Saturday, October 4, 2025
Friday, October 3, 2025
Questions OCT 7
Audio review for Thursday's exam...
You have enough questions to think about this week. Today I'll just add:
"living on small sarcasms"
Is "living on small sarcasms" descriptive of the current generation of students? Or maybe of every generation? Is there a general fear of being perceived as too serious or solemn?
"Confronting what he considered reactionary arguments that shortening the college’s course would “lower the standard of its degree” and lead to “a general degradation of the higher education in America,” James argued the opposite case, that speeding up college was a way to combat the “listlessness, apathy, dawdling, sauntering, the smoking of cigarettes and living on small sarcasms, the ‘Harvard indifference,’ in short, of which outsiders have so frequently complained.” James thought this apathetic attitude was “the direct fruit of keeping these men too long from contact with the world of affairs.”"
"William James: In the Maelstrom of American Modernism" by Robert D. Richardson: https://a.co/77ZUk1p
Family guy
Hope they'll say about me what Linda said about her dad Neal…
"It's not only older generations whose memories are valuable. If you have siblings, their memories of growing up can enrich your own. If your kids are grown, asking them what they remember about their childhood can give you a new perspective on them and on your own experiences as a parent. Shared memories deepen connections.
The Harvard Study, in a way, is a massive experiment in this kind of family inquiry. When we open up an individual file and get that nostalgic feeling of looking through a family photo album, we do it in the spirit of investigation. But you don't need grant funding and the support of an academic institution to mine the treasures that are there in your own family. It takes only curiosity and time. You might find some surprises, good and bad, that enrich your understanding of your family.
Neal McCarthy's kids took advantage of his memory in this way, and had several conversations with their father about his early life. He didn't tell them everything—not as much, it seems, as he told the Harvard Study—but he told them enough for them to know that he'd had both some great times and some incredibly hard times.
In the end, the most important thing was something they saw firsthand: when he formed a family of his own, he didn't run from challenges, he didn't perpetuate the things that made his childhood hard, and he gave his family the gift of his steady presence. Even if he made mistakes, he didn't turn away from them. He was there. When asked what advice she would give to the future generation, his daughter Linda gave an answer inspired by her father, telling the Study, "I'd just say never forget what this life is truly about. It's not about how much money you make. That's what I learned from my dad. It's about the person he was to me, to my child, my sisters and my brother, his seven grandchildren. If I can be half that I'll be all right.""
— The Good Life: Lessons from the World's Longest Scientific Study of Happiness by Robert J. Waldinger, Marc Schulz Ph.D
Open Your Eyes
"We are the lucky ones…" —Richard Dawkins https://youtu.be/58HlO3eQQpc?si=6jir0ULgm3UFZ3Ly
“We need to fight isolation”
"…I read Anne Frank's diary when I was in high school in Minnesota and I still remember being stunned by 'In spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart.'
But then I have to google it to get what followed it: "I see the world gradually being turned into a wilderness, I hear the ever approaching thunder, which will destroy us too, I can feel the sufferings of millions and yet, if I look up into the heavens, I think that it will all come right, that this cruelty too will end, and that peace and tranquility will return again."
It still moves me, that a 15-year-old girl locked with her family in an attic in Amsterdam could write such a thing.
Here in America we're locked in our own attics of social media, isolation, working from home, driving the freeways. "People are good at heart" is the basis of civil democracy; it's what allows us to speak decently to those who disagree with us. And we feel this goodness when we walk down the street or go to a ball game or a Taylor Swift concert. We need to fight isolation with festivals, parades, public events, door-to-door campaigning..." Garrison Keillor
https://open.substack.com/pub/garrisonkeillor/p/what-endures-is-decency-believe-me?r=35ogp&utm_medium=ios&utm_campaign=post
- What did Madeleine L'Engle say it is to be alive? Do you agree? Can you illustrate with personal examples?
