On my last post I discussed how having healthy habits will see us through to success during times when our motivation is at a low point. This time I will be discussing some healthy habits that we can form to help up succeed in the different aspects of our life.

Perhaps one of the most popular books ever written about habits is Stephen Covey’s “Seven Habits of Highly Effective People”. There he elaborates on the 7 habits that he says effective people. According to Covey the 7 habits are:

1. Be proactive
2. Begin with the end in mind
3. Put first things first
4. Think Win/Win – teamwork
5. Seek first to understand – communication
6. Synergize – cooperation
7. Sharpening the saw – renewal or continued development of the 7 habits

As you see the first three deals with self-mastery (he calls it dependence to independence), which is something we all should strive for first. Without the first three it would be hard to follow through on all our tasks, which will of course affect our relations with other people as well as our jobs. Another thing you would notice is that Covey approaches the habits not with a list of tasks but with our mindset. I believe that we should develop specific tasks as our habit but he is very correct in putting emphasis on making sure that we have specific mindsets as a habit, after all our actions are determined by our thoughts. So to be able to develop habits like going to work on time or speaking more positively we need to develop the habit of choosing to be proactive, thinking of our end goals, knowing hoe to prioritize, and all the other things that Covey says we should develop.

Anger is one of the seven deadly sins. Anger is also a fact of life, something viewed by most as negative and some as inescapable. The good news though is that more and more people are realizing that anger is something that can actually be overcome. It is inescapable as a spontaneous emotion but not inescapable as a lasting one.

Robert Thurman, a leading author in Buddhism and Eastern Philosophy, delves deeper into the issue of anger approaching it using ancient Buddhism wisdom. The book “Anger” explains how anger, if guided by wisdom, can actually not just be tempered but actually wielded to bring positive results such as the easing of human suffering. This is actually something that the great Aristotle will agree with, after all he believes that anger is not necessarily evil but actually necessary for fighting evil. In fact Aristotle teaches that anger can be a virtue if one is angered by those that are wicked and so strive to not become like the wicked and even fight their evil deeds.

In every day life though what I believe we should start learning is simply letting go of toxic anger so as to be able to leave in peace. As Buddha and Marcus Aurelius teaches us, holding on to anger can hurt us more than its cause can.

Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned. ~ Buddha

How much more grievous are the consequences of anger than the causes of it. ~ Marcus Aurelius

There are no strangers to loneliness, after all we have all experienced how to be lonely at some point in our lives. Thomas Dumm recognizes this fact and delves on what it really means lonely in his book “Loneliness as a Way of Life”.

According to the Harvard University Press, Dumm “takes us beyond social circumstances and into the deeper forces that shape our very existence as modern individuals. The modern individual, Dumm suggests, is fundamentally a lonely self. This book challenges us, not to overcome our loneliness, but to learn how to re-inhabit it in a better way.”

This takes me back to one of my favorite poet’s work – Letters to a Young Poet (Letter Number Six). There Rainer Maria Rilke tells us to embrace solitude and why. Here’s a snippet from letter # 6:

But when you notice that it [solitude] is vast, you should be happy; for what (you should ask yourself) would a solitude be that was not vast; there is only one solitude and it is vast, heavy, difficult to bear…be attentive to what is arising within you…What is happening in your most innermost self is worthy of your entire love; somehow you must find a way to work at it…

And letter #8:

So you mustn’t be frightened, dear Mr. Kappus, if a sadness rises in front of you, larger than any you have ever seen; if an anxiety, like light and cloud-shadows, moves over your hands and over everything you do. You must realize that something is happening to you, that life has not forgotten you, that it holds you in its hand and will not let you fall.

Now if ever there was an expert in loneliness I would say that would be Rainer Maria Rilke.

Looking for just one book about Western Philosophy? If you are, I recommend that you check out Steven Cahn’s “Classics of Western Philosophy”. Whether you go to the library to borrow an old copy or get your hand on the latest (7th) edition you can will be hard-pressed to find an anthology that is more readable as well as affordable. In fact this book is becoming the text to use so much so that as Dr Vern Lindquist, an active reviewer/commenter in Amazon, said, “Classics” is itself becoming a classic.

Of course this not a book to read in one sitting with such a very broad range of philosophers and their representative ideas. The latest edition “presents complete texts or substantial selections from fifty-six philosophical masterpieces, in pre-eminent and thoughtfully annotated translations and editions.” According to the Amazon description the additions to the 7th edition include “selections from Plotinus’ “Enneads”, Schopenhauer’s “The World as Will and Representation”, Husserl’s “Paris Lectures”, Wittgenstein’s “Philosophical Investigations”, and a new selection from Hegel’s “Phenomenology of Spirit”. Selections from Aristotle’s “Metaphysics” and “On the Soul” have been expanded, while Aristotle’s “Physics and Nicomachean Ethics”, Hume’s “Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding”, Mill’s “On Liberty”, and Russell’s “The Problem of Philosophy” have been further abridged.”

