The Official Website of Michael Corthell

  Not long ago in America by Michael Corthell Prejudice, Hate, and Racism. This evil trinity of human behavior will rise and fall depending on the political climate, economy, and spiritual atmosphere of the times.  Hating another human being for who they are or what was done to them is very grave insubordination. It is slapping God in the face. This evil behavior carries with it severe consequences for individuals, as well as nations and societies. ''Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that...The time is always right to do what is right.'' —Martin Luther King, Jr. Prejudice is caused by negative, hateful thoughts and attitudes. These opinions and feelings toward a person or group are formed without adequate knowledge , thought or reason and are based on stereotypes. Prejudice is the result of prejudgment and leads to the discrimination of and even outright hate for an

by Michael Corthell    I think that we can all agree that healing is an act of kindness, as well as an act of love. The very first step in healing is to know what needs to be healed. To do that we have to listen and listen deeply, without distraction or any negativity. Deeply listening with kindness and compassion is undoubtedly the most powerful act of human healing and change. Compassion is a virtue that all good human beings have, and it is this virtue that provides the motivation for wanting to heal. In order to heal others, we must first heal ourselves, especially our emotional minds. Those of us who have been self-criticizing for years, need only to stop and start affirming ourselves. People who make that switch from self-negation to self-affirmation are truly transformed human beings, who then, are well on their way to self-enlightenment. Several research studies have shown that when you practice and feel compassion, your heart rate slows down, you

by Michael Corthell Our lives are short enough and time spent being angry and resentful toward someone is really a waste of time. How to cope? Forgive. ''Those who are free of resentful thoughts surely find peace.'' —Buddha Hanging on to resentments and your angry, hurt feelings toward someone you were once close to will not only keep you from moving on with your life, you may never learn to deal with the emotional wounds. Letting go of your anger, resentment, and jealousy, whether it leads to healing the relationship, or to wholeness and peace within yourself, or both, is essential to healing and maintaining good health—for your mind and your body. ''Resentment is like punching yourself in the face, and expecting the other person to get a bloody nose.'' When you start to resent or hate a person, you become that person's slave. He controls your thoughts and dreams. He takes away good digestion, steals your peace of mind and goodw

“Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much.” ― Oscar Wilde It is wrong, it is immoral, (and futile) for anyone to seek to escape the consequences of their acts. Trying to wiggle out of it only compounds your negative consequences. Karma is a real thing based on the laws that govern the Universe. See Essay: Compensation by Ralph Waldo Emerson

Carnism is the invisible belief system, or ideology, that conditions people to eat certain animals and not others. by Michael Corthell It has been said that as long as there are slaughterhouses, there will be battlefields. Let me explain. Carnism is a belief system or ideology. This ideology conditions people to eat certain animals, but not others. It is essentially 'invisible' in all human cultures.  Carnism is the polar opposite of veganism. The 'carn' means flesh or meat and 'ism' refers to a belief system. And because carnism is invisible, people rarely, if ever, realize that eating animals is a choice, rather than a given. In all meat-eating cultures around the world, people really don't think about why they eat some animals and not others, or why they eat meat at all. So then, when eating animals is not a necessity, which is the case for most people worldwide, then it is a choice – and choices always come from belief systems. As long as we

Fatalism: the belief that all events are predetermined and therefore inevitable. by Michael Corthell The idea of positive fatalism I can best show by example, that is, after I explain a little bit about my view of it. It is a contrary and controversial explanation using the kind of thinking, which is not unlike the logic of one of my mentors, C. S. Lewis. I call this theory, 'apparent free will', which simply means: your will for self determination is seemingly real or true, but not necessarily so .  This is not a Calvinistic theory however and should not be confused with it. ''Whatever will be, will be The future's not ours to see Que será, será What will be, will be...'' — Que Sera, Sera The ageless and classic problem of free will is to fit in an element of freedom with fatalism and faith in a world of causes and effects, a world of events in a great causal chain. That is where  ''apparent free will'' comes in. (related: Calvin