- What % of households lately have no married inhabitants? And why do you think that is? 166
- What is "ballroom culture," and what is its name for a "social sanctuary" for those who've been rejected by their families of origin? Why do we have so many dysfunctional and non-supportive families in this country? Again, sharing personal examples can be therapeutic and insightful. 202
- What are some powerful ways to connect with our immediate families? Have you had any firsthand experience with any? 220
"living on small sarcasms"
Is "living on small sarcasms" descriptive of the current generation of students? Or maybe of every generation? Is there a general fear of being perceived as too serious or solemn?
"Confronting what he considered reactionary arguments that shortening the college’s course would “lower the standard of its degree” and lead to “a general degradation of the higher education in America,” James argued the opposite case, that speeding up college was a way to combat the “listlessness, apathy, dawdling, sauntering, the smoking of cigarettes and living on small sarcasms, the ‘Harvard indifference,’ in short, of which outsiders have so frequently complained.” James thought this apathetic attitude was “the direct fruit of keeping these men too long from contact with the world of affairs.”"
"William James: In the Maelstrom of American Modernism" by Robert D. Richardson: https://a.co/77ZUk1p
Family guy
Hope they'll say about me what Linda said about her dad Neal…
"It's not only older generations whose memories are valuable. If you have siblings, their memories of growing up can enrich your own. If your kids are grown, asking them what they remember about their childhood can give you a new perspective on them and on your own experiences as a parent. Shared memories deepen connections.
The Harvard Study, in a way, is a massive experiment in this kind of family inquiry. When we open up an individual file and get that nostalgic feeling of looking through a family photo album, we do it in the spirit of investigation. But you don't need grant funding and the support of an academic institution to mine the treasures that are there in your own family. It takes only curiosity and time. You might find some surprises, good and bad, that enrich your understanding of your family.
Neal McCarthy's kids took advantage of his memory in this way, and had several conversations with their father about his early life. He didn't tell them everything—not as much, it seems, as he told the Harvard Study—but he told them enough for them to know that he'd had both some great times and some incredibly hard times.
In the end, the most important thing was something they saw firsthand: when he formed a family of his own, he didn't run from challenges, he didn't perpetuate the things that made his childhood hard, and he gave his family the gift of his steady presence. Even if he made mistakes, he didn't turn away from them. He was there. When asked what advice she would give to the future generation, his daughter Linda gave an answer inspired by her father, telling the Study, "I'd just say never forget what this life is truly about. It's not about how much money you make. That's what I learned from my dad. It's about the person he was to me, to my child, my sisters and my brother, his seven grandchildren. If I can be half that I'll be all right.""
— The Good Life: Lessons from the World's Longest Scientific Study of Happiness by Robert J. Waldinger, Marc Schulz Ph.D
Open Your Eyes
"We are the lucky ones…" —Richard Dawkins https://youtu.be/58HlO3eQQpc?si=6jir0ULgm3UFZ3Ly
“We need to fight isolation”
"…I read Anne Frank's diary when I was in high school in Minnesota and I still remember being stunned by 'In spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart.'
But then I have to google it to get what followed it: "I see the world gradually being turned into a wilderness, I hear the ever approaching thunder, which will destroy us too, I can feel the sufferings of millions and yet, if I look up into the heavens, I think that it will all come right, that this cruelty too will end, and that peace and tranquility will return again."
It still moves me, that a 15-year-old girl locked with her family in an attic in Amsterdam could write such a thing.
Here in America we're locked in our own attics of social media, isolation, working from home, driving the freeways. "People are good at heart" is the basis of civil democracy; it's what allows us to speak decently to those who disagree with us. And we feel this goodness when we walk down the street or go to a ball game or a Taylor Swift concert. We need to fight isolation with festivals, parades, public events, door-to-door campaigning..." Garrison Keillor
https://open.substack.com/pub/garrisonkeillor/p/what-endures-is-decency-believe-me?r=35ogp&utm_medium=ios&utm_campaign=post
Jane on hope
And by the way, Basil, she lived vibrantly and hopefully into her 90s. I'm so glad she didn't choose the Experience Machine at 75. I know she was too."…Hope isn't just wishful thinking," she said, telling us to imagine a long, dark tunnel with a little star at the end representing hope.
