Sunrise, Myrtle Beach

https://www.threads.com/@myrtlebeachgrandstrandlife/post/DPYtTQ3APCv?xmt=AQF045CGxD0PQRExKbe4Fz1lyt7zEJs3tbtj7kriyVT_OQ&slof=1

Questions OCT 7

Audio review for Thursday's exam...

You have enough questions to think about this week. Today I'll just add: 

1. What did Madeleine L'Engle say it is to be alive? Do you agree? Can you illustrate with personal examples?
2. What % of households lately have no married inhabitants? And why do you think that is? 166
3. 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
4. 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

"…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."

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.

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

We always expect to see our friends again… until we don't. Our best friends understand that. They never take us for granted.

“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

A happy peddler

5 things
https://www.threads.com/@johnoverity/post/DPWKuH2jUnB?xmt=AQF0ABFvQ926ckycMPt9Zc4j87T6it6tePA0_QqdWct8jQ&slof=1

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

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

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

Why Are More Young People Getting Cancer?

Happy people stay fit, eat right, & avoid alcohol

"…the evidence linking obesity, alcohol use and poor diet to early-onset cancer is quite strong, Dr. Cao said. These are population-level trends that reflect our collective environment and exposures…"

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

 

A happy place I just visited this morning

York, Maine ...

https://www.threads.com/@ericstormphoto/post/DPQ6nCKAN4x?xmt=AQF0BXuMACfRAKVrhOWQGygg9RWmpX3F4ZUEgkXffod7XA&slof=1

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

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

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

MTSU hosts a visiting philosophy professor to talk about grief – MTSU Sidelines

"Basil Lozano, a philosophy major, met with Craig when she visited his class earlier in the week. Craig's philosophy of staying impacted Lozano the most, he said."

https://mtsusidelines.com/2025/09/28/mtsu-hosts-a-visiting-philosophy-professor-to-talk-about-grief/

Questions OCT 2

1. In light of Emerson's epigram, how stingy should you be with your "gifts"?
2. How often do you pay attention to "small" physical experiences like the wind in your hair or the sun on your face (or the ice cream in your oatmeal)?
3. Does the idea of constantly (or frequently) thinking about your life in terms of a time budget of unknown quantity appeal to you? 118
4. When you look back on your life, what do you imagine you'll wish you'd done less/more of?
5. What does it mean to you to (as Edith says) put things into perspective?
6. COMMENT?: “How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives. What we do with this hour, and that one, is what we are doing. A schedule defends from chaos and whim. It is a net for catching days. It is a scaffolding on which a worker can stand and labor with both hands at sections of time. A schedule is a mock-up of reason and order—willed, faked, and so brought into being; it is a peace and a haven set into the wreck of time; it is a lifeboat on which you find yourself, decades later, still living.”― Annie Dillard, The Writing Life
7. Do you agree that "time and attention are the essential materials of happiness"? 120 Do you think you manage your attention well? If not, how will you improve?
8. Does Leo's & Grace's 80s life together sound appealing to you? 125
9. Do you regulate your online behavior in the ways suggested on 130-131?
10. Can you relate to what Rachel says about her parents? 136
11. Can "focused attention" slow down your perception of the pace of time's passing? 139
12. What does Leonard Cohen's song lyric mean? 140
13. "What is your philosophy for getting over rough spots?"
14. How do you answer any/all of the questions on 142-143?
15. Do you agree with *Proverbs, Epictetus, and the Buddha? 148
16. Do you try to "fill in the blanks" like Bob? 153
17. Do you ever reflect on your response to a challenge by questioning yourself in the way suggested on 157-8?

“A happy heart is good medicine and a cheerful mind works healing, but a broken spirit dries up the bones. Proverbs 17:22”

Russell's secret
"The secret of happiness is this: let your interests be as wide as possible, and let your reactions to the things and persons that interest you be as far as possible friendly rather than hostile." Conquest of Happiness

--

“You wouldn’t worry so much about what others think of you if you realized how seldom they do.”

― Eleanor Roosevelt

More Eleanor...

Afterlife
What's the point?
https://www.instagram.com/p/CxxuA2uuIHV/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igshid=ZGUzMzM3NWJiOQ==

arthurcbrooks

There's a reason America's founding fathers did not guarantee the promise of happiness, but rather the pursuit of it.

How to pursue happiness, you might ask? Not by valuing happiness highly—that is too vague, and overvaluing happiness as a goal can even lead away from well-being, just as saying, “I want more money” not only won’t make you richer but will make you feel more acutely that you don’t have enough. Instead, the right approach is to make noticeable progress in the habits that add up to making you happier.

Maybe in Your Lifetime, People Will Live on the Moon and Then Mars

Will they be happy to be there?

"We're at a pivotal moment, and in some ways it feels like a dream sequence," said Niki Werkheiser, NASA's director of technology maturation [and native of Franklin, TN]. "In other ways, it feels like it was inevitable that we would get here." nyt

--

Wallace Stevens, peripatetic poet

He was one of WJ's students too.

It's the birthday of Wallace Stevens (books by this author), born in Reading, Pennsylvania (1879). He wanted to be a journalist, but after a couple years of writing for a New York paper, he decided that he would fulfill his father's desires and go to law school. After graduating, he took a job with the Hartford Accident and Indemnity Company, where he was in charge of inspecting surety claims. He would remain at the job for the rest of his life.

Each day, he walked the two miles between his office and upper-middle class home, where he lived with his wife and daughter, and during these walks to and from work, he composed poetry. He said, "It gives a man character as a poet to have this daily contact with a job." He would only let people walk with him if they didn't talk. He never ate lunch, except for once a week "to break up the monotony" — and on that day, he would always go to a place near his Hartford, Connecticut, office.

He claimed that "poetry and surety claims aren't as unlikely a combination as they may seem. There's nothing perfunctory about them for each case is different."

His first collection of poems, Harmonium, was published when he was 43 years old. Though the volume received only lukewarm praise at first, it later became considered a modernist classic. In 1955, just months before he died, he received both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award for his volume Collected Poems.

In his book Opus Posthumous, Stevens writes, "After one has abandoned a belief in god, poetry is that essence which takes its place as life's redemption." And he wrote, "The whole race is a poet that writes down / The eccentric propositions of its fate.

https://www.writersalmanac.org/index.html%3Fp=10759.html

--Resting bliss face...
Blue Zones...

How happiness varies by age

What's my age again? The best years of your life might not be when you think they are. A new study came to a surprising finding: life gets more satisfying as we age. Researchers looked at hundreds of data samples from studies involving a total of 460,902 participants. They found that life satisfaction decreases between the ages of 9 and 16, but then gradually increases until the age of 70. From there, it dips – likely because of issues with health and social life – but picks back up again after age 96. In addition to life satisfaction, the researchers also looked at positive and negative emotional states. "Overall, the study indicated a positive trend over a wide period of life, if we look at life satisfaction and negative emotional states," co-author Susanne Bücker said in a press release. As other researchers have pointed out: there's a good chance that the best years of your life are still awaiting you...https://news.hiddenbrain.org/p/how-happiness-varies-by-age?r=35ogp&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

Adeline Lennon presentation

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/17TU0D_4fbS9S_084OJFgLubFC3b2Isu8VkbNsK67cbE/edit?usp=sharing

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Adeline Lennon <aml2cf@mtmail.mtsu.edu>
Date: Mon, Sep 29, 2025 at 7:54 PM
Subject: Presentation Link
To: Phil Oliver <Phil.Oliver@mtsu.edu>

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/17TU0D_4fbS9S_084OJFgLubFC3b2Isu8VkbNsK67cbE/edit?usp=sharing

Can College Students Stand to Ditch Their Phones for an Hour or So?

