wealth as safety

March 19, 2009 · Filed Under Epicurean Happiness Guidance, happiness-boosters · Comment 

Science has just re-discovered another Epicurean bromide:

if wealth can be re-defined as safety: it can contribute to our happiness

http://psychcentral.com/news/2009/03/18/worrying-about-financial-security-conflicts-with-happiness/4801.html

saving the daylight ruins hearts

March 7, 2009 · Filed Under grotesque, stress-FREEDOM · Comment 

In many states they will start saving the daylight tonight: they will rob one hour of sleep and increase heart attacks by 5%, admitted Brian Williams in the NBC news.

Who are the winners – excepting the cardio-vascular and the watch-maker industries?

comparitis: a zeitgeist disease

March 7, 2009 · Filed Under happiness-busters, normal madness · Comment 

We know that comparing yourself with others will inevitably result in stress and unhappiness. The moment you start comparing yourself with others you start making a loser out of youself. Philosophers like Seneca, or Montaigne pointed it out, scientists like Ed Diener or Norbert Schwarz proved it scientifically.

Nevertheless, all the education systems I know – excepting Elliot Aronson’s  jigsaw class, the Summerhill and the Waldorf school systems are based on making the kids compete for the attention and acknowledgment of the teacher and for grades. They were established in the industrial age with the aim to perpetuate class differences, to provide the industries with workers, engineers and managers and to keep young people within highly organized and disciplined structures.

Now the Culture Ministers (called Kultusminister, i.e. ministers of cult) of the fifteen German federal states  decided to introduce the same standard tests in each state so the can compare students’ performances across the state borders.

The tv programs for kids are mostly structured as team competitions as well.

It looks like those in charge of the reproduction of culture  and administration of learning will never learn. Even the tests the designed were full of mistakes: to redesign them will cost the taxpayers 200.000 euros.

 

feedburner works again

March 6, 2009 · Filed Under stress-FREEDOM · Comment 

We managed to repair a broken link and the feedburner  works again.

So you can sign in for feeds either via RSS or via email and you won’t miss any new blog entries any more. This will free you from the stress of the uncertainty of missing out on a possibly relevant post. Another little piece of stress-FREEDOM from me to you, gentle subscriber.