I cannot think of a more enlivening and pleasurable experience than self-transcendence and no greater pain than self-absorption. Self-transcendence is perhaps the greatest need of a human being. We transcend the self by connecting to something greater than ourselves. A life of self-absorption; focusing on my success, my happiness, my …
Am I Alive?
I am most fully alive when I am most fully me. I cannot think of a more important psychological principle than this. The more I am living in harmony with my unique feelings, needs, perceptions, and creativity, the more alive I feel. As Henry Thoreau put it, “Most people live …
Am I Alive–part 2
To feel alive, we must know what we want and need. As simple as it sounds, there is a multitude of people for whom this is not simple at all; those who live with constant confusion and uncertainty about who they are, what they want, desire, and need. Recently, I …
Are You Free?
Most of us believe we are free. We live in a free country and generally feel free. But are we truly free? Consider this rabbinic saying from the times of the Talmud: “The only person who is truly free is the one who is seriously involved in the study of …
How High is Your EQ?
I have long believed that a person’s ability to thrive rather than merely survive is dependent upon one’s ability to process one’s feelings. The only thing that can make life unbearable is unbearable feelings. A person with a high EQ (Emotional Intelligence) is able to tolerate uncomfortable and painful feelings, …
Am I Alive?
I am most fully alive when I am most fully me. I cannot think of a more important psychological principle than this. The more I am living in harmony with my unique feelings, needs, perceptions, and creativity, the more alive I feel. As Henry Thoreau put it, “Most people live …
The Human Endeavor
Everyone wants to live a rich and deeply satisfying life. The means to this end is to acquire as much good for oneself as possible. Life is the ultimate supermarket sweepstakes. But instead of food, money, appliances, etc., the commodity we need to fill our carts with is goodness. To live …
“Above all to thine own self be true”
When I was a freshman in college, I knew with certainty that I wanted to major in pre-med. It felt so clear and right. After all, what else was I going to do with my life, being a Jewish guy from a middle-class home whose father was a dentist? Things …
It’s Great to be Alive…but
For thousands of years, Jews have a tradition of waking each morning with a prayer on their lips that essentially says, it’s great to be alive. One of the deepest pleasures in life is the realization that one is alive. Have you felt it recently? To be a conscious, thinking, …
Are You Free?
Most of us believe we are free. We live in a free country and generally feel free. But are we truly free? Consider this rabbinic saying from the times of the Talmud: “The only person who is truly free is the one who is seriously involved in the study of …