RRB, like many blogs, arises from my observation of contentious issues, evolving events, perceived bad choices – which I will rail against, and what I perceive to be good choices – which I will attempt to rally people around. Subjects discussed will be as diverse as the role of physical exercise in reducing stored stress in the body, to “What is consciousness?” to “Are we living in a multiverse? The unifying thread throughout RRB posts will be “How can we use our minds to improve our lives and that of the human condition?”

How?

In this weekly RRB column, we will discuss how scientific, sociological, psychological, philosophical research, historical anecdotes, and the re-interpretation of wisdom traditions gives us the ability to improve the quality of our lives through improving the quality of our thinking. This does not mean that we will eliminate anger, disappointment, grief, or sadness from our lives – these are part of the human condition. It means that we will discover resources that we may not know we have when difficult times hit us. Rich or poor, difficult times are inevitable. Resilience helps to ensure that they won’t knock us down as far, and that we don’t stay down as long as we might have otherwise. In other words, resilience is central, perhaps even crucial to coping effectively with the storms of life. Some people are naturally endowed with this capacity naturally, although it usually doesn’t occur without having gone through some degree of suffering to learn the necessary coping skills.

The “Final Forty”

Psychiatrist and Co-Founder of the Koru Mindfulness Centre, Holly Rogers, M.D. assesses that approximately 50 percent of our capacity to bounce back lies in our genetic inheritance, 10 percent, in our life circumstances, and 40 percent in our mental attitude.

That 40 percent is ours to develop, and if I can raise my happiness level even 10 percent it is worth investigating. Those of us not blessed with “resilience genes” can take comfort in the fact that these traits can be learned. The evidence-based concept of neuroplasticity tells us that changes are possible through out life span as we can lay down new neural pathways in the brain through habit formation.

CTA

I invite you to join me on this adventure. I will bring you stories of the research and the researchers; practice tips and tricks for making little attitude adjustments that could produce positive results in your long-term outlook. I also hope to provide a better understanding of the objective and subjective aspects of that amazing tool that is the human mind.

RRB?

Yes – it is a deliberate play on words that people who have spent time “playing in the mud” will get.

Q2C?

Questions, Comments, and Concerns are welcome – it is a blog.

Also a good habit for every day as it elevates the mood and starts the day off with a positive perspective. This is not new. The Roman philosopher Cicero (1st Century BCE) advised that “Gratitude is the principal virtue – and the prerequisite for all the others.”  Wise words, still valid 20 centuries later and a good mindful way to start your day.

https://student.korumindfulness.org/course-detail.html?course_id=5132