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The word pray comes from the root sound “prek” as in precarious. It means to entreat or ask.
This corresponds to the often instinctive urge to seek something greater than ourselves or a higher power when in need or at a loss of options.
Check out the psychology and demographics of prayer in America in the intro of this episode and then learn more about the contemplative art and practice of praying power.
Intro music “New Apartment” by Coldbrew and “Everything is Beautiful” by Solar Plexus.
Happy New Year! You can support this podcast at https://patreon.com/kindmind
The theme is HOPE. It stands out among other virtues because it requires negative circumstances and straddles over the present and towards the future.
Charles Snyder was a psychologist and dedicated researcher of hope, who emphasized its relevance in the context of doing vs being. Accordingly, hope is a motivational set of cognitive traits that give people a reason to continue pursuing their goals despite the unpredictable nature of the human experience.
He had a beautiful quote,
"A rainbow is a prism that sends shards of multicolored light in various directions. It lifts our spirits and makes us think of what is possible. Hope is the same – a personal rainbow of the mind."
It suggests that additional pathways may exist or appear that we cannot always comprehend in the present. The past and the future are like the ends of that rainbow. They seem to be really out there, but they are always inaccessible.
However, a bigger view is always possible in the here and now.
(Intro music “New Apartment” by Coldbrew and “Cinnabar Sunset” by The Lovely Moon)
Todd gives an introduction to the podcast for new listeners.
Additionally, the show now sometimes features dialogues with transformational thought leaders in the fields of art, music, science, philosophy, public service and beyond. Look for episodes with “Live Free or Dialogue” in the title.
You can support this work and access bonus content via Patreon: https://patreon.com/kindmind
and send mail to: michaeltoddfink@gmail.com
send mail to: michaeltoddfink@gmail.com
support this show: https://patreon.com/kindmind
An attitude is a lot like a musical score, a kind of outline or map for the potential expression or organization of sounds and rhythms.
Similarly, an attitude, in the psychological sense is a set of thoughts, feelings and most importantly behavioral tendencies towards someone or something. So, both are mental constructs with the potential to manifest certain actions in the environment.
When parts of the music do not fit as intended, it is called dissonance. And when one of the components of attitude is discovered to be out of alignment, it creates cognitive dissonance, the catalyst for its transformation, which points to a fundamental urge towards harmony.
Just as there is no universal agreement on good and bad music, there is also a lack of consensus on good and bad attitudes.
This episode explores the formation of attitude and how it can be changed, while inquiring about how real or important are our attitudes in the context of personal growth and self-discovery.
(music “Dream” and “Innocence” by Bing Satellites and episode artwork on website by Emily Dawn Duforest)
You can support this podcast and access live virtual events and bonus content via Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/kindmind
Send mail to: michaeltoddfink@gmail.com
Compared with other organisms, humans are born significantly underdeveloped physically and highly vulnerable for a considerable period of time.
Therefore, trust and mistrust can be profoundly wired into our design as it is uniquely relevant in our survival.
People may say they don't trust others much, but that might apply more to one's attitude toward specific kinds of relationships. Meanwhile, most of us do trust others in daily life more than we may realize.
Trust can be altered by levels of oxytocin, a pro-social hormone in the body. We also have an evolutionary propsensity to trust faces that look similar to our own, perhaps because our brains recognize a higher probability of being related and thus protected.
Inside of the word trust you have “us” and this episode aims to expand and serve the sense of “us-ness.”
(Music is “The Stone of Rejuvenation” by The Lovely Moon and episode artwork is by Emily Dawn Duforest)
You can support this work and access live virtual events and bonus content via Patreon: https://patreon.com/kindmind
mail to: michaeltoddfink@gmail.com
Why do we build and rebuild?
It could be because of breakdown or breakthrough and the interpretation may be up to us. Sometimes there are setbacks where things fall apart and need repair. Other times, we learn, grow and envision a better way to add on or redo.
We definitely encounter this on the individual level as in the arc of the hero's journey coded in folklore and mythology, where the aspirant seeks, finds, falls, despairs and rises again towards illumination.
In some sense, this path also applies now to the collective experience.
This episode explores what we and society are building - materially, digitally, spiritually - and the etymology of the word "build" with it's roots in Latin and Sanskrit connecting us to the Earth.
Additional analysis is given to the building metaphor and the symbolism of foundations, structures and roofs in life along with the tools to design beyond our breakdowns or breakthroughs.
