Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Stunning photos of a volcanic eruption

Wow, amazing. (The site is in Spanish -- press "Comenzar" to begin the slideshow.)

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

One Catholic's experience with secular psychology

A fascinating post by the Philosopher Mom. An excerpt:

I began to notice that we were hitting a wall. Every time I would regale her with a story of angry feelings, she would listen and say, "Good for you!" I would mention that I told my husband I felt angry: "Good for you!" Hidden anger was bad. Expressing my anger was good, she explained, because I would name it for what it was. It would no longer have the power to depress me or manifest itself in chronic pain. 
Then she counseled me: "You need to tell Todd (or person x, y, or zed) that you feel angry. Don't try to explain it or fix it. Just tell him and ask him to know your anger with you. Be transparent." 
"I don't want to always be angry," I said. "I hope to someday receive all these stresses of life with more grace. More graciously." 
She smiled and fretted, "Oh, dear." 
The message was: This anger is your self. Receive yourself. Express yourself. Do not allow anyone or any religion or any code to suggest that your experience of yourself is untrue or deficient. It is what it is. Be. Any attempt to transform yourself will mean more pain, more depression.

Read the rest here.

Thursday, July 7, 2011

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Important points about pride

Great post. An excerpt:

But isn’t there such a thing as healthy pride, you may ask? Such as in the face of an accomplishment or when one pays homage to their nation, ancestry or ethinicity?

In those cases, it’s not really pride (e.g. "I’m so proud of you, family member X..." or "We come from a long line of proud So-and-Sos...") at all. But since we must use language to express the combination of satisfaction, joy and gratitude for an earned success as well as the respect, reverence and humility experienced with 'honoring one's roots,' we tend to distill these concepts down to the current banal usage of the term 'pride.'

If you look closely, however, in those cases there is a recognition or an acknowledgment of being blessed that does not self-aggrandize but which gives credit where credit is due: to the One who gives us our talents, history, nation and family.

Lots of other great points here.

20 craziest job interview questions

Amusing.

via Geekpress

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

One woman's journey to healing through motherhood

A profound post (with some PG-13 content) by a woman who came to embrace her femininity in a whole new way after pregnancy and motherhood. An excerpt:

Having been sexually abused for seven years in my childhood, it was so profound to me that the very parts of my body that were associated with so much shame and pain had brought forth, and then sustained this precious child. The parts of my body were no longer designed for men's sexual pleasure. I began to finally and truly know that I wasn't a thing. In fact, I was created to give life! Not just physical life, but metaphorical life as well. I'm called to bring life to others, to bring hope, and to nurture the goodness already present in other people. I finally knew that I had dignity. Having been so utterly convinced of my pervading "badness" throughout my life, the discovery of my goodness profoundly moved me...As I reflected on pregnancy, childbirth, and breastfeeding, it seemed as though God was saying to me, "This society may act like you are an object. But that is not how I see you and that is not how I created you."

Read the rest here.