Do we really believe that deception, dishonesty, manipulation and lack of accountability lead to peace, happiness and meaning in life?
If we look honestly at the media that much of the world consumes, we shouldn’t be surprised that we’re living in a time of crisis. One of the goals of education is to develop the capacity for critical thinking in young people. This doesn’t mean we condemn anyone else, but it does mean we learn…
It’s time for government officials to focus on helping old and vulnerable people re-integrate into mainstream society
No doubt many Canadians remember drinking from school water fountains long before students carried water bottles. When the school day began, some elementary students would rush to get a drink while the other children queued in an orderly fashion. Learning about queuing culture was a major lesson for students in elementary school. There were, of…
Thinking differently about leisure time can help you get a family getaway despite the pandemic, say experts
How do we keep COVID-19 from ruining our precious vacation time, with international borders closed to travellers, festivals cancelled, parks, camping and cottage visits limited, and even small events like garage sales forbidden? There are ways to salvage summer plans – but it means thinking differently about our leisure time, say University of Alberta experts.…
How have we been so easily persuaded to abandon our livelihoods and embrace isolation with barely a question?
No one enjoys a holding pattern. Not when planes circle and wait to land and not today, while we wait for a virus to pass. Yet this is exactly the place most of us have found ourselves over the past six weeks. We’re restlessly awaiting the moment when health and political authorities loosen restrictions and…
Don’t let your concerns about COVID-19 create blind spots and unnaturally tighten your focus
Plenty of uncertainty is tugging on our thoughts these days. We’re distracted by social media rants, relentless death counts, conspiracy theories and challenging financial situations. During these days of sheltering in place, what’s compelling your focus? What’s increasing? The reality is there are some real threats related to COVID-19 to be concerned about. These threats…
Don’t let physical distancing make loneliness worse. Here are three tips to reduce isolation and increase connection
The message is simple: Work from home, don’t meet in person – or if you must get together, keep your social distance! But as we increase our efforts to fend off the spread of COVID-19, we need to watch that we aren’t worsening another threat to public health: loneliness. The ‘loneliness epidemic’ has seen rates…
Sometimes technology allows us deal with our challenges and sometimes we need to ask for help from our neighbour
I often tell my students that there are more ways to be smart than how we’ve traditionally measured intelligence in the classroom. If you’re good at reading, writing and mathematics, you generally have little difficulty effectively navigating our education system. The problem is that many of us struggle in these areas. But that doesn’t mean…
Your brain has a funny way of making dreams come true. Be careful what you wish for
I frequently ask my clients: What would happen if you got hit by a bus? I mean it hypothetically. I want to know if they have plans for their business, how they would take care of their family, what would be the result if they couldn’t work for a while? Often when I ask this,…
We live in a world of failed and successful social experiments. Repeating patterns tend to reveal deeper truths
The great German writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe said, “By seeking and blundering we learn.” How true this is. If we take the time to understand our mistakes, life is rich on so many levels. No individual is immune to error. When we examine why things didn’t work out as we hoped, can find new…
But before we find compassion for others, we need firm personal boundaries and strong self-respect
Compassionate people are happy people, and compassionate people understand that everyone is simply doing their best. They acknowledge there are those who do rotten things to each other, but we have no idea of the internal torment these individuals struggle with. This isn’t to say that we shouldn’t have rules in our society or that…