(music “The Physical World” by The Lovely Moon and episode artwork on website by Emily Dawn Duforest)
This is the introduction only. The full episode is available via Patreon membership: https://www.patreon.com/kindmind Thank you for your support!
Free will is the ability to choose between possible courses of action. Many people feel themselves to be the authors of their thoughts, the agents of action and believe this to be true with respect to their decisions.
There is a sense that one could have behaved differently in the past, even though to rewind the tape of life would also remove the present insight. Or as one pop punk band sang it better: the past is only the future with the lights on.
However, most could readily agree that, at the very least, there is not always free will.
For example, a person with Alzheimer's or other type of dementia that severely impairs the ability to perform actions or utilize memory may not have the freedom to choose to behave politely or recognize their loved one. In addiction, it is widely understood that disruptions in the decision-making faculties of the brain lead to similar limitations of choice. Revelations in the neurobiology of drug use disorders continues to shape the moral implications and shift the legal interventions from punitive to rehabilitative.
To take this further, researchers have recently created choice experiments while observing the brain with magnetic resonance imaging and have been able to predict with statistical significance what subjects will choose up to 11 seconds before they are conscious of their choice!
Some argue that even if free will is an illusion, it is an illusion worth preserving. This episode explores different philosophical perspectives and considers what is worth paying attention to including the overlooked mental health benefits of reframing our understanding of free will.
(Music "Breathe" by Bing Sattelites and episode artwork on the podcast website by Emily Dawn)
You can support this podcast and enjoy bonus content and access to the Kind Mind studio and virtual meetings by becoming a patron at https://www.patreon.com/kindmind
Are people more skeptical than ever? Or are certain groups more skeptical than others when it comes to science, religion or certain knowledge? When is it good and when is not good to be skeptical?
The word "skeptic" has origins in ancient Greece and the philosophy of Pyrrho. It is derived from the root sound "spek" which meant to look but more specifically to inquire and reflect.
Skepticism has evolved to simply mean doubt, which has its benefits and costs. Trust and doubt is regulated by the ventromedial prefrontal cortex in the brain, which tends to decline beyond 60 years of age.
This is consistent with reports from the National Institute of Justice estimating that 12% of adults over 60 are exploited in financial crimes each year. It also explains why highly intelligent patients with injury to this brain region are more likely to fall victim to seemingly obvious online scams.
But when it comes to skepticism in the broader sense, perhaps we could upgrade our lenses. Generally speaking, we tend to be skeptical of anything that falls outside our worldview and overly welcoming towards that which resides within it.
With subtle meliorating, we can exchange some of our near-sightedness for far-sightedness when it comes to our outlook on life and the nature of things in order to strike a healthier balance that is cautiously optimistic, happily dissatisfied and taking our own thoughts with a grain of salt.
Music “Sunset Serenade” by Ethereal Ephemera and episode artwork on website by Emily Dawn.
You can support this podcast and access additional content via https://www.patreon.com/kindmind
Thank you for your support!
Perhaps seasonal affect disorder and winter blues were selected by evolution to help mammals, including humans, withdraw and survive the harsh outer conditions.
Meditation is looking for the inner light, a mini version of the winter solstice. The winter solstice is a mini version of a longer dark period in the world like the pandemic.
Therefore, the equanimity cultivated through contemplative practice prepares the mind to accept the cycles of life and nature and respond wisely.
After long retreat and outer difficulty, there are signs of hope and rare reminders, like the grand planetary conjunction, to look to the stars at night. Rebirth is coming.
This episode considers some evidence and benefits of human hibernation and draws parallels with meditation.
Also, you are invited to reflect on what gifts we have been gestating and would like to give when the time is ripe to birth into the world.
Music “A Calming Influence” by Bing Satellites and episode artwork by Emily Dawn.
https://www.patreon.com/kindmind - please consider becoming a patron of the Kind Mind podcast and access bonus content.
The etymology of the word 'frustration' traces back to 1500's Latin 'frustratio' which meant a deception.
It's Medieval origin is also relevant in these troubling times as the road ahead is not only fraught with uncertainty due to the novel pathogen but also some groups' novel sense of deception... whether from authority or society or history or even themselves.
However, inside the soil of hardship lies the seeds of clarity. With proper attention and understanding, a real breakthrough is possible with the potential for a blossoming of transformation on the other side - personally and collectively.
If life were really but a dream, then what would be the goal?
If the point is to "wake up," then sailing merrily, merrily down life's stream might delay things. That pleasantness is likely to uphold the reverie and bind you to the dreamboat.
