okay, so let’s see what we can make of all the information and opinions we’ve gathered in the last few days about the subject of “making” someone feel something. in the first part, we concluded that it’s not possible to make anyone feel anything, as evidenced by the fact that when a teacher says something… Continue reading “you made me do it” – part 4: understanding it all
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“you made me do it” – part 3
i was going to give you my opinion on how to reconcile the two opposing ideas presented in my two previous blog entries – but you’ll have to wait one more day. something just drifted into my mailbox that relates to the topic of “you made me do it”. and it’s funny. ghalil, author of… Continue reading “you made me do it” – part 3
“you made me do it” – part 2
more on making people feel things … (continuation from yesterday’s blog) right now, i am reading the tipping point by malcolm gladwell. it turns out that what he talks about is very a propos to our discussion here. in his book, gladwell discusses three different types of people who can make a huge difference in… Continue reading “you made me do it” – part 2
“you made me do it”
“. . . is it safe to say that we can “make” a person feel a certain way? Are we not in control of our own emotions . . ? If I gave you constructive criticism and you cried as a result, that wasn’t me “making” you cry, that was YOUR reaction. 2 people, 1… Continue reading “you made me do it”
open hearts
jeff’s comments on my last post about gratitude about open hearts reminded me of something very beautiful that alice walker, one of my favourite authors (the temple of my familiar is one of my all-time favourite books), once said in an interview with sharon salzberg for shambala sun, a buddhist magazine: “You know, what are… Continue reading open hearts
gratitude, awareness and patience
gratitude is a funny thing. i used to find it incredibly hard to be grateful for things that people expected me to be grateful for. i would just be resentful. that doesn’t really happen anymore; i suspect it’s mostly because i have weeded from my life most of the people who want to “make” me… Continue reading gratitude, awareness and patience
understanding internet users
(the following entry is a retreat of something i posted back in january. when i transferred my blog over from blogger, for some reason none of the material from january made it over here. so i’ll post some of the posts anew.) a while ago i skulked around the internet again, using wordtracker to find… Continue reading understanding internet users
understanding email chain letters
the other day i received an email from a friend. it started with the ominous “please read and pass on”. immediately my antennae went up; in my experience, 95% of such emails turn out to be hoaxes. the friend of mine who passed the email on to me is an ex teacher, has an excellent… Continue reading understanding email chain letters
driving meditation
back in the 90s, i spent a few years teaching a weekly meditation class at our local YWCA. it was at 5:00 pm, so i had to drive through thick traffic right into the hub of downtown. one day i felt i had not meditated enough myself to present a good meditation class, but there… Continue reading driving meditation
alcohol, prometheus and freedom
is it the sugar, or the buzz that comes after a few glasses, or the hit of the booze right at the first swallow, or is it the taste, the burn in the throat? or the smell, the neat line-up of bottles at the liquor store? the memory of great parties, the memory of all… Continue reading alcohol, prometheus and freedom