Last week in class we did a contemplative practice in which we adopted three different perspectives: that things in the world are going to get worse, that things are going to get better, and that things are the way they are. When we did that exercise I felt remarkably peaceful after I accepted the perspective that things are the way… Read more »
For Americans who take Veterans’ Day seriously, it’s a time to honor those who have served in the military—particularly those who have made “the ultimate sacrifice.” I suspect that for most us though, today is primarily an occasion for a three-day weekend. That’s generally been my perspective, in part because honoring vets is too often confused with endorsing US military… Read more »
I’ve known that I have a strong addiction to my laptop for a while now. Photo from: http://www.cfdlearn.ca/importance-internet-research-implementing-law/. When I was growing up, I lived in a low-tech house. We didn’t have cable or television (only VHS), and I didn’t get a cell phone until high school. I was sheltered from the constant company of electronics. However, when I moved to… Read more »
The opening of Jeremy Rifkin’s The Empathic Civilization stirs an existential question about free will and empathy. Rifkin state that “the empathic predisposition is embedded in our biology.” He continues to discuss the discovery of “empathy neurons” and how biologists argue that humans naturally seek empathic relationships with other animals. Furthermore, educators believe that empathic social interaction is necessary to… Read more »
The opening of Jeremy Rifkin’s The Empathic Civilization stirs an existential question about free will and empathy. Rifkin state that “the empathic predisposition is embedded in our biology.” He continues to discuss the discovery of “empathy neurons” and how biologists argue that humans naturally seek empathic relationships with other animals. Furthermore, educators believe that empathic social interaction is necessary to… Read more »
I fall into the same trap every time. I look at my phone. The dark screen calls to me with a sense of urgency. My muscles tense as I reach for the home button. I click the home button and then, with a flash, nothing. I have no messages and no notifications. For a moment, I am relieved. But… Read more »
After spending a week observing my own physiological response to my social media and internet usage I have noticed a distinctive autonomic response that seems to begin the mere second I even think about going online. On a certain level I expected the increased heart rate and tension when I was actively engaged online but to feel an increase in… Read more »
Our class recently watched the 2011 documentary Journey of the Universe (14 billion years condensed into 57 minutes! suffice it to say, there were copious metaphors–beets, balloons, fruit solar systems–employed to emphasize abstract concepts). Afterwards, Professor Litfin had us quickly go around the room to share a word or two that resonated in the film’s aftermath. What immediately comes to… Read more »