by Eric Harrison | Apr 4, 2016 | Magazine Articles
Peace comes in many forms from the transient to the eternal, from the trivial to the sublime. ‘Peace at last!’, says the mother when the kids are finally in bed. Peace in politics means the cessation of hostilities, which would seem like Heaven to the... Read more
by Eric Harrison | Apr 4, 2016 | Magazine Articles
We think of wise people as being grounded, down-to-earth, in touch with reality, and willing to call a spade a spade. They disdain hype and spin, and unerringly hone in on the hard facts of any matter. They can’t help but see things ‘as they really... Read more
by Eric Harrison | Apr 4, 2016 | Magazine Articles
Indian philosophy says we pass through three states of mind each day: the waking state, the dream state and the deep sleep state. Most people are conscious if at all in the waking stage. The average meditator will get occasional glimpses of the dream state. Only a... Read more
by Eric Harrison | Apr 4, 2016 | Magazine Articles
Yesterday is gone forever and tomorrow is impossible to predict. Both the past and the future seem vanishingly faint and ghostly when compared to the earthy solidity of this minute. Yet virtually all of us, with the exception of newborn infants, operate with some... Read more
by Eric Harrison | Apr 4, 2016 | Magazine Articles
My passion for solitude started very early. I was always walking away from home. At the age of four, I loved to explore the creek with the pussy willow trees behind the house. At six, I would roam all alone through the steep forested hills behind the zoo, enchanted by... Read more
by Eric Harrison | Apr 4, 2016 | Magazine Articles
To be alive seems very different from being dead, but when we look into our bodies, the situation is not so clear cut at all. Millions of cells within us die every day, and millions are born. Even more intriguing is that most of these cells are not ‘us’.... Read more
by Eric Harrison | Apr 4, 2016 | Magazine Articles
When I look into myself, I see a endless succession of thoughts, sensations and emotions all within the framework of an ever-changing body. I find myself quite hard to grasp. I am too complicated, too disconcertingly variable. Yet, despite this, I still know exactly... Read more
by Eric Harrison | Apr 4, 2016 | Magazine Articles
All moralities have a surprisingly selfish idea at their core: that what is good for me personally is right, and what is bad for me personally is wrong. The reason we don’t habitually lie, steal and rape is not that God will be angry with us. It’s that it... Read more
by Eric Harrison | Apr 4, 2016 | Magazine Articles
The Olympic Games tell us that perfection is possible: that one man or woman can be faster or stronger, or more skilful in some peculiar way, than any other on Earth. Some champions on the winner’s podium still look like dorks, but others shine with a radiance... Read more
by Eric Harrison | Apr 4, 2016 | Magazine Articles
Do you sometimes feel embarrassed, ashamed or guilty? I certainly hope so. These emotions are crucial if we want to survive and be happy as social animals. Only by having a sophisticated capacity for shame can we learn how to fit in, be good citizens, avoid disgrace... Read more
