About a year ago, I was leading a creative writing class and I gave the students this prompt: “If you could be a superhero with one power, what would that power be?” Instantly, snickers and giggles rippled around the table of six writers. We had 15 minutes to complete this task. Then I added: “And say why.”
The most important thing for me now is reminding people that they are good. We are all essentially good. That is why we admire people like Mother Teresa or Nelson Mandela so much. They are not powerful in the conventional way – they are not racy or macho – they are good.
Several years ago my husband and I decided we wanted to buy a home in a really nice part of Maui. The house we chose was all glass and wood and had a beautiful ocean view. We set our hearts on buying this house, but there was one problem.: We didn’t have enough money for a house of that magnitude. Consequently, we did what all young people do who want something they can’t afford—we called mom and dad.
We’re a culture of addicts, says Canadian physician Gabor Maté, whose controversial ideas just might heal us all.
I’m too judgmental. It is a bad habit (there I go again!), one I learned from my family, where criticism far outweighed compliments. I went to a liberal arts college to learn critical thinking; I was brought up and educated to tear apart anything and anyone―to be a mental pit bull. I vacillate between my basic good nature―cheerful, polite to waiters, kind to strangers―and an ingrown critic who is hard to silence.
Shiri Joshua, M.A., is a psychotherapist, “animal whisperer,” and director of the Shiri Joshua Centre for Human & Animal Healing in Vancouver, British Columbia. Each month she holds Group Animal Healing Circles with the aim of celebrating and exploring the human/animal kinship.
Like most great scientific breakthroughs, the discovery of the human mirror neuron system (MNS) was a complete accident. What may end up being the most important neuroscientific discovery of the twenty-first century was uncovered serendipitously because of an ice cream cone.
Let’s skip the judgment and step into love.
Katie called her husband, Keith, from the roadside. “Er . . . honey,” she started, “now, everything’s perfectly fine, but . . .” she hesitated, determined to be calm, “I’ve been in a teeny-tiny fender bender.”
“What?” Keith exploded, “Oh, my God! You aren’t injured, are you?”
“Keith, I told you, sweetie, I’m just fine!”
“No,” he countered. “I had a really bad feeling when you left the house this morning. I knew you weren’t feeling well. I shouldn’t have let you go!”
“Honey, please,” Katie pleaded,
“I told you I’m OK. I just need you to pick me up.”
Our local sangha wasn’t able to have our four-hour sitting yesterday because of a huge snowstorm, which knocked out power at the Unitarian church where we meet.
