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Now is the Time to Revive the Golden Rule

The second great commandment is Universal;  'Love your neighbor as you love yourself, and is prominent in all major religions and in other belief systems such as veganism.  by Michael Corthell The Golden Rule:   ''So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.'' —Matthew 7:12 Out in the ''world,'' there are strong arguments against the Golden Rule. Meaning that there are some exceptions and logical arguments against the Golden Rule, but only in some circumstances. It all falls to common sense. The fact of the matter is that, on a day-to-day basis, living your life by the Golden Rule will make you a better person, period. And will make those around you happier, and will make your community and the world a much better place.  More Let’s take a look at some simple pointers for living by the Golden Rule: Practice empathy. Make it a habit to try to place yourse

The Art of Patience

With love and patience, nothing is impossible.  by Michael Corthell   Our way of life, in the western, industrialized world at least, involves a lot of instant gratification or 'instant living', and that gives way to a whole lot of impatience. We expect fast service, fast food and fast everything. These great expectations lead to increased stress which in turn leads to poorer health and unhappy lives. What is the solution? Patience. ''Genius is eternal patience.'' —Michelangelo Saint Augustine said, ''patience is the companion to wisdom.'' Practicing, developing, and nurturing patience is a cornerstone to happiness, and living a more peaceful, well-rounded life. Don't listen to what pop culture says. “How can a society that exists on instant mashed potatoes, packaged cake mixes, frozen dinners, and instant cameras teach patience to its young?” —Paul Sweeney We live fast and sometimes die fast. Instant gratifi

The Benefits of a Global Resource-Based Economy

There is a growing belief that global prosperity can only be achieved if it is founded on the principles of a more sustainable, inclusive model of economic growth. by Michael Corthell The quality of life for all people on Earth will be raised and enhanced immeasurably when all people have access to the best products and services, education, healthcare, transportation, housing, and energy systems that our civilization can provide.  This commitment must come sooner, rather than later to save our environment and our race. We have the technology to begin implementing this new economy now. We only need the will to do so...    Global problems faced by mankind today are impacting individuals and nations rapidly. Climate change, famine, war, epidemics of deadly diseases, and environmental pollution contribute to the long list of global challenges we, as humans, need to promptly address before an eventual catastrophe swiftly becomes inevitable. By some estimates, we have less than ten year

Saving Ourselves and the World is in Our Own Hands

by Michael Corthell Resourceism is the belief or ideology that all of the Earth's resources are the common inheritance of all the world's people and should be shared equally for the benefit of all the Earth's inhabitants. Resourceism is the foundational belief of a resource-based economy . Climate change has always been a thing. Man-made climate change has not. Our industrial activities have radically altered Earth's biospheres and polluted the environment.  The Venus Project is an organization that proposes a feasible plan of action for social change, one that works towards a peaceful and sustainable global civilization. It outlines an alternative to strive toward where human rights are no longer paper proclamations but a way of life. The good news is we can reverse the damage and save the Earth, ourselves, and the millions of other species with whom we share our house. There is still time, that is if we are united in that effort.  There are two major belief systems

The Path to Peace: Veganism Plus Resource Based Economy

What kind of world will our children inherit?  by Michael Corthell The human race is and has been for over a generation, in the middle of a revolutionary paradigm shift in consciousness, one that will only change our entire global civilization for the better. Looking through history, it's very clear that the world has undergone many of these shifts.  A paradigm shift is a fundamental change in approach or underlying assumptions. For example, when Pythagoras proposed that the Earth was round instead of flat, the foundation of science and people's understanding of the world was completely changed. Similarly, when the Industrial Revolution took place there was a complete shift in manufacturing, lifestyle, and economics. A paradigm shift will literally shake a society, or an entire civilization to its core, by making it veer off its current path, and driving it toward a new one. Though it might appear the opposite in the corporate-controlled mainstream news, it appe

What is Social Justice?

