Category: ethics

• July 7, 2011

  From GDP to happiness

  Great new essays and projects on happiness as a better measure of economic well-being than GDP. Among many others, see Carol Graham, “The Pursuit of Happiness,” Brookings Institute; Umair Haque, “Is a Well-Lived Life Worth Anything,” Harvard Business Review Blog Sustainable Seattle Happiness Initiative.
• July 6, 2011

  On hovering parents & tea-cup children

  Best overview I’ve read on helicopter parents. Period. Truly a must-read for all parents raising their children to “be happy” and to avoid disappointment. The paradox? We’re getting tea-cup children and young adults. Article should be read alongside Franzen’s Freedom. Also alongside the literature on “emerging adulthood.”  The chief problems with the essay? 1. No…
• July 5, 2011

  A successful life is a plentiful life

  my phone a rose ‘no service’ — To say that a life is “successful” is to say, minimally, that: You have access to abundant good food. “Abundant”: just enough, not too much. “Good”: locally grown, ethically raised, sufficiently satisfying. Your work nourishes your soul. “Work”: the manifestation of self through activity. “Nourishes”: makes lighter, raises up,…
• July 2, 2011

  Into the tea room…

  The following excerpt is from Okakura’s The Book of Tea (1908). Okakura’s little book describes the emergence of the tea ceremony in the sixteenth century as well as the importance of tea to the “divinization” of small things within Japanese culture. Only listen: The simplicity of the tea-room and its freedom from vulgarity make it truly…
• July 1, 2011

  Faces of busyness & patience

  Update: Wanna be less busy? There’s still time! No “Skype Walk-in” this Saturday, but there are still openings for the upcoming “Skype Workshop.” Would another day work for “Skype Walk-in”? Let me know! — 1. The man in Midtown values the objects of sense above those of contemplation. He checks his BlackBerry, his watch; touches his pant leg;…