- Tony Robbins and the Cult of Aggressive Positivity: a series on Beyond Growth. –“Personal development saved my life, but not without some side effects.” Part one is linked to above. Here is part two. Part three is on its way, you can sign up for the feed or email on Beyond Growth. This is a well-worth following critique of what has become the positivity craze. There is, no doubt, a place for positivity, but as many are now expressing, it can move into the delusional realm if not balanced with a healthy dose of reality. From the series: But this aggressive positivity does work in some contexts. Unfortunately it works by bowling over inner and outer objections. I have a distinct memory once of having a disagreement with someone after UPW. They had an objection to something I was saying, or some goal I had set for myself. I found myself raising my voice, becoming more passionate and expressive, and they immediately backed down. I realized in that moment that this stuff was dangerous—being aggressively positive in this way was a kind of emotional bullying, getting your way through force of personality. If you get emotional enough, others can no longer think rationally—most either enthusiastically agree or get disgusted with you and walk off. (Luckily I had some meditator friends who had cultivated enough equanimity to continue to rationally question me during this period. Lucky too that I had not been fully indoctrinated so I was willing to listen.)
- AA Isn’t the Best Solution: Alternatives for Alcoholics — Stanton Peele — This is a response to the Wired piece that sings the praises of AA I posted on Beyond Meds a few days ago. While I’ve always thought AA was great for those it works for, it’s true that it does not work for many and certainly I’ve met thoughtful and lovely people who have recovered from alcoholism and/or addictions without AA. This is an important conversation that is worth having.
- Tart Cherry Juice May Be A Natural Solution For Insomnia – Medical News Today –Natural source of melatonin. One can use tart cherry extracted into capsules and avoid the high sugar content of the juice. Tart cherries are also a wonderful anti-inflammatory food.