The end of anger

I used to have a bad temper.  I’d get angry about a whole lot of things, including inanimate objects that didn’t bend to my immediate will.  The ‘red mist’ would come down and I’d be carried along by a tsunami of emotion over which I had absolutely no control.

But why do we get angry?  As I explain in Time-Light, anger has several roots, all related to time.

One cause is the recognition of an anticipated pattern.  In other words, there is an immediate comparison to a past event that didn’t go the way we wanted, and we fully expect a similar outcome again.

Another can be the extension of time into an imagined future.  Something in the present moment frustrates the progress towards something that is about to happen, such as making an appointment or catching a train.

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The cause of bipolar (and every other mental condition)

Bipolar disorder—once known as manic depression—is a serious mental condition.  The alarming highs and lows associated with the problem are controlled by powerful drugs, but neuroscientists are at a loss as to what is actually going on. Most assume it’s a genetic problem, and some believe it could be caused by a chemical imbalance.  But

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How we can be free

I’ve been enjoying Sarah Bakewell’s new book At The Existential Café (Chatto & Windus), which explores the origins and development of existential philosophy. It traces the movement’s beginnings back to Kierkegaard, and how Husserl and his student, Martin Heidegger, developed it further,  but the book’s main focus is on Jean-Paul Sartre and his life-long companion

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