source. We must change the source of hate, bitterness, and all our mental darkness. So what is that source? We metaphorically call it the human heart. Here are a few questions we all want to be answered. How does the
Continue readingStraight Thinking About Facts — Part 2 There’s even more to straight thinking about facts than the issues to which I referred in my last article. We must consider how we will proceed when evidence is unavailable. What do we rely on to determine whether we are considering verifiable facts
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Straight thinking is also all about the facts. What facts? All that can be known. And how do we define a fact? Facts are truths that can be verified in one or more of several reliable ways that pass the test of “beyond a reasonable doubt.” So, when thinking about
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Have you recently experienced the intense pressure of current “groupthink”? It seems so many topics (once considered personal decisions) are now subject to invasive demands that you just go along and accept what you’re told. They say, “Conform for the common good! Accept that you’re thinking is “good” or “bad”
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Straight thinking is all about another “moral” necessity: honesty and truthfulness. Honesty not only includes telling the whole truth accurately, but honesty must be the motivation when seeking to tell the truth. An attempt to be less than honest will end up in our twisting the truth for our own
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Meeting the requirement to tell the whole truth to ensure straight thinking is a tough task for us all. Facts are where we tend to make our most common crooked thinking. We misrepresent the facts — whether intentionally or unintentionally. Therefore, the first lesson for all of us to learn
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What are you hoping for? Good things or bad things? I’m sure you’ve heard the old adage, “Hope for the best. Plan for the worst.” most of your adult life. It certainly seems like a solid strategy, doesn’t it? After all, it focuses your very valuable hope on positive outcomes.
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Suppose we want a belief system built on evidence and sound, rational thinking. In that case, we will need straight (analytical, logical) thinking to comprise a convincing faith of our heads as well as our hearts. And suppose we are going to persuade our children. In that case, we must
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These articles will now change in nature somewhat. My new book (proposed release date in late April of 2021) is titled Who Am I? We are what we think. So, the book and these articles will feature tools for adults and children to develop their minds and solid education of how our
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