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Religion & Spirituality > Self-Awareness & Realization Being self-assertive and autonomous: 1 of 14
1. What is autonomy?Autonomy: Immunity from arbitrary exercise of authority; personal independence. Personal autonomy, then, is the condition in which I, not another, govern myself. Is this autonomy based upon the edict of a government? Is it conferred upon me by the society in which I live? No. Since I am the only "agent" wh... More..
Jobs & Careers > Stress & Time Management Get your life back: On being more effective with the time you put in at work: 2 of 12
I live in Florida. As it turns out a significant portion of my State is what's known as "reclaimed land." That means, apparently, that some kind of water, either sea, lake or swamp, at some time, came and took our land. Just stole it, right out from under us. Well, we weren't having any of that. So we went in with our heavy m... More..
Religion & Spirituality > Thoughts on God Godliness and goodliness: 1 of 5
Do We Need God in Order to be Good? (Part 2)According to statistics I have seen, taking one particular measure (divorce rate), those who profess a born again experience are just as likely to get divorced as those who do not. (Some studies show that divorce rates decrease as church attendance rates increase. This can easily be... More..
Religion & Spirituality > Spiritual Life Overcoming obstacles in personal struggles: 16 of 40
First, I'll give you the same message you hear whenever you call any doctor's office these days: If this is a medical emergency, please hang up and dial 911. Next, a disclaimer: I'm not a doctor or any other type of healthcare professional. I don't know squat about medicine, except what the medical community wants me to know.... More..
Society & Lifestyle > Personal Morals & Values Introducing the concept of quantum growth instead of quick fix schemes: 2 of 4
Everyone is trying to sell you the fastest way to personal development. Whether the goal is to lose 20 pounds, get a body as shredded as an anatomy illustration, or become successful in your business, they tell you it can be done "in only 2 weeks!" Or that all it'll take is "just 15 minutes a day!" Qualities that realisticall... More..
Arts & Humanities > Meaning of Life The quest for truth and the meaning of life: 21 of 38
Although we can't know this for certain, it seems likely that we are alone in the animal kingdom in this respect: We search for meaning. We want to know why. Perhaps my fish, as they swim up and down their tank, are thinking, "Why am I stuck here in this godforsaken place?" Unlikely, but possible I suppose. More probably it i... More..
Parenting & Pregnancy > Adolescence Raising children to adulthood: Preparing for the rapids of the teen years: 10 of 13
I read a little book a while ago, so long ago that I don't remember anything about it except one analogy. The author compared raising children through adolescence to putting them into a river right at the start of some rapids (in a canoe or some other small personal watercraftI told you I don't remember much about it), and wa... More..
Religion & Spirituality > Religious Speculations & Criticisms Spirituality and religiosity: 26 of 30
It has been my experience, and probably yours as well, that human beings come with a built-in need for some deeper meaning in their lives beyond the everyday processes of sleeping, eating, working, et cetera. We generally find that material things are somewhat limited in their ability to meet this need. They can and do provid... More..
Personal Finance > Budgets & Saving Basic family budget tips: 26 of 28
Who doesn't care about saving money? People who don't have any. For the rest of us, it pays to do a bit of spring cleaning on our spending habits every once in a while. One of the most pernicious myths about saving money is the idea that cutting small expenditures won't make much of a difference. These little outflows add up ... More..
Parenting & Pregnancy > Teen Challenges Does a lack of parenting result in bad choices for teens?: 18 of 19
The MySpace QuandaryIs MySpace the ultimate pedophile heaven that some claim it to be? Or is it a safe place for kids to interact with each other as long as they refuse to allow any communication with people they don't already know? There are whole books written about the evils of MySpace, and both MySpace and its parent comp... More..