by Michael Corthell Social Justice is justice in terms of the distribution of wealth, opportunities,  and privileges within a society. It is about equality and oneness. People who have developed a strong, positive mindset always follow the cultural rule of 'Live and Let Live', because positive, happy people recognize and appreciate other people and animals as being worthy of value and respect. Most people are judged by their behavior within society. Having that spirit of positivity makes it easier for us to tolerate the differences among our neighbors because we know that we are all different but also the same deep down inside. We have the same hopes, the same fears, and the same joys — we are all human. ''Tolerance implies no lack of commitment to one's own beliefs. Rather it condemns the oppression or persecution of others.'' —John F. Kennedy There are several ways for us to become wiser and more tolerant people. First, we must want and choos

Positive Thoughts Lead to a Positive and Happy Life

by Michael Corthell Peace, love, and joy. How can everyone attain and keep them? First of all, I can tell you how not to find them or how to lose these three things once you have found them — by having a negative mindset. Be positive in thought and action always. There are certain things you have to do in order to create a positive mindset. Your new, joy-filled and happy life awaits you by discovering how to keep your thoughts positive, and by having a positive mindset. ''The fruit that the Spirit(God) produces in a person’s life is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these kinds of things.'' — Galatians 5:22-23 First, you must CHOOSE to think positively. Then have a look at these suggestions: 1. First, realize and remember always, that your thoughts create your life , in fact, they determine what your future becomes. Your life becomes what your thoughts make it.

How to Do Your Own Accurate Fact Checking

Critical thinking is the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating information gathered from, or generated by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to belief and action.  In its exemplary form, it is based on universal intellectual values that transcend subject matter divisions: clarity, accuracy, precision, consistency, relevance, sound evidence, good reasons, depth, breadth, and fairness. "Fake News" & Misinformation Learn how to evaluate news sources, identify unreliable sources, misinformation, and conspiracy theories Fact-Checking Links FactCheck.org A product of the Annenberg Public Policy Center, this site is useful for checking on political claims. Politifact The Pulitzer Prize-winning Politifact researches the claims of politicians and checks their accuracy. Snopes.com One of the oldest debunking sites on the Internet, Snopes.com focu

Global Governance and the Fear of the 'Other'

by Michael Corthell [I wrote this as an introduction to my theory about social behavior in the global resource-based economic system.] Fear : (noun) an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain or a threat. (verb) be afraid of (someone or something) as likely to be dangerous, painful, or threatening. "farmers fear that they will lose business" In both humans and in animals, the purpose of fear is to help ensure the survival of the individual. During the process of human and non-human evolution, the ones who feared the proper existential threats survived to pass on their genes. If we had no instinctive fear, we wouldn't have survived. Therefore fear is a good thing unless it is irrational.  Phobias are one type of irrational fear, but there is another that I call 'misplaced fear'. Fear of loss to the other is one that I'd like to highlight because it is the genesis of racism and by extension speciesism

Common Sense vs. Superstition

Superstition : a belief or practice resulting from ignorance,  fear of the unknown, trust in magic or chance, or a false conception of causation. by Michael Corthell Superstitious beliefs are very common throughout the world. They aren't discussed very much and are for the most part just accepted. These false beliefs vary across cultural lines and among nationalities but they all have the same beginnings: ignorance, as we shall see. ''Religion without morality is a superstition and a curse, and morality without religion is impossible.'' — Mark Hopkins Are you a slave to your superstitions? Do you turn around when you see a black cat? Do you avoid stepping on a crack (so you won't break your mother's back!), because you are sure that your day will be ruined? Have you broken a mirror, and felt the doom that your life was ruined for the next seven years? If you feel this way, then it may be time to break the habit of superstition by standing in t

Conspiracy Theories and What Makes People Believe in Them

__________________________________ Conspiracy theories resist falsification and are reinforced by circular reasoning: both evidence against the conspiracy and an absence of evidence for it are re-interpreted as evidence of its truth, whereby the conspiracy becomes a matter of faith rather than something that can be proved or disproved. Research suggests that conspiracist ideation—belief in conspiracy theories—can be psychologically harmful or pathological and that it is correlated with psychological projection , paranoia and Machiavellianism . Psychologists attribute finding a conspiracy where there is none to a mental illness called illusory pattern perception . Conspiracy theories once limited to fringe audiences have become commonplace in mass media , emerging as a cultural phenomenon of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. A conspiracy theory is an explanation for an event or situation that invokes a conspiracy by sinister and powerful groups, often political in motivati