Nearly every student clutches a phone in one hand as they traverse the University of Central Florida campus, even while walking in groups. Laptops and tablets are lunchtime companions, and earbuds and headphones are routine accessories. While waiting for class to start, many students sit in silence, drawn into their devices…

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/29/well/mind/phone-screen-social-media-college-club-reconnect.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

9 life lessons from down under

Irreverent, funny, wise, and probably better than the commencement address you'll hear in the Murphy Center. (At my daughter's graduation in '21 the commencement speaker, then the Basic and Applied Sciences Dean) advised: "Eat more fiber.")

https://www.threads.com/@fitandhealthylifestyleee/post/DPJR5JSDwGw?xmt=AQF0mETNmQKPU-3W_fwJBK_k4aVUCPY0n_A3EXBHdvijrg&slof=1

A.I. in School: What It Can and Can’t Do

Do you agree with this college student?:

To the Editor:

Re "Parents, Your Job Has Changed in the A.I. Era," by Jenny Anderson and Rebecca Winthrop (Opinion guest essay, Sept. 12):

Originality is rare, and creativity is scarce, particularly in academic settings. Where has all the ingenuity gone these days? It is certainly no longer at the forefront of some students' minds. Our ability to think critically and independently and form well-reasoned opinions is in jeopardy, and the main culprit behind this is artificial intelligence.

Without adequate regulation and oversight from our education system, A.I. will be the downfall of many students, if it hasn't been already. As a college student, I understand and share similar concerns as parents regarding the use of A.I.

Critical thinking was already on the decline before the emergence of A.I. tools, but their arrival has accelerated this existing trend. A.I. is a helpful grammar tool at best, but it should be used sparingly.

Overreliance on this technology for decision-making will reduce trust and confidence in one's judgment, potentially limiting younger students' capacity to think creatively, critically and independently.

—Alexa Rose Pocillo, U of Maine

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/28/opinion/ai-school.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

Zest

"One of my friends has a remarkable power to make the people around him happy. There's one personality characteristic of his that I find especially winning: his enthusiasm. He is excited about his work and fascinated by mine. He speaks ebulliently about his family but also about the economy and politics. He has, as the 19th-century philosopher William James put it, "zest [for] the common objects of life."

What the science says

Some people are just naturally more zestful and enthusiastic than others, of course. Indeed, this is related to personality, a large part of which is genetic. In 1949, the psychologist Donald Fiske expanded on that work when he identified five major personality factors. Later research further refined the features of these traits and named them openness, conscientiousness, extroversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism.

Two traits out of these Big Five seem to be especially important for happiness: In 2018, psychologists writing in the Journal of Personality confirmed that high extroversion and low neuroticism seemed to be the recipe for well-being. More specifically, the correlations hinged on one aspect of extroversion and one aspect of neuroticism—enthusiasm and withdrawal, respectively.

Zesty and non-zest, you might say…"

Arthur Brooks

https://www.arthurbrooks.com/

Why is Finland so happy?

https://youtu.be/t3GqY2i58hw?si=PUi-4Y2w90rQ0I-I

An unhappy New Yorker in Finland-
My Miserable Week in the ‘Happiest Country on Earth’
For eight years running, Finland has topped the World Happiness Report — but what exactly does it measure?

“Coming to Helsinki in February is an objectively weird choice,” said a man named Mikko Tirronen. “During this time, we don’t have …” he paused. “… colors.”

I was sitting in a coffee shop with Tirronen, a web developer and writer, after flying to Helsinki to think about happiness. For eight years running, Finland has been rated the happiest country in the world by a peculiar United Nations-backed project called the World Happiness Report, started in 2012. Soon after Finland shot to the top of the list, its government set up a “happiness tourism” initiative, which now offers itineraries highlighting the cultural elements that ostensibly contribute to its status: foraging, fresh air, trees, lakes, sustainably produced meals and, perhaps above all else, saunas... Molly Young, continues

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/11/podcasts/the-daily/finland-happinest-country.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

Finland winning the debate on climate change-

An interview with the PM of Finland

In recent years, Finland has done something unusual: It has managed to cut down on carbon emissions while growing its economy. Of course, it helps that the Finnish public is wildly supportive of government action on climate. Still, Finland is notable for having one of the most aggressive climate targets in the world, with a commitment to being carbon neutral by 2035. The country has made major investments in wind energy, nuclear power, hydropower and biofuels, which account for nearly all of Finland’s electricity. But going green is not easy in every sector. Finland is still reliant on oil beause of the slow uptake of clean alternatives for shipping fuel. When we spoke in July, Prime Minister Petteri Orpo described a nation being transformed by rising temperatures. The Arctic, including Finland, is warming nearly four times as fast as the global average, he said. Arable land is moving north as remote regions thaw. Summers are hotter. (Before Orpo arrived for our interview, a spokeswoman for Finland’s U.N. mission told me that people in her hometown had begun putting bedsheets in the freezer.) Despite these challenges, Orpo wants to show that radical action is possible... (continues)

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/09/19/magazine/petteri-orpo-finland-climate-interview.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

The extra-ordinary 95%

"The miracle is not to walk on water. The miracle is to walk on the green earth."

https://www.threads.com/@the_gratitude_mind/post/DPHj0cTjH9i?xmt=AQF0-uv1RZgsSNEca6YAGy01Dp8EgvHU8GVwHlGZp8Oxkw&slof=1

Questions SEP 30

Coming soon (Busy weekend: Lyceum, wedding... So go ahead and suggest your own questions in the comments space below).

UPDATE, late Monday: Still waiting for your questions...

==

1. Can you tell us the life issues that have faced you before age 50 (or 25) that may not seem so important when you are older? How will you try to master these issues?
2. Do you know anyone whose childhood resembled Wes's (violently abusive & philandering alcoholic dad who abandoned the family)? 55 How'd they cope? Did they also have difficulty making plans and envisioning a positive future?
3. How much unhappiness do you imagine is due to the feeling of being alone, of suffering unique adversity not shared by others? How much to the false perception of being "an unchanging rock" etc.? 56
4. Do you regularly reflect on (and appreciate) what you have? Does that help clarify what you want from life? 57
5. Have you looked at a photo of yourself at a much earlier age? "What were you thinking about back then" etc.? "What do you regret?"  --Okay, me first this time.*
6. What (st)age of life are you presently occupying (whether in Shakespeare's terminology or your own)? Do you look forward to the coming stages? 59  
7.  Have you begun to establish a sense of generativity and concern for the next generation(s)? Must it await "midlife"? 60, 75
8. Are you (will you be, when the time comes) ready to become a parent? 61  Or are you an anti-natalist?
9. How much should you try to be like somebody you respect? 63
10. Have you learned Mark Twain's lesson about your parents yet? 64
11. Do you know anyone who joined the military as a way out of adolescence or into friendships? 66 Did it work? 66
12. How long do you think it should take to figure out who you are? Or to make a solid commitment to another person? 70
13. Do you see the beauty in the possibilities, the time, and the choices ahead of you? Or are you just stressed about them? 68
14. Have you pursued different activities just to see if they interest you? Have you found friends and a community that way? 70
15. Do you know any NiNi's, NEETs, or hihikimoris? 71 Or InCels? Should we be concerned about so many young people "failing to launch" up into their 30s?
16. Is any specific time of life the "prime of life"? 74  Do the questions in the last paragraph of this page remind you (as they do me) of that Talking Heads song...? 
17. How will you avoid having the regrets enumerated on p.76?
18. Do you think much about the future (yours on humanity's)? 78  Do you agree with WJ about our  "really vital question: what is this world going to become, what is life going to make of itself?"
19. Shouldn't we all cultivate a sense of limited time at every age? 80
20. Do you welcome chaos and its demand for improvisation in your life? 83
21. On that 1-7 scale, how would you rate your relationship with your parents and siblings? 
22. How often do you feel lonely?84  How often do you experience a pleasant solitude? Was Blaise Pascal right (“All of humanity's problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone.”)? Are you surprised at the toll loneliness takes on mortality? 93
23. Why do so many men in our society have "a hard time expressing [their] feelings"? 86
24. Do you "make a conscious effort to move"? 88  Does "social fitness" require the same kind of intent?
25. Is it wrong to "use optimism to push away" fear? 91
26. If we've evolved to be social and in need of love, connection, and belonging, might social media paradoxically produce a counter-evolutionary push towards social isolation? 94
27. How do you feel about the prospect of spending decades of your life interacting with media? 96
28. COMMENT on the "powerful yet simple message" about interpersonal contact. 97
29. How many of your significant relationships would you describe as energizing and depleting, respectively? Why do you persist in the latter? 100
30. Do you know anyone who makes you feel the way teenage Sterling made his sister feel? 103
31. How do you answer any of the questions on 104-107?
32. Is Behavioral Science a reputable field? 108 (see yesterday's NYT story...)
33. Is the Dalai Lama right about wise selfishness and generosity? 110
34. Are you curious about others' experience? 113

