6 Life Tips from the Smartest Woman on the Internet

Last updated on: November 9, 2022 at 6:43 pm By Tom Rapsas

One of the smartest, most insightful writers I know is Maria Popova. For 16 years, she has been writing the thought-provoking and life-affirming blog now called The Marginalian, but for years known as Brain Pickings. Each week, she dissects the work and ideas of a range of creative thinkers, from Charles Darwin and Stephen Hawking to obscure illustrators of children’s books to literary figures like Whitman, Steinbeck and Sontag. Popova recently posted a column titled 16 Life-Learnings from 16 Years... Read more

Finding the Spiritual Path that’s Right for You

Last updated on: November 3, 2022 at 8:57 am By Tom Rapsas

In a recent column, I talked about the 4 stages of life that make up the Hindu varnasrama system. As a refresher, during the second stage, we pursue social, professional and financial growth. And while some people get stuck at stage 2, many of us move to a third stage where we begin to focus more on our spirituality and faith. A slightly different system comes from the philosopher Daisaku Ikeda and his book Unlocking the Mysteries of Birth & Death,... Read more

Reconnecting with the Light of God

Last updated on: October 28, 2022 at 11:10 am By Tom Rapsas

We are living in a world that is absolutely transparent and God is shining through all the time…but the problem is, we don’t see it. ~Thomas Merton In The Rebirthing of God, the theologian and spiritual teacher John Phillip Newell tells us how we might go about reconnecting with the Divine. Newell, who identifies as a Celtic and a Christian, believes that “God is the Light that flows through all things,” and “everything originates in the Light of God.” For... Read more

Which Path Will You Take in the 2nd Half of Life?

Last updated on: December 5, 2022 at 1:17 pm By Tom Rapsas

In From Strength to Strength, Finding Success, Happiness, and Deep Purpose in The Second Half of Life, Arthur C. Brooks discusses the Indian concept known as vanaprastha. It comes from the varnasrama system of Hinduism which splits up our lives into four distinct stages, each happening every 20-25 years—with vanaprastha being the all-important third stage. It works like this: After our youthful first stage, in our early-20s we move to a second stage that lasts until we are about 50 years... Read more

The Importance of Giving Life Your Full Attention

Last updated on: October 12, 2022 at 7:01 pm By Tom Rapsas

I was almost in a car accident the other day. In a hurry, I was making a right turn into traffic, not realizing that from the other side of the road another car was trying to turn into the same lane. The blare of the other driver’s car horn stopped me just short of impact—and when I caught my breath and realized what had just happened, I blamed myself. Maybe technically I had the right of way. But I had... Read more

5 New Rules for a Happy Life

Last updated on: October 6, 2022 at 2:09 pm By Tom Rapsas

What is the secret to a happy and successful life? It’s a question I’ve often pondered. Fortunately, over the years, I’ve come across the musings of several wise men and women, who have chosen to put their “rules of life” down on paper (or these days, a word doc) and many offer keen insights. The latest list I uncovered is courtesy of the author Russ Roberts, whose most recent book is Wild Problems: A Guide to the Decisions That Define... Read more

How to Cope with the Post-Summertime Blues

Last updated on: September 28, 2022 at 6:58 pm By Tom Rapsas

As a young adult growing up in the Northeast, I used to split the year into two halves. The first glorious half ran from mid-April to mid-October. It was a time of warmish to hot weather, abundant sunshine, swimming in the ocean, drinking cold beers on the beach. The less pleasant other half ran through Fall and Winter and was comprised of shorter, darker days, chilly to numbingly cold weather—and every so often, a case of the blues. I have... Read more

West vs. East: Did We Get Happiness Wrong?

Last updated on: September 24, 2022 at 5:57 am By Tom Rapsas

Start Chipping Away. That’s both a chapter heading and advice from Arthur C. Brooks recent book From Strength to Strength, Finding Success, Happiness and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life. “Chipping away” is of many compelling ideas forwarded by Brooks, a way to increase happiness as we grow older. Brooks explains that the way we view the world is often dictated by society or more specifically by the cultural norms we live in and may have unconsciously accepted.... Read more

The Feeling We’re Connected to Something Bigger

Last updated on: September 14, 2022 at 10:48 am By Tom Rapsas

All my life I’ve experienced a sense of wonder that has to do with something that’s out there but also touches a place within me. It feels as if I’m part of something bigger. Can you relate to this sentiment? The words above are from the American philosopher Jacob Needleman and strike at something that a lot of us in the SBNR (spiritual but not religious) community feel deep within us. It’s the seeming knowledge that something greater than us... Read more

Oprah & Coelho on Finding Your Personal Calling

Last updated on: September 9, 2022 at 5:15 am By Tom Rapsas

On the Oprah’s Super Soul Conversations podcast, there’s a conversation in the archives that features two of the leading spirituality figures of our time. The first is Oprah, the famous inspirational talk-show host, and the second is Paulo Coelho, author of The Alchemist, one of the biggest selling spirituality books of our time. Over the course of a fascinating hour-long discussion, Oprah asks Coelho about some of the spiritual principles found in The Alchemist and how to interpret them. The book’s primary... Read more