Hence, the wisdom of frustration...
(music "Drifting Light" by Bing Satellites and episode artwork on podcast website by Emily Dawn)
You can support this podcast on patreon and access bonus content: https://www.patreon.com/kindmind
Often times, elegance is conflated with extravagance or opulence. There is a relationship insofar as all three involve style, but those other two are meretricious whereas elegance is actually something akin to their inverse.
In elegance, the outward style is simple but behind the appearance lies something powerful and substantive.
In nature, think of the uncomplicated beauty of falling snow. At a glance, it is quite plain in form and color and yet upon closer inspection, one finds countless unique snowflake designs containing exquisite symmetrical patterns. The same can be true of a forest from afar or the ocean or the desert - and the depth of life and meaning within.
Seeking elegance is not synonymous with seeking luxury.
Encounters with elegance can be difficult to put into words. In other disciplines like physics, great scientists have merely suggested "you know it when you see it" like in famous equations E=mc2 or F=MA. A few common letters point to far-reaching theories of special relativity and the laws of motion.
fMRI studies of the brains of mathematicians reveal activation in the same regions associated with the pleasure of viewing a beautiful painting, when their eyes are shown formulas that are simple but powerful and self-reported as elegant.
In life, perhaps "you know it when you feel it."
This episode explores the way of elegance as it relates to the art of choice and leading a life of inner goodness.
Music “Eight Hours” by Bing Satellites; episode artwork on website is by Emily Dawn; podcast logo by Jon Marro.
They say patience is a virtue, but it is impatience that society seems to nurture. Technological developments have greatly reduced the times of travel, communication and the fulfillment of desires - reinforcing our expectations for quick results.
However, the pandemic crisis has forced most people to slow down and wait for the storm to pass. If ever there was a time when we needed more patience, it is now.
Psychologists have recently began to study the wellness enjoyed by patient people. They have also identified three kinds of patience: interpersonal flexibility, enduring periods of hardship, and tolerating daily hassles.
This episode explores the health benefits of all three and offers simple yet effective strategies for cultivating patience in our lives.
Music “Ethereral Ephemera - Escape to Dreamscape II” by Bing Satellites. Episode artwork by Emily Dawn
One of the most important ways we can improve mindfulness in our everyday life is through acceptance. Acceptance is part of the practice of open awareness in the present moment. It means allowing experiences to come and allowing them to go – both pleasant and unpleasant. It also involves assenting to the reality of a situation and letting go of what cannot be controlled or changed.
Music “In the Mysterious Distance” by Ethereal Ephemera. Episode artwork by Dove Dahlia.
A look at the bright side of aloneness.
Music “Imagine, If You Will” by Bing Satellites. Episode artwork by Dove Dahlia.
Courage and fear are not really opposing emotions. Fear is more of an involuntary response like inflammation or fever. Courage is a principle or virtue that guides a person towards right action and overcoming fear in order to live whole-heartedly.
Hence, the root word of courage is cor which means heart.
Music “Deju Ju All Over Again” by Bing Satellites. Episode artwork by Dove Dahlia.
Money can be funny and studies reveal the subtle isolating effect that even the image of it can have on human behavior.
In Daniel Kahneman's monumental book "Thinking Fast and Slow," he highlights the disconcerting results from different priming experiments. For example, when subjects could see monopoly money in the background or stacks of cash on a computer screen-saver, they took twice as long to ask for help with a problem and picked up significantly fewer pencils when the experimenter pretended to clumsily drop them - in contrast to those subjects not exposed to the trigger.
More troubling, people were asked to set up two chairs for them and another as part of a "get-acquainted" conversation while the researcher left the room to retrieve the guest. Money-primed subjects placed the chairs an average of 15 inches farther apart than the control group.
In most cases, money on the mind can promote self-reliance and individualism but trigger selfish behavior and disconnection from others.
There is nothing bad about money. It is very useful. People sometimes say "money is the root of all evil." That is not actually the complete verse. "The love of money.." or craving for this one type of energy - purchasing power - is the problem. And now we have some scientific insight as to why that attachment can be socially harmful.
In the spiritual philosophy of abundance, too much attraction to money can actually be limiting by narrowing one's idea of how resources may be accessed and generating an overall attitude of lack that leads to operating from a sense of scarcity in life.
(Music “Light in Summer Air I” by Ethereal Ephemera and episode artwork by Dove Dahlia)
Studies suggest that, on average, we have 3 times more positive experiences each day than negative ones. Because of our evolutionary tendency to give more weight to the negative and because of the hedonic treadmill (pleasant experiences lose their mood enhancing power once habituated), this may not seem like the case.