"There's no good sitting at the mouth of the tunnel and wishing that that hope would come to us," she said. "We've got to roll up our sleeves. The Bible says, gird your loins. I love that. I'm not quite sure what it means, but let's gird our loins. And we've got to climb over, crawl under, work around all the obstacles that lie between us and the star."
How Video Games Are Shaping a Generation of Boys, for Better and Worse
In the last decade and a half, boys and young men ages 15 to 24 more than doubled their average time spent gaming, to about 10 hours a week, according to a major survey.
Some teachers say gaming has disrupted focus in classrooms. Some economists have linked it to the decline in young men's work hours. Many readers told us it was a chief reason for the recent struggles of boys and young men, when we started our series on the subject in May.
Yet video games also serve an important role in young people's lives. They've become a central way that young people socialize and provide them — especially boys — with a sense of belonging…
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/03/upshot/video-games-boys-young-men.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare
You never know
“the true joy in life”-not to be a “selfish little clod”
"This is the true joy in life, being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one. Being a force of nature instead of a feverish, selfish little clod of ailments and grievances, complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy. I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community and as long as I live, it is my privilege to do for it what I can. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work, the more I live. I rejoice in life for its own sake. Life is no brief candle to me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for the moment and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations." —George Bernard Shaw, Man and Superman
Goldblum's recitation- https://www.threads.com/@michaelwarburton1/post/DPTgI_cCkp7?xmt=AQF0fmNHweMquQ-gNYZQiljqfWrcnhrKXTTCiFwHcj5bow&slof=1
Thursday, October 2, 2025
Jane Goodall: A Life in Pictures
She did not lack "moral ambition"... She was a meliorist.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/01/science/jane-goodall-photos.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/01/science/jane-goodall-photos.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare
Ikigai
Another word for "moral ambition"… do what you love, what you're good at, and what the world needs.
https://www.threads.com/@focusedmind.co/post/DPRSrAvkf5m?xmt=AQF0Cv0XFWP6ajFbzExijjxsF-LvlIJTz-3mqK5Mc-hGUw&slof=1
https://www.threads.com/@focusedmind.co/post/DPRSrAvkf5m?xmt=AQF0Cv0XFWP6ajFbzExijjxsF-LvlIJTz-3mqK5Mc-hGUw&slof=1
real connection
Loneliness isn't about being alone—it's about disconnection.
Studies show chronic loneliness can be as harmful as smoking 15 cigarettes a day.
The truth is that you don't need more people around you—you need real connection.
Here are 3 ways to shift out of loneliness and into genuine connection.
#mindsetshift #loneliness #mentalhealth
https://www.threads.com/@the_gratitude_mind/post/DPSHZFhjOzT?xmt=AQF0vsUxig7PJtATUtaB_mfhhZ4GRRKLCriiWiaWmaJvjQ&slof=1
Studies show chronic loneliness can be as harmful as smoking 15 cigarettes a day.
The truth is that you don't need more people around you—you need real connection.
Here are 3 ways to shift out of loneliness and into genuine connection.
#mindsetshift #loneliness #mentalhealth
https://www.threads.com/@the_gratitude_mind/post/DPSHZFhjOzT?xmt=AQF0vsUxig7PJtATUtaB_mfhhZ4GRRKLCriiWiaWmaJvjQ&slof=1
Wednesday, October 1, 2025
Why Are More Young People Getting Cancer?
Happy people stay fit, eat right, & avoid alcohol
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/01/well/cancer-young-people.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare
Audio review for Exam 1 (OCT 9), & how to prepare for an exam
Don't stress, don't pull an all-nighter, do listen to the audio review (but NOTE: our exam is on OCT 9), revisit the relevant texts, get some fresh air, get some rest. And relax: "If you want really to do your best in an examination, fling away the book the day before, say to yourself, “I won’t waste another minute on this miserable thing, and I don’t care an iota whether I succeed or not.” Say this sincerely, and feel it; and go out and play, or go to bed and sleep, and I am sure the results next day will encourage you to use the method permanently." William James, “Gospel of Relaxation"
Happy leaders are not hateful
It's the birthday of President Jimmy Carter, who'd be 101 today.
