Monthly Archives: November 2011

We MUST Choose!

Posted on November 30, 2011 by John

I’ve posted today on my other blogs instead of here because thematically the subject matter was a bit better suited for those blogs, but it would still be apropos here and dovetail well with the main thrust of this blog—learning more about … Continue reading →

Posted in Conscience, Courage, Differentiation, Love, Mature Love, Mental Health, Real Love, Spiritual Growth, Waking Up, What is Love? | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Why Marriages and Long-Term Relationships Succeed or Fail

Posted on November 28, 2011 by John

The short answer is: it all comes down to the level of character development of the two people in the relationship and the reason why they entered into the relationship. Deeply decent people have it within themselves to make a … Continue reading →

Posted in "The Art of Loving", Conscience, Differentiation, Emotional Maturity, Immature Love, Intimate Relationships, Love is Not a Feeling, Mature Love, Mental Health, Real Love, Responsibility, Schnarch, Spiritual Growth, The Road Less Traveled, What is Love? | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Are You a Reasonable or an Unreasonable Human Being ?

Posted on November 27, 2011 by John

  “In contrast to logic, there is the Spirit of Reasonableness.  Reasonable thinking is just humanized thinking.  The logical man is always self-righteous, never self-questioning, and therefore inhuman and therefore wrong, while the reasonable man suspect that perhaps he may … Continue reading →

Posted in "The Importance of Living", Conscience, Gratitude, Immature Love, Intimate Relationships, Lin Yutang, Mature Love, Mental Health, Real Love, Spiritual Growth, The Spirit of Reasonableness, Waking Up, What is Love? | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Happy Thanksgiving!

Posted on November 25, 2011 by John

Happy (day after?) Thanksgiving! A relationship cannot survive and thrive if there is not a deep and pervading sense of gratitude between each for the other and for life.  Without this mutual gratefulness, a relationship may survive and linger and limp … Continue reading →

Posted in Gratitude, Mature Love, Thanksgiving, What is Love? | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Scattered Thoughts—Why I Write Such Lengthy Posts; Pride; Intimacy; Depth of Thinking & Real Change; The Holy Relationship; and The Active Soul

Posted on November 22, 2011 by John

First off, my inner-Nietzsche really wanted to subtitle part of this entry “Why I Write Such Excellent and Lengthy Posts,” but I thought that doing so might be potentially a bit too off-putting to some (considering I don’t really know … Continue reading →

Posted in "A Return to Love", Courage, Differentiation, Marianne Williamson, Mature Love, Mental Health, Real Love, Spiritual Growth, Waking Up, What is Love?, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Representative & As Good As It Gets

Posted on November 21, 2011 by John

Most people enter into relationships as a more or less untenable or false version of themselves—the curb appeal version of themselves; what Chris Rock calls the “representative” (see 2:10-2:40 of the following clip — [caution: strong language!])— Relationships—easy to get into, … Continue reading →

Posted in "As Good As It Gets", Chris Rock, Conscience, Conscious Love, Courage, Dependency, Differentiation, Emotional Maturity, Gratitude, Immature Love, Intimate Relationships, Love, Love is a Commitment, Love is a Decision, Love is an Act of Will, Love is Not a Feeling, M. Scott Peck, Mature Love, Mental Health, Real Love, Responsibility, Spiritual Growth, The Dalai Lama, Waking Up, What is Love? | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Self-Revelation versus Self-Presentation & Giving versus Getting: A Few More Thoughts on Real Love & Intimacy

Posted on November 18, 2011 by John

Intimacy For most people intimacy equates with self-presentation, a process much different from self-revelation.  Self-revelation occurs with minimal to no spin and or editing.  Self-presentation, on the other hand, relies heavily on spin and editing and manipulating and managing the … Continue reading →

Posted in Anthony Robbins, Conscious Love, Courage, Differentiation, Emotional Maturity, Gratitude, Immature Love, Intimate Relationships, Joseph Campbell, Ken Wilber, Love, Love is a Choice, Love is Not a Feeling, Mature Love, Real Love, Responsibility, Self-Extension, Spiritual Growth, Waking Up, What is Love? | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Love & Intimacy: Some Basic Definitions

Posted on November 17, 2011 by John

Intimacy Intimacy means self-revelation.  In other words, intimacy requires self-revelation.  Which means if you think you are in an intimate relationship but you are hiding parts of yourself (whether due to immaturity, trust issues, psychopathology, or for fear of your … Continue reading →

Posted in Conscience, Conscious Love, Courage, Dependency, Differentiation, Emotional Maturity, Gratitude, Immature Love, Intimate Relationships, Love, Love is Not a Feeling, Mature Love, Mental Health, Real Love, Responsibility, Schnarch, Self-Extension, Spiritual Growth, Thoreau, Waking Up, What is Love? | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Only Proactive People Can Genuinely Love Others, Reactive People Can’t

Posted on November 11, 2011 by John

(The following is abridged and adapted and modified from Stephen R. Covey’s “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change”) Between stimulus and response, human beings have the freedom to choose—but only if—if—we  develop and exercise … Continue reading →

Posted in "Man's Search for Meaning", Conscience, Conscious Love, Courage, Dependency, Differentiation, Emotional Maturity, Immature Love, Love, Love is a Choice, Love is a Commitment, Love is a Decision, Love is an Act of Will, Love is Not a Feeling, M. Scott Peck, Mature Love, Mental Health, Proactivity, Reactive, Responsibility, Self-Love, Spiritual Growth, Stephen Covey, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, The Road Less Traveled, Viktor Frankl, Waking Up, What is Love? | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Real Love & The Examined Life

Posted on November 2, 2011 by John

We naturally tend to speak to others in our own love language, meaning we try to love others in the way we would want to be loved, in ways that speak love to us. This is just part of being … Continue reading →

Posted in "The Denial of Death", Conscience, Conscious Love, Courage, Differentiation, Ernest Becker, Immature Love, Intimate Relationships, Love, Love is a Decision, Love is Not a Feeling, M. Scott Peck, Mature Love, Mental Health, Spiritual Growth, The Road Less Traveled, Waking Up, What is Love? | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments