Truth and the tribal bubble
"Sometimes people don't want to hear the truth because they don't want their illusions destroyed." --Friedrich Nietzsche. There is a story that when Christopher Columbus arrived on the shores of Latin America the local people were unable to see the sailing ships...
Shifting from the blame game
Sam went into early retirement some years ago and is battling financially in making ends meet with his small pension. I've known Sam for several years and decided some time ago to shift him from friends to a distant associate. Who is abusing you as an emotional...
How do you start your day?
How you start your day determines how you end your day. A typical start of the day for many people in the modern digital age is stumbling out of bed, grabbing the i-Phone to check for important emails with the news channels blaring negativity in the background. Are...
Building resilience during times of crisis
I've just been on my first trip since the lockdown that was imposed in Spain March 14th, walking through an almost empty airport terminal in Palma that would normally be bustling with people during the main summer vacation season. Different pandemic responses While in...
Walking through the pain
But nothing is solid and permanent. Our lives are raised on the shakiest foundations. You don't need to read history books to know that. You only have to know the history of your own life.” ― Ron Rash One of the misconceptions of the booming self-development industry...
Be kind to yourself
A key measurement of your stress-coping strategy or resilience level during times of crisis is how kind you are to yourself. It is an ancient wisdom that is often confused with narcissism and vanity. In our performance-driven society success is mostly defined in...
Why I despise racism
Born as a white person, I never questioned why blacks did not attend the same good schools that I attended, why blacks were refused entry to restaurants, had a different entrance at the post office, were arrested for breaking a night curfew in white areas or could not sit on the same benches as white people in the parks.
Have we lost the ability to communicate?
The current wave of protests against lockdown regulations is indicative of how deeply divided our societies have become. There is a dangerous groundswell of anger easily manipulated by professional deceivers and political demagogues. With a presidential election...
Can you forgive yourself and others?
Forgiving does not mean that you are approving of wrongdoing, of abuse, and all the terrible things that humans do to each other. It is making peace with the past in the knowledge that you are the person today because of all of that which you have experienced
The trap of the tribal bubble
Tumultuous change is accompanied by fear and anxiousness. It is fertile ground for the professional deceivers and populist leaders touting easy solutions to complex problems as we are currently seeing in the Covid-19 pandemic.
Dealing with fear and anger
The only certainty in life is that change is a constant - Heraclitus- Anger is a close ally of fear. With many countries going into their second month of Covid-19 lockdown the strain is beginning to show with spontaneous angry protests in several bigger cities over...
Survival strategies in times of duress
Many people at the moment are feeling their safety blanket pulled away from them with a jolt. Within days lives have been turned upside down. The mental stress triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic is causing illnesses not spoken about much in the public arena. When you...
You are not alone
'No Man is an Island' No man is an island entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main; - John Donne - We realize when alone that we are not an island. During these times of crisis separation has become the watchword. It mirrors how far...
Tales from a pilgrims’ hostel
This guy is not letting the old man in.
Lessons from the Camino: Winding down
Many a pilgrim doing a walk for the first time on the Camino in northwestern Spain underestimates the physical and emotional challenges. Most hikers start on the French Route, or Camino Frances, from Saint Jean Pied Le Port, the small French town straddling the...
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