Truth and Reconciliation Commission: Healing a Divided Nation
The idea of effective and healing conversations among polarized groups for healing and stabilization of a country is not a new idea. Even though, I had read about Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s Truth and Reconciliation Council meetings (TRC) in South Africa several years ago, I remembered the effectiveness of these councils
Reading Man’s Search for Meaning (Victor Frankl) in a Pandemic
Meaning and resilience.Victor FranklThe concept of creating meaning out of adversity is critical to resilience. Making meaning out of a situation also requires a level of acceptance of what is the reality and grieving and letting go of the previous reality. In Man's Search For Meaning, Victor Frankl,(1946) writes about
POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY IN A PANDEMIC
The literature in positive psychology originated with the work of Dr. Martin Seligman, who argued that psychology is too focused on psychopathology and dysfunction. He called for the positive psychology movement to study what is optimal mental health. Seligman discusses his research suggesting that authentic happiness comes from living a
SERENITY PRAYER AND ACCEPTANCE AND COMMITMENT THERAPY
Laurie Goodstein's (2009) article on the Serenity Prayer discussed that researchers credit Reinhold Niebuhr as the author of the serenity prayer. The serenity prayer, embraced by many, is asking God to give us the strength to change the things we can change, the serenity to accept the things we cannot change
GITA: THE POWER OF PERSPECTIVE AND CALM CONVERSATIONS
Lord Krishna, a manifestation of the Divine Lord in the Universe (in the Gita), talks about the importance of mental training or perspective when we are faced with difficult situations. For example, Arjuna says “ O, Kesava, it is easier to control the wind than to try and control the
Faith in God-The Bhagavad Gita, The Bible and The Pandemic
FAITH in GOD As a spiritual person, my faith in God has been a key feature in dealing with the pandemic. My spiritual beliefs are influenced by my Hindu background, attending Catholic school for many years and studying Buddhist practices, especially the application of Buddhist ideas in psychology. Therefore, both