Articles written by Brian Donohue

What is Helium

About me - Brian Donohue

Brian Donohue is the editor and principal writer of the Daily rEvolution weblog (dailyrevolution.net), which has been writing about fundamentalism and corporatism in politics since 2004. He is a counselor and professional consultant who works with private

+ more bio information

RSS Feed

Religion & Spirituality > Atheism & Agnosticism Fear of belief: 4 of 26
Growth is not upward movement, but outward. Escape is not the way of freedom; return is. Change is not the way of nature; transformation is. Conformity is not the path to peace; independence is.Priests teach obedience, and call it love; tyrants demand slavery, and call it loyalty. Pedants will program the code of death into y... More..
Creative Writing > Humor Humor: Mourning: 4 of 19
My old man arranged his own funeral, and planned everything so that his five grown kids would be in stitches, sitting there in the funeral home in front of his open coffin. He was really merciless with his practical jokes, and this one was the capper of them all.The old guy did an amazing job on us. He wore a football Giants ... More..
Politics, News & Issues > US News Reflections: Virginia Tech school shooting: 29 of 106
(written the day after the tragedy at Va. Tech)When I was a graduate student in clinical psychology, one of the more frequently recurring questions among the students, which you might hear in any class, was: "what makes a man snap?"The question was understood to contain a thousand other and more urgent questions, such as: "ho... More..
Personal Finance > Financial Planning Do I have to follow a financial planner's advice?: 3 of 10
In the way of Nature, there are no masters, only guides. The term "guru" is an advertising slogan, meant to generate profit and promote dependency. There is no natural reason to slavishly follow any expert's advice, whether you are seeking spiritual enlightenment or material prosperity.Thus, a financial planner is a guide. Yo... More..
Health & Fitness > Sleep Disorders Symptoms and treatment of common sleep disorders: 4 of 13
Some 50 million Americans suffer from a sleep disorder of one kind or another; it's a major health problem that is frequently associated with other, more serious illnesses, ranging from depression to obesity to a variety of physical disorders. The following are some of most common sleep disorders. Initial insomnia, or simply ... More..
Religion & Spirituality > Setting Life Goals Spiritual and personal goals to strive for: 23 of 63
Don't be a believer; be hard to pin down. Shun predictability; avoid certainty; retreat from the glare of fame-whether it shines toward you or from an alluring box (a television or a photograph in a tabloid magazine).The sun has an entire galaxy to illuminate; you need only enough light to direct your life on earth. Therefore... More..
Religion & Spirituality > Setting Life Goals Being happy in your life: 41 of 83
Nature calls us outward, yet we press grimly forward along the line that someone carved on the face of Reality.True growth is not confined to the grid: it proceeds along dimensions that haven't yet been discovered. But the grid, as perhaps you have observed, is just the door of a cage; the facade of a gilt prison.Godthe quant... More..
Religion & Spirituality > Spiritual Insights Enlightenment explained: 13 of 26
Thought is not unipolar-that is, it doesn't flow fully formed from a single point in the body or an isolated bundle of nerve cells in the cranium. Thought is not the lonely function of one organ, but works more along the lines of a relationship-a marriage, if you will.Look within yourself, and feel: there is an active, workin... More..
Sciences > Psychology How to overcome fear: 18 of 26
Killing Fear Before it Kills You (from Drinking From the Darkness: Living Completely in a Time of Estrangement)Fear kills. There is no sugar-coating to be applied to this reality: fear kills. In Chapter 2, we saw how the fear that fuels the Cult of Hard Work invades bodily cells and gives rise to a vast spectrum of cardiovasc... More..
Relationships & Family > Break-Ups & Exes Picking up the pieces after a relationship failure: 10 of 14
(a selection from my book, The Tao of Hogwarts: Transformative Themes from the World of Harry Potter)It is well known that about half of all marriages in this country end in divorce, so to recount one's own divorce story is to assure oneself of a substantial audience with whom the pain and bitterness of this experience can re... More..