November 2009
17/11/09 06:41
The Happiness HypothesisJonathan Haidt
Imagine an Elephant, ancient and powerful, being ridden and directed by a human rider. The rider, modern and sophisticated, thinks he knows where to lead the elephant but, for all his intellect and reason, if the elephant wants to go a certain way, there isn’t a thing the rider can do to stop it.
This is the first of ten concepts Jonathan Haidt introduces us to in this wonderful book which evaluates ancient wisdom about happiness in light of modern psychology. The rider and the elephant is us. Our brains are divided between an ancient, instinctive part which deals with primeval emotions of fear, survival, pleasure etc. and a modern, highly evolved part which focuses of reason, values and morality. Surprisingly although our rider thinks he knows what will make for lasting happiness, actually the elephant often wins out.
Through the book we discover the neurological, psychological basis for: why 50% of our happiness is down to the luck of the draw (our genes); why Buddha was right, but not as right as we might think, why cognitive therapy, meditation and prozac are all great ways to improve happiness, why we see the speck in our bothers eye but not the plank in our own, why working on your strengths not your weaknesses is the way to lasting virtue, and why the happiest people on earth (including the atheists) share ”faith” communities and a stong sense of “divinity”!
This book for me is the capstone of my personal and professional study to find a way through depression. It is scientific, rational and deeply meaningful. For me, most profoundly, it has encouraged me that the search for happiness, meaning and purpose comes from, not fixing what is wrong with ourselves and the world, but building on what is right. Surprisingly, despite being a “Jewish atheist” the science seems to show that that “right” is much closer to our faith than we might think!
12 Angry MenReginald Rose
The defence and the prosecution have rested and the jury is filing into the jury room to decide if a young Spanish-American is guilty or innocent of murdering his father. What begins as an open and shut case of murder soon becomes a mini-drama of each of the jurors' prejudices and preconceptions about the trial, the accused, and each other. Based on the play, all of the action takes place on the stage of the jury room.
A brilliant film with Henry Fonda slowly changing the minds of a jury, a wonderful look at the power of discussion and removal of prejudice.
FREE RUNNING
http://www.foucan.com/
Sebastien Foucan founder of
Parkour free running movement- author of Free Running Find Your
Way
Heavily influenced by Asian philosophy, Sébastien has immersed himself fully in his art in order to combat negative energy. Becoming aware of the failings of some art and disciplines without context, he chose to create his own path by developing the philosophy of connecting “body, spirit and environment” and called it “THE WAY” - his own method of learning based on autonomy, play and positive energy. Conveying his messages and philosophy has become Sébastien’s quest.
Sébastien Foucan has become a global ambassador of the Freerunning discipline.
The Meaning of the City by Jacques Ellul
Christian practice is often quite pastoral – borne out of life in the suburbs. Ellul looks at the role of the city throughout the Bible, and implicitly challenges this view, pointing out that human life may have begun in the Garden of Eden, but its end point is the heavenly city of Jerusalem.
The first city was built by Cain, who rebelled against God, and the city is so often the place where humans plan and scheme against God. But in God’s grace, it is also the place where he chooses to meet us and transform us.
It is not an easy read as Ellul takes us on from Cain and the curse, through the prophets, the hope for the future, the culmination in Jesus and the consummation in heaven.
This book played a big part in my choice to seek work, whenever I could, in urban situations, often amongst the disadvantaged, to see signs of hope and God’s work in often the darkest places, knowing that God calls us to be His partners in the city
“The Meaning of the City”, Jacques Ellul, William B Eerdmans Publishing Company, Second Printing, August 1971.
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