Refine the Mind

Kick, push, kick, push, coast. Kick, push, kick, push, coast. I reach the crest of a hill on my longboard and pause. The wind is a gentle hand at my back, an encouraging friend. The sun gleams in the sky, imbuing my spring-green surroundings with a delicate sparkle. I breathe deeply through my nose and smile. [...]

Think back with me for a moment. Remember when you were child, playing outdoors? Remember how you would run, jump, and gallivant around without a care in the world? You might have to strain your memory to think back to those days, but most of us spent a good deal of time outside as youngsters. [...]

We want everyone to like us, but we shouldn’t. As social creatures, we are concerned, often to a fault, with whether or not we are enjoyed, appreciated, and respected by those around us. We pander to the whims of others, hoping to please everyone (or at least find few enemies). We try to behave affably, [...]

A few weeks ago, my sixteen year-old cousin asked her Confirmation advisor whether people who don’t believe in Catholicism go to Heaven. “No,” he replied. “They go to Hell.” My cousin was deeply troubled. She went home and told my aunt, “I don’t know if I can believe in a God who would send friends [...]

Meditation is like a radiant, technicolor, winged steed soaring gloriously through the cosmos. Basically, it’s awesome-miraculous. Although my opening metaphor may be a bit grandiose, I used it to emphasize the most important point in this article: Meditation is a practice of extraordinary value that is literally accessible to everyone on the planet. Most people don’t [...]

Since the day you were born, you’ve been conditioned to think in certain ways. It might seem like you’ve been free to choose your own attitudes and ideas, but for most people, this isn’t really the case. You see, in any society, there is a status quo — a current standard of the most popular [...]

If you don’t use Reddit, you should. Reddit.com is a magical place — a place to laugh, to gaze, to learn, to share, and to converse. For those who are unaware, Reddit is a social news and entertainment website where users (known as Redditors) submit content in the form of a link or text. Other [...]

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