With many colleges and universities still deciding when to re-open their campuses after they were shuttered due to COVID-19, many high school seniors are thinking about taking a gap year.

We use our mind in many ways. We use it when we don't even think about it; it simply takes over and provides us with the support we need for survival. We forget that it's there working and we overlook it as the best tool we have for self-improvement.

Updated July 2, 20020 - This whole coronavirus pandemic is costing a fortune, maybe 2 or 3 or 4 fortunes, all of unknown size. Oh yeah, and, hundreds of thousands, maybe a million, of people will die prematurely as a direct or indirect result. How much is that worth? It didn't have to be this way. 

I recently gave the keynote address at a local graduation ceremony. I arrived early to hang out with the 72 students and asked a few of them, "What would you like to hear from me?" I ended up quoting a bright young woman I'll call Lucinda, who paused in deep thought for about thirty seconds before answering.

In the mid-1960s, Bob Dylan’s song, “The Times They Are A-Changin,” became an anti-establishment anthem for frustrated young people.Fifty-plus years later, the times are no longer “a-changin;” the times have changed—radically. In fact, rapid, continuous, unpredictable change is the “new normal.”

Have we not all asked ourselves this question at one point or another? "What's it all about?"  Since to every question there is an answer, I asked my inner Self to provide an answer. The answer I heard was "It's all about you!" Well...

A testimonial from someone who went from self-hate and self-destruction and ended up behind bars to discovering the goodness within and set out on a path of recovery.

We are in truth limitless, magnificent universal beings. Right here and now, we embody all the forces of the universe. There is no difference between our energy and the energy of the universe; they are one and the same.

The world we inhabit is changing at such speed and frenetic accelera­tion that in order to keep pace we must ourselves evolve, not from the Darwinian thesis of survival-of-the-fittest and physical evolution, but rather from the next step in the human story, conscious evolution.

Although there are early signs of tentative re-openings for trial-and-error life after quarantine, we cannot — and arguably should not — downplay the ongoing challenges and uncertainties for our children.

Let's imagine our minds as being filled with rows of cubbyholes. Each cubbyhole represents a particular relationship in our lives. Some of these cubbyholes contain largely benevolent thoughts. Others are filled with grievances and other dark thoughts. As I begin to think of those people, I may find a significant amount of resentment or anger stored away...

Pinch yourself, for instance, and your body seems solid. Your senses insist this is the case. It seems to be an essential, irrevocable truth. But the plain facts of science, regardless of what normally seems so patently obvious, prove that your senses are deceiving you.

One of my favorite lines in the movie "Gone With The Wind" is when Scarlett says "Tomorrow is another day". This line has given me hope many times when the skies of my life were bleak and I couldn't see around the corner of whatever challenge was facing me at the time…

There has been a lot of emphasis on physical survival, which of course is important. The following points will help you survive emotionally and spiritually, but more importantly, to thrive, both as an individual and in your relationships.

Seeing life as a series of "have to's" can be destructive. In reality, we don't "have to" do anything. On the contrary, we choose to do everything.

Viktor E. Frankl, in his book, Man's Search for Meaning, recounts his experiences in a concentration camp during World War II. He maintains that though he remained a prisoner, his inner self would always be free. He always had the freedom to think whatever he wanted to think; a freedom no one could take from him.

Moments of social disruption are a valuable reminder that so much of what we take for granted — our sense of normalcy — isn’t necessarily normal at all.

The meaning we give to something determines our reality and life experience. If you see a grizzly bear coming towards you, then the meaning, or interpretation, in that moment will be one of danger, fear and survival. If you see a kitten...

We know that a transformation of global dimensions has already started, and we know that its unfolding is not predictable. We can be certain that it will be challeng­ing. Will we achieve the understanding, the wisdom, to survive this challenge?

When Dee and I grew a family of dogs, we decided to feed them meat. That was a big decision for us, since we had never had meat in the house. But we love our “kids,” and we want them to be happy. Why impose our diet on them? So we buy them canned dog food and cook meat for them.

"The weekend is over and tomorrow it's back to reality!" "You've lost touch with reality!" What exactly is reality and whose reality are we talking about? I saw a bumper sticker not too long ago that said "Question reality". I agree. I think reality should be questioned and challenged and maybe even done away with...

We have learned to repress our emotions, or to blatantly "dump" them on others. Often, our strong emotions make us lash out and blame others for our feelings. There is an alternative, that not only heals you but empowers you.

How many times have you stopped yourself from doing something you really wanted to do? We sometimes seem to have a whole slough of reasons why "not to do" something. These range from "because I don't have the time or money", to "because they might disapprove".