|
If someone asked you today what you wanted more than anything else in life, what would you say to them?
In this section ISHV will not only explore the good life, but more importantly how to obtain and maintain it. Throughout history there have been all sorts of notions as to how we can achieve the two prime goals in human existence (and the answer most often given to the question above) - happiness and inner peace.
Can we find this inner Shangri-La through Jesus, Allah, Yahweh, Scientology, Hedonism, Asceticism, Atheism, No-ism?
- What are the basic structures of joy?
- Which path shall we take?
- How can we guide our children?
These we believe are the most important questions humankind can attempt to answer. Equally important is how we can become better role models and teachers for our children in their quest for a better life.
Two major areas will be the foundation for this section:
The cerebral area will largely come from the rational and scientific base of the Cognitive Behavioral approaches to mental health and well-being. The grandfather of these approaches was Dr. Albert Ellis, a pioneer who broke from the shackles of psychoanalysis and Freud to create the third major movement in psychology. He called his reason/scientific-based approach Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy or Theory (REBT).
The experiential area will largely come from studies on mindfulness and from Zen. In a brief but very incomplete sense, Zen is a finger pointing at the human mind and reality. It is the reality of every moment “as it is” -- from the micro to the macro, from the tiniest subatomic particle to galaxies circulating the universe. This helps us put our problems and plights into a proper perspective. It also humbles us and helps us to see that ultimately the only authority anyone or anything has (including religion and science) is because of the power we give them. Combining these two wisdom-based approaches to epistemology may help us attain a sense of more freedom -- freedom that would allow us to pause and to choose our actions better.
When we “react” to others from a set of fixed beliefs, perhaps mired in a world of delusion and illusion and acting more like automatons, we compromise our freedom to make more honorable choices. With less control over the choices we make, our actions may originate from the less civilized human traits of ill will, greed, anger, hostility and intolerance. We may regard others who don’t hold our views or beliefs as our adversaries, and immoral behavior based in anger may follow.
When the actions we initiate come from a center of goodwill, empathy and compassion toward others, it would put us in a better position to create a morality that can be taught from generation to generation.
Our overall goal is freedom, freeing the mind of the habits that create suffering and disturbance. We welcome your interest and involvement in ISHV. If you would like to make a comment, complaint, suggestion, or if you would like to present an article for possible consideration to Rational Living, please contact Vincent E. Parr, Ph.D., Clinical Psychologist, at 5633 Oakland Dr., Tampa FL 33617 or email: [email protected].
|
Rational Living