This is one book that’s a must for any philosophy student or anyone who’s interested in simply learning some of the most interesting and compelling ideas of the best western philosophers.

The book New Waves in Philosophy of Religion has been published by Palgrave MacMillan last December as part of its New Waves in Philosophy anthology series. The series aims to “gather the young and up-and-coming scholars in philosophy to give their view of the subject now and in the years to come, and to serve a documentary purpose.”

New Waves in Philosophy of Religion, edited by Y. Nagasawa & E. Wielenberg, discusses the “perennial problems and emerging issues from refreshingly new points of view and develop original ideas. It addresses such topics as: divine attributes, the origin of the universe, evolution and design, implications and puzzles of religious doctrines, morality and God, and the meaning of life.”

Contents of the book is as follows:

How do you get someone who doesn’t care about philosophy but loves TV shows like The Simpsons, South Park, and the Sopranos? Simple. Get them a book about the philosophy of each show. Yes there really are books about the philosophy of these shows. There’s The Simpsons and Philosophy: The D’oh! of Homer (2001), South Park and Philosophy: Bigger, Longer, and More Penetrating (2007), and The Sopranos and Philosophy: I Kill Therefore I Am (2004). All books from the popular culture and philosophy series of Open Court Publishing. Just from the titles alone you’ll get their attention.

So how about if they don’t watch TV and like music instead well then you can recommend any of the following:

There are also books for geeks, movie lovers, Harley enthusiasts and more. If you don’t find your topic of particular interest what’s great is that you can submit the topic to Open Court Publishing and they’ll consider whether it is worth doing a philosophy volume on. They prefer very specific topics so make sure you think up something really interesting and specific. So far they’re at the 38th volume and have 14 more topics in line. Do check out their site I’m sure you’ll find something of interest.

Last time I discussed perfectionism as a concept and as a pathological state. I may have come across as a critic of perfectionism due to the focus on the negative effects. I guess this stems from the fact that I really do not like perfectionism since I am one (not referring to the philosophy!) and have to battle with the negative effects I do see the value in striving for the best possible in everything. What I am saying is that as long you believe in perfectionism but don’t end up a pathological perfectionist then it is quite possible to be pretty happy with life…as long as you don’t force your idea of what’s best down everybody’s throat or have someone force you into striving for their own idea of best.

As for the pathological perfectionist though the negative effects may be many (i.e. negativity, anxiety, obsessive behavior, low productivity, etc.) note that these negative effects can be fought with a healthy dose of realism, courage, and lots of encouragement. Note too that being a perfectionist can result in a lot of positive things as Rodell said, “in a positive form, perfectionism can provide the driving energy which leads to great achievement.” So as long as things are put into proper perspective and you don’ let it bog you down you can harness the drive for excellence to achieve much success in your endeavours. But if it gets out of hand, do seek help.

Reading Suggestions for the Perfectionist:
Be Happy Without Being Perfect by Alice Domar
The Key to a Balanced Recovery by Ann W. Smith
Perfecting Ourselves To Death: The Pursuit Of Excellence And The Perils Of Perfectionism by Richard Winter

Lately I have been finding some free time on my hands. This generally means one thing for me – I have time to read. I used to take my reading time for granted but not anymore. It is rare that I actually can sit back and relax with nothing but a good book. And speaking of good books, have you heard of The Book of Dead Philosophers?

At first glance, it may not sound like an exciting read but hey, look at that title again and you will certainly feel something like a thrill. The Book of Dead Philosophers. How much more interesting can that be?

I have not had the chance to get my hands on this book but trust me, Amazon is my next stop after this post. After reading Laura Miller’s take on the book there is no other option. She shares some of the ideas to be found in the book:

According to Critchley, only the right kind of philosophy can teach “a readiness for death without which any conception of contentment, let alone happiness, is illusory.”

The universal truth of that assertion strikes me as debatable, as does much else in “The Book of Dead Philosophers,” but the link between philosophy and mortality is by necessity an intimate one. In philosophy, the human mind studies itself, and the same faculty that makes this study possible — our self-consciousness — also makes us aware of the inevitability of our own deaths in a way no other living creatures are. Philosophers, therefore, ought to be experts on the problem of how to die well. Since dying only happens once, and (if we’re lucky) it doesn’t take long, acquiring the skill of dying well might seem like a low priority…

While some people might fear death, we just might find something that will help overcome this fear in the book. Interesting reading, to say the least.