A friend and reader, es, commented Your posts about North Korea remind me of some parts from Amartya Sen’s “Identity and Violence” and “the Idea of Justice”. Over-generalization, exclusion, multiple identities, basic norms existing in each society and universal norms that should transcend them. Narrow views on North Korea can be attributed to people only focusing on one aspect of North Koreans’ identities through the lens of basic norms in[…] Keep reading →

EDIT: I modified how I present the Method slightly. Please see the new version of this page and the updated series on implementing the Method. We’ve now covered the examples and preparation stages of how to implement the Method. Here is a diagram summarizing these steps (click it for full size) Preparation Know your emotional system Understand your current emotional cycles Awareness Conceive of consistent environments, beliefs, and behaviors Implement[…] Keep reading →

Some more comments on the lack of advertising in North Korea… The country has almost no advertising. You can drive for hours without seeing any billboards. What do you see instead? Green hills, mountains, streams, lakes, people working and walking from place to place. I found the countryside beautiful, if I didn’t pay attention the dilapidated buildings and roads. The country, of course, has problems, as the sources in my[…] Keep reading →

This post covers the fourth of several non-Method methods, generally expanding on non-Method method 3, “The Secret” or “Law of Attraction.” People often, somewhere in the middle of presenting the Method for the first time, for example, ask if the Method is not just positive thinking. Likewise, I hear non-Americans say things like “What is it with you Americans and always wanting to feel happy all the time? Everything in[…] Keep reading →

This post covers the third of several non-Method methods. People often try to improve their lives by changing only their beliefs. Typical examples of changing beliefs include believing money, friends, or health will come your way. Since the book and movie “The Secret” so popularly propagated this strategy a few years ago, I call this strategy “The Secret” or “Law of Attraction.” Before delving into it, I’ll point out that[…] Keep reading →

This post covers the first of several non-Method methods. People often try to improve their lives by changing or getting rid of something in their environment. By environment I don’t mean trees and lakes and streams, but anything that affects your emotional system, as described in my posts on the environment as part of the Model. Typically that thing is their house, car, job, or significant other, but could be[…] Keep reading →

The Method is based on the Model. Keeping in mind that like any model, the Model simplifies what it represents for its purpose. The Model’s purpose is to improve our lives by helping us understand our motivations, emotions, and emotional systems. As with any model, it can’t be absolutely right or true. Neither can any alternative. I mention the above for context because the discussion on the Method will all[…] Keep reading →