June was a terrible month for writing, but it turned out to be a great month for collecting experiences that would be good for writing later. At the beginning of the month I was spending my last day in Paris recovering from several days of non-stop record-setting walking around; at the end of it, I'll … Continue reading (Personal) A Writer’s Journal: June 2018
Category: Buddhism
(Politics) Fighting to Save the Things We Love
"That's how we're going to win: not fighting what we hate, saving what we love." - Rose Tico, Star Wars: The Last Jedi Last week, the actress who played Rose, Kelly Marie Tran, deleted her Instagram account after months of harassment rooted in racism and misogyny by trolls who hated her inclusion in the Skywalker … Continue reading (Politics) Fighting to Save the Things We Love
(Mental Health) How to Help Others
When I look back on the person I was in college -- during the worst period of my depression -- I am honestly amazed that I still have so many friends who knew me back then. I spent most of my time in the computer lab talking to folks online, and barely had enough energy … Continue reading (Mental Health) How to Help Others
(Mental Health) How to Help Yourself
If I could have readers leave the Desk at the end of the month with only one new piece of information, it's that mental illnesses are actual, physical ailments in the brain. While the way we think and perceive has something to do with how the illnesses are expressed, the fact remains that most conditions … Continue reading (Mental Health) How to Help Yourself
(Writing) A Writer’s May
The month of April was...not great for me as a writer. I didn't make much progress on anything of note, though I *did* resume a long-dormant Pathfinder game that I'll take as my big win. I could attribute the lack of writing to my day job, or family stress, or the general pressures of being … Continue reading (Writing) A Writer’s May
(Politics) Mindful Resistance
Ever since Michael Brown was shot dead by a police officer in Ferguson, MO I don't think I've been able to reflect on our political situation without a mix of anger, horror or despair. It's been tough to know what to do with these very difficult emotions even at the best of times; when the … Continue reading (Politics) Mindful Resistance
(Personal) Hello, April
Floating in a sensory deprivation tank for an hour was long enough for me to realize that a great deal of my problem is overstimulation. It's tough for someone sensitive to sensory input to live in a world like this, geared towards making sure something is grabbing your attention all the time. We live at … Continue reading (Personal) Hello, April
(Buddhism) We’re All Mad Here
I've been thinking a lot about anger over the past month and a half. Ever since Michael Brown was killed by a police officer in Ferguson, MO way back in 2014 I've been increasingly political with my online presence -- and the candidacy and ultimate inauguration of Donald Trump has pushed that side of my … Continue reading (Buddhism) We’re All Mad Here
(Buddhism) Smile, Breathe and Go Slowly
We're living in a time where fear is a completely natural and understandable response. It feels like the world is perilously close to the edge of ruin -- nuclear tensions between the world superpowers are higher than they've been since the Cold War; our governments are doing very little to deal with the environmental problems … Continue reading (Buddhism) Smile, Breathe and Go Slowly
(Personal) Perpetual Tharn
We're three weeks in to 2018 -- just long enough to settle into the new year and whatever new habits or goals we've set for ourselves. I wanted to push myself towards more mindful behavior this year, doing my best to really dive into right speech, action, and livelihood. While last year was definitely stressful, … Continue reading (Personal) Perpetual Tharn
From the Desk of Jakebe T. Rabbit 