*

 

Proud big brother, thinking I was happy not to be an "only child" anymore...

 

L: Probably looking for my next hit of baby formula... Bewildered, trying not to displease the adults...

 

About to be an ex-bachelor... happy but also (still) bewildered...

==

Alternate questions (forgot I'd already posted some... so these are bonus):

1. Wes had a hard time with what? 55 Do you?
2. What do people find startling about photos of themselves at a younger age? Do you? Pull out an old pic and answer some of the questions on 58.
3. What stage of life do you think you are in? 59 What was Shakespeare saying about old(er) age?
4. Have you answered the "central" question on p. 63 to your own satisfaction, at least tentatively? Care to share?
5. Is youth wasted on the young? Are young people over-stressed and under-appreciative of their possibilities? 68
6. What are the NiNi's and hikiko-mori? 71 Do they have an analogue in US culture?
7. What's your perception/expectation of "the middle years"? What's the most important task of midlife?  74-5 (But why wait?)
8. What's a "very basic truth about aging"? 78 What do we have to learn to balance? 80
9. What are your answers to the questions on 84?
10. Do you prioritize your physical and social fitness? 88 How?
11. Have you encountered or experienced the loneliness epidemic? 93 How do you think it can best be addressed? How often do you think you need to see your friends, to alleviate loneliness? 96
12. Do you have energizing and depleting relationships? 100 In what ratio?
13. What's your answer to any of the questions on pp.104-7?
14. Are you "genuinely interested in other people"? 115  Why or why not?

Dr. Megan Craig, Stony Brook University, at MTSU’s Applied Philosophy Ly...

Full lecture: https://jcbmtsu.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=f4a600a0-37e1-405f-a5e8-b35a012181b6&start=660

Joined in progress (from closer range): https://youtube.com/watch?v=ZhTSYE66Jg0&feature=shared

Stay human

Excellent Lyceum address from Megan Craig, on staying human(e) and present in the face of mortality. #mtsu #AppliedPhilosophyLyceum

https://bsky.app/profile/wjsociety.bsky.social/post/3lzsqwmzue22v

“negative visualization”

Ever taken something that you love for granted?

Our minds are constantly adapting to the wonderful things in our lives until they eventually feel, well, just… normal.

But taking a moment to imagine losing what you love in life— a practice known as *negative visualization* in Stoic philosophy— can help keep your joy from fading.

Lori Santos
https://www.threads.com/@lauriesantosofficial/post/DPBq7iGgPum?xmt=AQF0m2RwqoISeOfOqzc6GdTDUxCpZAovIIb_t41wqYmfcg&slof=1