Character Development: The Heart of Any Story Worth Living. A friend of mine who's had a disproportionate number of struggles in her 45 years on earth, bristles whenever I try to comfort her by espousing the virtues of character development.
"Great, another f-#@! -ng personal growth experience," she says. While I completely empathize, I sometimes wonder whether we can ever really know how much character-building is too much. From Friedrich Nietzsche to Carl Jung, many philosophical and spiritual luminaries have subscribed to the belief that adversity cultivates character, challenging the forces of inertia so that we may face a fear , strengthen emotional muscle, eradicate self-defeating thoughts, or break an unhealthy relationship pattern. How to Find Your Purpose and Do What You Love. “Find something more important than you are,” philosopher Dan Dennett once said in discussing the secret of happiness, “and dedicate your life to it.”
But how, exactly, do we find that? Surely, it isn’t by luck. I myself am a firm believer in the power of curiosity and choice as the engine of fulfillment, but precisely how you arrive at your true calling is an intricate and highly individual dance of discovery. Still, there are certain factors — certain choices — that make it easier. The Most Powerful Word in Your Life. All words are not created equal. Some, like the words “peace” or “love,” can turn on genes that will reduce physical and emotional stress [a], while others can cause the release of stress-provoking neurochemicals in the brain. But there is one word that has the power to bring deep meaning, satisfaction, and fulfillment into your life, and if you meditate on it for just a few minutes each day, it can change the way you work and improve your relationship with others. The "War on Drugs" Marijuana cannabinoids slow brain degradation and aging, reverse dementia: here's how.
(NaturalNews) The human brain contains an extensive network of special receptor sites that modulate nervous system function only when activated by the appropriate cannabinoid compounds, many of which are found in abundance in the marijuana plant.
And emerging research continues to uncover the unique role these cannabinoids play in protecting brain function, which in turn helps deter the aging process and even reverse the damaging effects of Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia and cognitive abnormality. One of the latest discoveries concerning cannabinoids involves their ability to act as antioxidants in the brain. Researchers from Germany found that the brain's cannabinoid system is fully capable of not only cleansing damaged brain cells from the brain, but also triggering the production of new brain cells within the brain, a concept that contradicts years of conventional thinking about how the brain works. Sources for this article include: Creating Characters. Top 40 character design tips - Part 2: Human based characters. If you're looking for inspiration and advice for your own character creations then we have a little treat for you - yesterday we published 20 tips from some of the world's leading character designers in Top 40 character design tips - Part 1: Creature based characters.
Now it's time for Part 2. Enjoy. 21. 20 character design tips. Writing. Orwelian trends. Before police could plan for a terrorist attack, the real thing happened. The scenario had been carefully planned: A terrorist group prepared to hurt vast numbers of people around Boston would leave backpacks filled with explosives at Faneuil Hall, the Seaport District, and in other towns, spreading waves of panic and fear.
Psychology & Neurocience. Learning. Psychiatry. What if We're Wrong About the "Cause" of Mental Illness? This may be the month we put together enough evidence that childhood trauma may not be the "responsible" agent in causing serious mental disorders to at least make us reconsider our popular theories.
Of course there's been plenty of prior evidence, but fixed ideas, even wrong ones, are hard to change. On March 2, a story by Jeremy Laurence appeared, reporting that a common acne antibiotic was found, quite by accident, to alleviate symptoms in patients with schizophrenia . This was a shocking surprise for some, especially clinicians I imagine. The belief that curing mental illness happens by overcoming childhood trauma has been the anchor of psychotherapy since the last century, despite plenty of contrary evidence. The story linking antibiotics and relief from symptoms of schizophrenia is just another piece of empirical data, suggesting that we might be off base in the assumption that childhood trauma explains the etiology of serious mental illnesses.
Achievement. Awakened. Inventor claims solar energy discovery that is game-changer. WASHINGTON - Ronald Ace says that his flat-panel "Solar Traps," which could be used in electric power plants, will shatter decades-old scientific and technological barriers that have stymied efforts to make solar energy a cheap, clean and reliable alternative.
"This is a fundamental scientific and environmental discovery," Ace said. "This invention can meet about 92 percent of the world's energy needs. " The transformation also could blunt global warming. His claimed discoveries, which exist only on paper so far, would represent such a leap forward that they are sure to draw deep skepticism from solar energy experts.