What’s the Secret of the Happiest People in the World?

April 12, 2023 By Tom Rapsas

In the Apple TV show The Reluctant Traveler, host Eugene Levy explores the people, places, and cultures of several unique locations around the world. In the first episode, he “reluctantly” travels to northern Finland, home to “the happiest people in the world.” Levy, often comically, tries his hand at ice fishing, reindeer feeding, and husky sledding. He experiences the beauty of the aurora borealis (aka the northern lights). It’s all in an attempt to uncover what the Fins define as... Read more

The Dude Abides: 5 Life Lessons from Jeff Bridges

April 6, 2023 By Tom Rapsas

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We just passed the 25th anniversary of the release of one of my all-time favorite movies, The Big Lebowski. The lead character is a guy named Jeffrey “The Dude” Lebowski and is played by the actor Jeff Bridges. It’s a crazy story of mistaken identity and the mayhem that ensues once The Dude tries to clear his name—and get his precious soiled rug replaced. While Bridges has acted in dozens of roles over his storied career and won a Best Actor Academy... Read more

The Amazing Benefits of Alone Time

March 30, 2023 By Tom Rapsas

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How busy is your life? Do you ever find the time to stop and smell the roses, or at least your morning cup of coffee? Or is your life a constant whir of activity, moving from one work responsibility or life chore or social interaction to the next? Whether you work from home or in a bustling restaurant, live alone or with a large extended family, we all need to find moments of solitude. These are periods where we unplug... Read more

How A.A. Changed the Way We See God

March 23, 2023 By Tom Rapsas

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On a chilly winter night in 1933, Bill Wilson hit rock bottom. A New York City-based traveling businessman, Wilson had gone on a drinking binge. For the fourth time, he was committed to a hospital on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. He was treated with a concoction of drugs. Only this time was different. Wilson had what he termed “a white light experience.” In his words: “I found myself crying out, “If there is a God, let Him show Himself. I... Read more

Is Your Head Full of Noise? Or “Inner Music”?

March 15, 2023 By Tom Rapsas

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We seem so frightened today of being alone that we never let it happen. We choke the space with continuous music, chatter, and companionship to which we do not even listen. It is simply there to fill the vacuum. When the noise stops there is no inner music to take its place. ~Anne Morrow Lindbergh I can recall an acquaintance once remarking that each of us is troubled by something and it’s often the dominant thought in our head. It could... Read more

Brother Lawrence and the Constant Presence of God

March 9, 2023 By Tom Rapsas

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Have you ever had the feeling you were in the presence of a Higher Power? You might have sensed it while staring at a beautiful natural vista, or during a lengthy meditation session, or perhaps after an endorphin-releasing run. But for most of us, while this feeling seems real, it’s also fleeting. Here one moment, gone the next. Meet a person for whom God was a constant presence: Brother Lawrence. Born in 1611 as Nicolas Herman, Brother Lawrence was a... Read more

The Thinking Person’s Guide to Meditation

March 2, 2023 By Tom Rapsas

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Are you the type of person who has trouble meditating because they can’t turn off their chattering brain? Well, I’ve got a meditation for you. It dates back over 2,000 years and it comes from the Stoic school of philosophy. And unlike most meditation practices, it actually involves thinking. The Stoics are an interesting bunch. Prominent before Jesus walked the earth, the Stoics followed a philosophy that centered on personal virtue. They believed the key to flourishing as a human... Read more

Jesus, The Lost Years: Ages 12 to 29

February 23, 2023 By Tom Rapsas

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Why are there no stories about teenage or young adult Jesus in the Bible? If you look at the four gospels in the New Testament, you’ll notice there’s a big leap when it comes to telling the life story of Jesus. We learn about baby Jesus in the manger. Then, in Luke there’s a story about Jesus visiting a temple at age 12. The next thing you know Jesus is a 30-year-old man. So, what happened during the intervening years?... Read more

You just found a wallet with $200 in it. Now what?

February 15, 2023 By Tom Rapsas

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Suppose you found a wallet lying on the street. You pick it up and inside you find $200 in cash, along with a few credit cards and a driver’s license. You look around and there’s absolutely no one around. The street is deserted without a soul in sight. What would you do next? That’s the situation Russ Roberts put in front of about 100 students at an elite private high school. To my (and his) surprise, the vast majority said... Read more

Can Tao Cure Our Aches, Pain, and Depression?

February 9, 2023 By Tom Rapsas

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Can the right state of mind cure your physical ailments? Can it take away the pain in your back, the ache in your hips or eliminate migraines? Can it help resolve emotional issues, like heartbreak and depression? According to Dr. and Master Zhi Gang Sha, yes. The author, known as Master Sha, has written several New York Times bestsellers on traditional Chinese methods of healing. Over the past decade, he has added a new method to these treatments: Tao calligraphy. In... Read more