As happiness levels decline, we’re trying harder to achieve contentment. Is the pursuit of happiness making you unhappy? Source: Is the pursuit of happiness making you unhappy?

Only those people who are capable of being alone are capable of love, of sharing, of going into the deepest core into the other person — without possessing the other, without becoming dependent on the other, without creating ‘the other’, reducing the other into a thing, and without becoming addicted with the other. They allow the other absolute freedom, because they know if the other leaves, they will be as happy as they are now. Their happiness cannot be taken by the other, because it is not given by the other. Osho (via purplebuddhaproject)

Judgment is ugly — it hurts people. On the one hand you go on hurting them, wounding them, and on the other hand you want their love, their respect. It is impossible. Love them, respect them, and perhaps your love and respect may help them to change many of their weaknesses, many of their failures — because love will give them new energy, a new meaning, a new strength.Osho (via purplebuddhaproject)

Meditation brings wisdom; lack of meditation leaves ignorance. Know well what leads you forward and what hold you back, and choose the path that leads to wisdom. (via purplebuddhaproject)

Our mind is greedy; it is always after some gain, some profit, some achievement. It goes on asking, ‘What will I gain if I go to the ocean? What will I achieve if I seek samadhi or nirvana or emptiness?’ We always ask what we are going to achieve, and we never ask – which is what one should ask – ‘How did we lose ourselves in this rat race for gains and achievements?’ On the face of it, we have achieved everything: we have achieved wealth, power, prestige, everything. And in this very pursuit, we have lost ourselves; we have completely lost ourselves. We have now everything – except ourselves. Osho (via purplebuddhaproject)

Need to learn Spanish? You could try Rosetta Stone or some other online option. But that’s not going to work nearly as well as this.

Source: The best way to learn Spanish [parody] – Holy Kaw!

Fights over climate change, gun control, vaccines, and so on––all of those fights can’t be won with facts. Smart people, as it turns out, are great at skewing data to their own benefit. That’s called confirmation bias, and here’s how to get around it. Source: Why facts don’t win arguments, and how to beat confirmation bias – Holy Kaw!

This weekend I finished the audio version of Brené Brown’s new book Rising Strong.Y’all. This book broke my brain. If you are unfamiliar with Brené’s work, stop what you are doing and watch this Ted Talk. Source: Are people doing the best they can? — bluegrass redhead

It’s easy to shut down when people deceive us, and to assume that most people are out for themselves or out to get us. Here’s why I’ve kept my heart open. Source: Why I Keep My Heart Open Even Though I’ve Been Deceived

You might believe that cats are impossible to train, but really, you can use a similar approach to training a dog. As you can see in the above video, cats can learn a ton of tricks! With some effort and patience, your cat will also have a few tricks down pat. Source: How to Teach Your Cat Tricks

This colour has a primitive effect on attraction, psychological research finds. Source: Wearing This Colour Makes You Look More Attractive – PsyBlog

By Dan Piraro. Source: Canine Confessions | Bizarro!

Welcome back to Mid-Week Meditations, Lifehacker’s weekly dip into the pool of stoic wisdom, and how you can use its waters to reflect on and improve your life. Source: Listen More Than You Speak

I remember the night my father died, a panicked rush of past-midnight calls and crying pleas for me to rush home. Even under the best of circumstances, there would have been no way for me to make it to his bedside. Instead, I sat alone – head in hands and cried. Source: Mindfully Musing – When Loss Makes Us Better.

I first ran across Brene Brown’s work after several friends told me that I absolutely, positively had to watch her TED talk The Power of Vulnerability. They thought I’d love it. They thought it would be just the thing. It all felt so affirming and familiar, you know? I mean, who doesn’t grapple with being vulnerable – in personal relationships, in the body, in the world? Who doesn’t struggle with shame? Who doesn’t struggle with connection? Very few people. But something was missing. A lot was missing, actually. Source: Shame and Disconnection: The Missing Voices of Oppression in Brene Brown’s “The Power of Vulnerability”