Always listen to what people DO, not to what they say. If the two are in sync, then you’re fine. If the two conflict, then you’ll know what the truth really is.
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Category: Daily Dose of Reason
With a Truck Coming, Middle of the Road Is No Place to Be
Americans are hopeful that their economy will rebound, in time. Most are still hopeful that Obama and his Washington cohorts will steer or drive that economy towards eventual recovery and prosperity. Frankly, even some Republicans I talk to actually believe … Continue reading
Daily Dose Readers Translations into English
‘Impulse control disorder” Translation: Official sounding: grants permission to steal, gamble, and commit arson because there is a disorder that dismantles the connection between responsibility, thoughts and actions. ‘Full figured’ Translation: fat, overweight. A woman in court to defend herself … Continue reading
Therapy is NOT Medicine
The medical model applied to psychotherapy and counseling fosters the idea that “treatment” and “diagnosis” of one’s “mental conditions” is something that is largely external. Either something or someone is going to cure you and “make” you feel all better. … Continue reading
Translation into English
Those in the self-helping industry love to use language to conceal what they’re really saying. I call this brand of self-help professional the “politician of spirit.” Consider some examples, along with the translations into plain English. e.g. “I suffer from … Continue reading
Thugs in Power
Government does not have the power to make you happy. But it does have the power to make you unhappy. How? Mainly, by interfering with the generally harmonious and, for the most part, rational progress of human civilization that would … Continue reading
Big Brother Won’t Make Them Quit
Government officials plan to stop young people from smoking, since many young people persist in thinking it’s “cool” to smoke. Forcing movie makers to rate movies “R” if any smoking appears, as well as posting anti-smoking warnings prior to a … Continue reading
Success, If You Please
Success does not primarily consist of figuring out what others want. Success doesn’t come from a compulsion to please others. Success comes from a higher than usual desire to please oneself — one’s own highest standards. In the process of … Continue reading
Faulty Thinking Causes Worrying
Worrying doesn’t work. Rational people sometimes worry because they mistakenly view it as thinking, or planning. It isn’t. Worry is indiscriminate thinking. It’s irrational thinking, thinking that leads nowhere. Thinking is profoundly important. It’s the human means of survival and … Continue reading
Vote Libertarian?
Q: Dr. Hurd, what do you think of voting for the Libertarian Party this year? A: I generally avoid the Libertarian Party. First of all, they have no chance of winning. They split the non Obama/Pelosi vote, and ensure the … Continue reading
Property Rights for the Few
Barack says that anyone who wants to build a mosque at the site of 9/11 and Ground Zero has a right to do that. We are to infer by this that he means: a Constitutional, individual property right. If this … Continue reading
How a Psychotherapist Can Be a Capitalist
Somebody recently asked me, “As a therapist, how can you be in favor of capitalism and limited government, and against the welfare state?” My reply was, and always is, as follows. I write columns, books and essays on the psychology … Continue reading