Tag Archives: Optimism

You Are Not Alone

Posted on October 3, 2020 by N.S. Palmer

You are not alone. Trust me on that. Right now, someone who loves you is thinking about you. Wondering if you’re all right. Wondering if you’re happy or sad. Wondering if now is a good time to give you a … Continue reading →

Posted in Psychology | Tagged COVID-19, Depression, Friendship, Happiness, Lockdowns, Loneliness, love, Optimism, Positive attitude, Serenity, Wisdom | Leave a comment

Get Happier: Read The Bee

Posted on August 21, 2020 by N.S. Palmer

If you’re not reading The Babylon Bee, you should be. Along the same lines as my July 28th blog post “Normies Don’t Care About Ideology” (but funny), The Bee today published this article: “Get A Load Of This Ignorant Moron Who … Continue reading →

Posted in Christianity, Life, Society | Tagged Babyon Bee, Common sense, Humor, News parody, Optimism, Parody, Parody site, Religion, Satire | Leave a comment

The Day After the Fire

Posted on August 1, 2020 by N.S. Palmer

Yesterday, of course, my apartment building caught fire. When I posted a photo of the fire, there was no way for me to know how the situation would turn out. The good news: nobody was killed or seriously injured. Most … Continue reading →

Posted in Life | Tagged Optimism, Positive attitude, Priorities, Sentiment | 4 Comments

How to Beat the Social-Isolation Blues

Posted on May 9, 2020 by N.S. Palmer

Are you discouraged? Depressed? Fearful? Confused? Unmotivated? Then I’ve got a cure for you. It’s guaranteed. It costs nothing. And it will pay dividends for the rest of your life. You need to know three things. The first two are … Continue reading →

Posted in Life, Science | Tagged Evolutionary Psychology, Faith, Hope, Neuroscience, Optimism, Positive attitude, Psychology, Wisdom | 3 Comments

If We Can Learn, We Can Do Better

Posted on April 1, 2020 by N.S. Palmer

The world is scary right now. But it won’t stay that way. Things will get better. The pandemic will subside. We will mourn our dead, be they many or few. We will go on. But if we can learn, then … Continue reading →

Posted in Jewish Philosophy, Life, Society | Tagged Constructive attitude, Experience, Family, Get priorities straight, Learning from experience, Optimism, Politicization, Positive attitude, Priorities, Priorities in life, Social Peace, Tolerance | Leave a comment

Compare and Contrast

Posted on September 5, 2019 by N.S. Palmer

“Compare and contrast.” It’s a staple of essay questions on college final exams. But be careful about applying it to life. Many people make themselves unhappy by comparing themselves to others who seem better off. They think that the other … Continue reading →

Posted in Human Relations, Life, Psychology | Tagged Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Comparing self to others, Comparisons, Optimism, Petula Clark, Positive thinking, Self-esteem, Self-Respect, Serenity, The other man's grass | 2 Comments

Believe in the Future

Posted on August 21, 2019 by N.S. Palmer

Many people dismiss faith as “believing what you know isn’t true.” But that’s wrong. At its most helpful, faith is believing what might be true: We will be alive tomorrow. The future can be good. Life has meaning and purpose. … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Life, Psychology | Tagged Belief, Believe, Confidence, Faith, Hope, Moral order, Optimism, Set an example, Trust in God, Trust in the future, William James | 2 Comments

Some Comforting Thoughts

Posted on May 31, 2019 by N.S. Palmer

Life can be troubling, especially during periods of heated social conflict. Politicians and the media are no help. Most now devote themselves to fomenting hatred and division. Schools are no help. Most now devote themselves to replacing knowledge with superstition. … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible, Jewish Philosophy, Judaism, Life, Psychology | Tagged Adages, Courage, Optimism, Perseverance, Serenity, Stoicism, Wisdom | Leave a comment

Follow Courage and Good Sense

Posted on May 16, 2019 by N.S. Palmer

I’m an optimistic kind of guy. I can usually find the “half full” in any glass, no matter how empty it is. But even I get discouraged sometimes. Most often, it’s because of human irrationality. The poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow … Continue reading →

Posted in Human Relations, Life, Political Science, Psychology, Society | Tagged Bertrand Russell, Courage, Existential courage, Gloom, Irrationality, Optimism, Social decline, Winston Churchill | Leave a comment

Advantages of Getting Older

Posted on April 6, 2019 by N.S. Palmer

I got some reading glasses today. However, they’re not actually for reading. I can do that fine except with paperback Hebrew dictionaries, whose print is almost microscopic. I gave up on those a long time ago, and got a magnifying … Continue reading →