Hopeful Thinking

Go ahead. You know you want to. Just open your mouth and burst a nice long stream of curse words. Say all the ones especially that you were punished for saying as a kid. Those are the best ones of all. Sure, we can still follow the suggestions of polite society, but we know when and where we can get away with a little occasional potty mouth. Take advantage of it. Science has been showing for years now that using curse words makes a surprising impact on the body. It may seem like a stretch to believe, but choice words spoken under the right circumstances have the ability to improve stamina, strength, and even has pain-relieving properties. Swearing reduces inflammation in our bodies and lowers the production of stress hormones. So go for it. Be naughty. Be daring. Let it all hang out. It’s good for you. Why do you suppose that these reactions occur? No one knows for sure. Perhaps it’s a vestige of evolution, but what were the swear words of early humans? The benefit probabl...

To what end, pleasure? Is there vibration to joy? If we could see ecstasy how would we employ it? Pretend you had a button that, when pressed, made all the colors around you more vibrant. Dispense with the question of whether it is the environment changing or merely your perception of it. It doesn’t matter. How do you feel as the colors become deeper at your command? How do those two facts combine? Both the improvement in the landscape entangled with the power to command it. It would be a rush, yes? Would you hold down the button all day? What of your poor button finger? When does happiness become indulgence? Who defines moderation? ‘An it harme none, so mote it be,’ the old Wiccan Rede says. So long as no harm comes, do as you will. It sounds like permission to do anything you want just don’t hurt anybody or break anything. But that’s when it gets complicated. Should you be gay if it “hurts” your grandmother? Should you eat an entire box of Ding Dongs? Should you abuse the ...

Graffiti art of the Arabic word Masha'Allah, or 'God has willed it.' Today is the halfway point in the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. The fasts and feasts continue. The extra mindfulness required of one’s actions during these days is in agreement with these same purposes during Christian Advent and the Jewish Ten Days of Awe. We are invited, at specific times in the wheel of the year, to remember not only who we are, but whose. We are to make extra acts of charity and kindness. To be mindful of our footprints. During these introspective periods we are encouraged to ponder our beliefs and observe how they compel us to act in the world. We are to especially remember Gratitude and its proper place in the constellation of our busy lives. There is a word in the Islamic world—Masha’Allah—which means literally “God has willed it.” I have heard the story of the word taught in two very different ways. Both customarily require that it be said upon hearing or discovering...

The world is complicated. A global game of Twister with too many players. Spoiler alert: It’s an illusion. People complicate life for two reasons: to make money or to feel important. Which means it’s only one reason. For that’s what power really comes down to, a sense of importance, relevance, impact. Money can make people feel important. A solid family can do that, too. Which makes a happier human?     Since you can’t take it with you, of what importance is money anyway? Ironically, money has no value. It’s just a participant in the process of you getting something you want. In the end, however, money purchases only a state of mind. Be careful what you wish for. We know what we expect to be the result of possessing abundance in one form or another. We want an optimum state of mind. Happiness. Satisfaction. Contentment. That’s what literally everyone wants. But until they do, how will they know what it really is that will “make” them happy? Until one knows happi...