He said he wanted to end what he called "the imperial presidency." He walked down Pennsylvania Avenue for his inauguration, often wore informal clothes at official appearances, and sold the presidential yacht. Jimmy Carter said, "A strong nation, like a strong person, can afford to be gentle, firm, thoughtful, and restrained. It can afford to extend a helping hand to others. It is a weak nation, like a weak person, that must behave with bluster and boasting and rashness and other signs of insecurity." WA
What a contrast with the present POTUS… and with Machiavelli.
"[Charlie Kirk] did not hate his opponents. He wanted the best for them. That's where I disagreed with Charlie. I hate my opponent and I don't want the best for them." DJT
Time to go?
On a recent episode of The Happiness Lab, I interviewed Dan Buettner (the researcher behind the Blue Zones) about how much our environments matter for happiness.
Dan shared findings showing that when people move from a lower-happiness country to a higher-happiness one, their well-being often rises to match their new neighbors within just a year. It's a powerful reminder that our surroundings — from walkability to community support — can shape our well-being.
https://www.threads.com/@lauriesantosofficial/post/DPOuf5AEVRX?xmt=AQF02LFcKS8koaQTpQmfOg745hW6Y_s1jJv3CT2IGTfnTA&slof=1
Dan shared findings showing that when people move from a lower-happiness country to a higher-happiness one, their well-being often rises to match their new neighbors within just a year. It's a powerful reminder that our surroundings — from walkability to community support — can shape our well-being.
https://www.threads.com/@lauriesantosofficial/post/DPOuf5AEVRX?xmt=AQF02LFcKS8koaQTpQmfOg745hW6Y_s1jJv3CT2IGTfnTA&slof=1
hedonic treadmill
Have you ever noticed how the things you thought would make you happy…only feel good for a little while?
There's a reason for that—it's called the hedonic treadmill. And most of us are stuck on it.
How do we break free from this endless loop?
By shifting focus. True happiness doesn't come from the next thing on your wishlist—it comes from appreciating what you already have, building meaningful connections, and finding joy in the process, not the outcome.
#MindsetShift #Gratitude #Happiness
https://www.threads.com/@the_gratitude_mind/post/DPOvPgMDpmh?xmt=AQF09LUlGyZTQU4JzMOoQQgYs8TSVTMaRCYbvL488KZK3A&slof=1
There's a reason for that—it's called the hedonic treadmill. And most of us are stuck on it.
How do we break free from this endless loop?
By shifting focus. True happiness doesn't come from the next thing on your wishlist—it comes from appreciating what you already have, building meaningful connections, and finding joy in the process, not the outcome.
#MindsetShift #Gratitude #Happiness
https://www.threads.com/@the_gratitude_mind/post/DPOvPgMDpmh?xmt=AQF09LUlGyZTQU4JzMOoQQgYs8TSVTMaRCYbvL488KZK3A&slof=1
agree to attend
Over 100 years ago, William James wrote: "My experience is what I agree to attend to."
Today, neuroscience proves him right—your reality is built by what you notice.
Gratitude is how you train attention to create a better life.
#mindsetshift #Gratitude #Psychology
https://www.threads.com/@the_gratitude_mind/post/DPOdDJBkUGK?xmt=AQF03HSP1hG4U2t-gdmfrOvJy9G0RJBO3jubOdt7-3B0Fg&slof=1
Today, neuroscience proves him right—your reality is built by what you notice.
Gratitude is how you train attention to create a better life.
#mindsetshift #Gratitude #Psychology
https://www.threads.com/@the_gratitude_mind/post/DPOdDJBkUGK?xmt=AQF03HSP1hG4U2t-gdmfrOvJy9G0RJBO3jubOdt7-3B0Fg&slof=1
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Let's introduce ourselves, fellow Happiness scholars/pursuers. I'm Dr. Oliver, I've been teaching this course in alternate years...
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E3 1. How was Aristotle both correct and incorrect about how the seasons changed? Pg. 27 2. What did the Epicureans regard as the most ...
