An Excerpt for the Ages - Breathing Space Blog

From I am That by Swami Muktananda:

Man goes to great trouble to acquire knowledge of the material world. He learns all branches of mundane science. He explores the earth and even travels to the moon. But he never tries to find out what exists within himself. Because he is unaware of the enormous power hidden within him, he looks for support in the outer world.

Because he does not know the boundless happiness that lies inside his heart, he looks for satisfaction in mundane activities and pleasures. Because he does not experience the inner love, he looks for love from others.

The truth is that the inner Self of every human being is supremely great and supremely lovable. Everything is contained in the Self. The creative power of this entire universe lies inside every one of us. The divine Principle that creates and sustains this world pulsates within us as our own Self. It scintillates in the heart and shines through all our senses. If, instead of pursuing knowledge of the outer world, we were to pursue inner knowledge, we would discover the effulgence very soon.

The Many Benefits of Sleep - Breathing Space Blog

Beside the daily benefits in store for each of us, the discovery discussed below could lead to better treatments for Alzheimer’s disease: www.sciencenews.org/article/sleep-allows-brain-wash-out-junk

Happiness and Productivity - Breathing Space Blog

It's official, the happier you are the more effectively your brain functions. Ultimately, this results in higher productivity.  Slide to 7:05: the last five minutes of Shawn Anchor's talk represent the best treatise on happiness psychology I've yet heard:
         www.ted.com/talks/shawn_achor_the_happy_secret_to_better_work.html

How TV Isolates Us from Each Other - Breathing Space Blog

Robert Putnam, Ph.D. Harvard professor of public policy and author of Bowling Alone, says, "For most of the 20th century, Americans were becoming more connected with family and friends, and there was more giving of blood and money, and all of those trend lines turn sharply in the middle '60s and have gone in the other direction ever since,"

Quoted years back in the Washington Post, he says, "Americans go on 60 percent fewer picnics today and families eat dinner together 40 percent less often compared with 1965, he said. They are less likely to meet at clubs or go bowling in groups. Putnam has estimated that every 10-minute increase in commutes makes it 10 percent less likely that people will establish and maintain close social ties."

"Television is a big part of the problem, he contends. Whereas 5 percent of U.S. households in 1950 owned television sets, 95 percent did a decade later."

Some Breathing Space for Kids - Breathing Space Blog

Something we all should know from Fight for Kids:


“More than 17 million children worldwide have been prescribed psychiatric drugs so dangerous that medicine regulatory agencies in Europe, Australia and the United States have issued warnings that antidepressants, for example, can cause suicide and hostility in children and adolescents. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has also issued a warning that stimulant drugs, such as Ritalin and Concerta can cause suicidal as well as violent, aggressive and psychotic behavior, and that these same drugs can cause heart attacks, stroke and sudden death.”

* Of these 17 million, more than 10 million children are in the United States, being prescribed addictive stimulants, antidepressants and other psychotropic (mind-altering) drugs for educational and behavioral problems.

* Children 5 years old and younger are the fastest-growing segment of the non-adult population prescribed antidepressants in the U.S. Children as young as 4 have attempted suicide while influenced by such drugs and 5 year-olds have committed suicide. Between 1995 and 1999, antidepressant use increased 580% in the under 6 population and 151% in the 7-12 age group. In 2004, the FDA ordered that a “black box” label be placed on antidepressants warning that they can cause suicide in children and adolescents.

* Stimulants are mostly prescribed for “Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder” (ADHD) and other childhood “disorders” and are “Schedule II” drugs, meaning they have the same potential for abuse as morphine, opium and cocaine. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) reports that studies show that Ritalin is more potent than cocaine and effects the brain in the same way as cocaine does.

* A recent U.S. report found that 10% of teens abuse Ritalin and another stimulant drug, Adderall. Eight out of 13 school shooters in the U.S. were taking antidepressants or stimulants at the time of the crime. Often children, affected by these drugs, have been institutionalized where they have been forcefully restrained -- tragically, dozens have died during this violent procedure.

“Parents are not informed about all the potential risks to their child when they agree to a psychiatric drug prescription. They are not informed that the diagnoses for which they are prescribed are unlike medical diseases. There is no physical test -- blood or urine test, “chemical imbalance” test or x-ray or brain scan -- that can determine the physical existence or cause of the "mental disorder."

 Millions of children are prescribed these drugs when they have simply never been taught to read or may be suffering from allergies, lead poisoning or other environmental toxic effects.”

Exhibitionism as a Daily Event - Breathing Space Blog

“Exhibitionism in America has always existed, "says writer Katharine Herrup, "but it has been particularly evident in the newer media." 

"The degradations of reality TV were pretty bad -- before then, no one could imagine so many minutes of tears on television. But newer media are allowing people to further degrade themselves. When 13- year-old girls promote their body measurements, as they do on such websites, something is wrong….”

Coping with Gridlock - Breathing Space Blog

Does it seem as if it's taking you longer merely to drive a few blocks? It's not your imagination -- and it's not going to subside soon. More densely packed urban areas have resulted in gridlock. And our population and road use grow faster than our ability to repair our highways and bridges. Three quarters of the nation's 575,000 bridges were built before 1938, and nearly half are structurally deficient.

Meanwhile, city planners report that there will be no clear solution to gridlock for decades.
Fortunately, there are things you can do to take personal control. Beat the traffic by getting up earlier, or later. Ask your boss if you can work flextime or at home a couple days a week. If you drive to work,  listen  to audios. Commute with people you enjoy talking to, not merely those who live nearby or work close to where you do.

Of course, you can move closer to your job, telecommute, change your job, or self-employ. Otherwise, recognize that gridlock will always be a part of your life.