A reader asked me if, in the context of our free will, that bad philosophy has the potential to push people toward madness or psychosis. Absolutely. Actually, people drowning in madness and psychosis are, by definition, drowning in mistaken or … Continue reading
Dr. Keith Ablow, a media psychiatrist, recently wrote some interesting comments about married people’s attitudes towards marriage: Marriage is so suffocating for so many people that it makes millions of people wish they could hit ‘rewind’ on their lives and … Continue reading
Conclusion of yesterday’s column. In a strange way, the subjectivist view could be considered on the route to reason and rationality. A rational outlook, unlike the subjectivist one, insists that the facts of reality are what they are, and they … Continue reading
A reader comments: Unfortunately, most people who believe in God have never bothered, and are probably afraid, to define ‘God.’ A word like that, left undefined, is, I think, a very destructive thing over time. After many years of not … Continue reading
Conclusion of yesterday’s column. Wisdom and Age Does wisdom have anything to do with age? Not all elderly people are considered wise, but many are. And by virtue of being old, an elderly person usually has the benefit of the … Continue reading
‘He’s wise.’ This means, perhaps, having knowledge one is not expected to have. As in: wise beyond one’s years. Sometimes you’ll observe the following about a person: ‘He’s highly intelligent. But he’s not very wise.’ Or, ‘He lacks common sense, … Continue reading
The key to understanding what makes a person ‘tick’—yourself, or another—is motivation. Motivation refers to why you do what you do—on the most fundamental and emotional of levels. Motivation is a fact of one’s psychological make-up. It’s not unchangeable. Motivation … Continue reading
Dear Dr. Hurd: I am a 60 year-old-male considering a career change. I am interested in acquiring a degree and becoming a therapist. I am most interested in childhood trauma and its connection to PTSD if there is any. Much … Continue reading
Many have written about romantic love, or all love, as a ‘mystery’. Or a product of ‘fate.’ Or ‘divine guidance,’ ‘karma,’ or other impossible-to-comprehend factors. But how about trying to explain this mystery called love? Why surrender all understanding of … Continue reading
…in these words, “the motive force of society is the government”; once men consider themselves as sentient, but passive, incapable of improving themselves morally or materially by their own intelligence and energy, and reduced to expecting everything from the law; … Continue reading
Dear Dr. Hurd: I know that you focus on present issues, not childhood issues. But sometimes childhood issues are alive and ‘well’ in the present. Let me give you a couple of examples. Ever since I was very young (my … Continue reading
A reader asks: Why are some people achievers while others are not? It all depends on what you value, and how well you internalize what you value. At root of it all is a value of your life. If you … Continue reading