But there is more to it. We have learned that sympathy and empathy are mostly relevant for feeling with others during suffering.
However, in certain Eastern spiritual traditions, there is a practice known as "mudita" or sympathetic joy. It means to rejoice during the virtue, success and well-being of others.
Think of how helpful this could be in an era when social media highlight reels often have the opposite effect for friends - somehow leaving the onlooker feeling diminished, which then can disincline those people from sharing their joy.
New psychological research identifies this as a primary reason why our joy does not grow. Discussing positive experiences with supportive friends has a much greater impact on life satisfaction and well-being than simply thinking about it.
A flock of geese rotates positions in the "V" and they fly farther together because of the boost from the lift of those in front. Similarly, imagine communities knitted together with threads of sympathetic joy, ready to rejoice and then share so as to keep elevating the whole.
This episode explores sympathetic joy to the world! ...and the difference between that and happiness and pleasure as well as other clues from the search for joy in the brain.
(Music by Ethereal Ephemera “Somewhere in the Light” and episode artwork by Dove Dahlia)
Addiction is a major health crisis in America, and everybody knows somebody struggling with drugs or alcohol.
23 million Americans suffer from a substance use disorder yet only 11% receive treatment. 75% of women and men in treatment for addiction report histories of abuse and trauma.
This episode explores how addiction fits into the model of disease and its cultural and spiritual implications along with guidance for building empathy and reducing stigma.
(Episode artwork by Dove Dahlia and music by Lee Rosevere)
There is a studied link between mindfulness and pro-environmental behaviors, but that is not the point here. Mindfulness is the art of directing awareness with openness, curiosity and flexibility. One is guided in this practice to be present with what is by paying attention to different aspects of experience, whether pleasant or unpleasant, and responding wisely. The point, according to most contemplative traditions, is to look deeper into and understand the nature of our suffering - both individually and collectively.
In the wake of wildfires, earthquakes, flooding and other storms - by now, most of us probably know someone who has been significantly impacted, perhaps even displaced, by weather. So, what is the right balance of attention with respect to awareness of the alarming trends and moral responsibility within our sphere of influence and meeting all the other demands of modern life? Especially in a society where more than 75% live paycheck to paycheck and more than half do not have enough savings to manage an unexpected $400 expense, it can be overwhelming and lead us to tune out and become unmindful.
Poverty, mental illness, addiction, and divorce are examples of common real-life challenges that may feel like and actually be more of an existential threat to one's family than global warming and certainly less abstract. But, how might the psychology be different if we could see CO2 gas in the sky or even in our home? Because everywhere, the parts per million has invisibly risen above 400 for the first time in 800,000 years, which has long been thought to be a safety threshold. This increase may begin to have negative effects on human cognition and decision-making in addition to dangerously warming the planet.
It gets more complicated with all the mixed messages, limitations in communicating science, denial, guilt and blame with respect to the multi-dimensional nature of the problem of pollution - from individual and industrial to political and spiritual.
There is one insight that is so fundamental and largely overlooked altogether. Upon knowing, one could hypothesize that global warming due to human activity is not the core problem but a symptom of something much more insidious. Still, I think there is some hope for a solution and a great turning. It is unlikely to begin with individuals extraordinarily repairing their relationship with the Earth but rather with each other.
(Episode design by Dove Dahlia)
Motivation is that missing shield of willingness. It could easily defend against the enemy of procrastination and its mysterious force that delays the completing of tasks that need to be accomplished by a certain deadline.
And I'm glad it's called "deadline" instead of "lifeline" because that's what it is in many cases - a dead line. Artificially drawn with no real life. No life means lacking love. Then, the illusory battle ensues. That play is interesting too. But where there's love, there's no dream of motivation. As for our purpose, maybe that's why it's been said to do what you love or work is love made visible.
Until then, it is helpful to understand other myths of motivation. For example it's often assumed that others succeed because they are highly-motivated. Well, the average American hits snooze 12 times each morning, and I was relieved to learn that one of my favorite prolific authors still needs to force himself to get started with writing each day after 40 years.
Objects at rest tend to stay at rest unless acted upon by a force. It's totally normal to need a little force to get going. This generates momentum and that might be a more useful concept, especially with its root word "moment" - a very brief portion of time associated with opportunity.
(Episode artwork by Dove Dahlia and music by Lee Rosevere)