  ''To be either positive or negative-minded is a choice and the decision to turn on those positive thinking vibes could be the most important choice you ever make in your entire life.'' - Michael Corthell ____________________ The  National Science Foundation  reports our brain produces as many as 50,000 thoughts per day, with a majority being inner dialogue.  In fact, we talk to ourselves most of the time. And our self-talks have become one of the main factors that influenced our overall mindset, our actions, and ultimately, the results we get in life. Below is a brief overview of how to retrain your brain to think positively and limit the negative conversations we have with ourselves. For a more in-depth look see:  ''Self-Talk Creates Reality'' ______________________  ''Positive Self-Talk'' What is positive self-talk? Our internal dialogues, or “self-talk,” can shape our beliefs and influence our emotions and behavior, and provide assur

by Michael Corthell Being healthy takes much more than eating an apple a day (to keep the doctor away). It has been shown that having a healthy immune system requires a balanced diet, good daily rest, and living a positive lifestyle. Knowing that we need to eat the right foods is common sense but the devil, as always, is in the details. What foods are best for us? Some of our nutritional needs are specific to the individual, because of a unique make-up and lifestyle, but there are commonalities. Want to eat right for a healthy life? Get the book that will set you on the right path: How Not to Die by Michael Greger, M.D. The immune system protects us from illness and disease. We can do many things to keep our immune system at it's best. Drink plenty of water. Hydration is important to every system in the body, and the immune system relies heavily on water (as a vehicle) in both in the lymphatic system and blood vessels. Nutrition and exercise play a role in resistin

by Michael Corthell The sixth sense is another term for extrasensory perception . Extrasensory perception (ESP) involves the reception of information not gained through the normal five senses. It is the faculty of perceiving information through telepathy or clairvoyance. Our sixth sense, our  creative intelligence  is our authentic self — the mind of our soul. It is the faculty of our true selves that communicates directly with God, who is often referred to as the Infinite Intelligence of the Universe. A fter you have acquired a positive mindset , you will then be prepared to accept, as a fact, statements that may otherwise seem to be quite insane. For these, for example: When your sixth sense is developed, you will be warned of danger so you can avoid it. You will also be shown opportunities in time to capitalize on them. In effect what comes to your aid, and to does your bidding, with the development of the sixth sense, is a 'higher you' who will allow yo

Ambition is a strong desire to do, or to achieve something. Many people just 'think about it' and that desire then turns into just another fantasy. by Michael Corthell Ambition is not a dirty word, but it can be a 'good or bad' thing depending on who has this strong desire to achieve because it is personality based. If a person is good and has a positive attitude toward life and people, all will be well. If not, then negative results will ensue. ''Everyone endeavors as much as possible to make others love what he loves, and to hate what he hates''   —Benedict de Spinoza Ambition is a trait or disposition, and is often confused by many with aspiration which is goal setting or reaching for an objective. Ambition is persistent and pervasive, and a person can't alter this trait any more than he can alter any other character trait. A truly ambitious person, having achieved one goal, soon starts plan another and will strive toward it.

Inaction prolongs the distress of worry.  by Michael Corthell Have you woken up in the middle of the night worrying about a difficult situation? I think we all have. Many will pray, "God, please help me do something about this," but you can't sleep, the worry is overwhelming. You toss and turn, saying, "What should I do, what can I do?" But at the same time you know that worrying doesn't change the situation one bit and that you shouldn't worry. You may even remember a Bible verse or several of them. But still, the unsettled feelings continue to haunt you. "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." — Philippians 4:6 For all of us, at some point in our lives, there were situations that were so overwhelming, so challenging, so distressing that we just couldn't help worrying about them. When we look back at the resolution of the problem

by Michael Corthell In this article, I present scientific evidence that may help you break through those excuses and get motivated to take action and get healthy. Eating right and exercising are at the top of the shortlist of things we all must do to gain and maintain optimal health. Common sense has told us to do this for centuries, but today we know much more about how food and exercise affect our total mind/body makeup through scientific research and evidence. ''Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.''    —Hippocrates Today we will look at how positive food choices can actually change our genetic make-up for the better, by looking at ' nutrigenomics '. Nutrigenomics is the scientific study of the interaction of nutrition and genes, especially with regard to the prevention or treatment of disease. These studies have and will continue to tell us what our common sense has told us forever, that good food helps grow and maintain a go

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