The World Health Organization defines health as a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. As such, global health is influenced by many factors and has taken on an increased sense of urgency in the face of our shrinking planet and the impacts of global …
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Emotions signal that something important is happening. They trigger a physical response in our bodies and get us ready for action. Our emotional state “colors” – that is, it defines or organizes – how we experience events, ourselves, and others. Robert Ornstein, PhD; David Sobel, MD, MPH; and Sally MallamContributing Writers The content of this section, …
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From the first stone hammer to modern day technology, our ability to make and propensity to use tools influences our physical, mental, and social evolution. At every step we make choices—for better or worse—that determine the challenges we face. Further Reading
211 Universal Human Traits: Characteristics All Humans Share In Human Universals, Anthropologist Donald E. Brown posited a list of several hundred human traits, “features of culture, society, language, behavior, and psyche for which there are no known exception”—characteristics that represent the evolution of our species’ mental adaptation to communal life. In this list, “they,” “them,” and …
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Bonobos and Chimpanzees show traits of self-recognition, toolmaking, language and other traits. All animals adapt, develop and diversify over time to ensure their species’ survival, so it’s not surprising that we share characteristics with our nearest relatives. Some of these are less well known, and quite surprising. 1. Self-recognition Joshua Plotnik, a graduate student in …
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Echoes were very likely understood to be the voices of spirits. Their reverberating sound appeared to come from deep inside the cave walls, themselves thought to be a portal to the spirit world. By Robert Ornstein, PhD, Sally Mallam, and Doug Keefe, PhDContributing Writers These cavernous spaces provided such silence that one might hear one’s own heartbeat. In some …
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Siddattha Gotama—the “Awakened One”—advised pupils not to accept anything simply because it is traditional or comes from sacred text or charismatic teacher. He emphasized the need to check one’s views, test ideas, and guard against the possibility of bias. He emphasized the quality of mindfulness—awareness without judgment of mind, body, and environment. He taught that …
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Honoring the Gods involved all aspects of the Panhellenic Games. The agon, or contest, was at the center of life for the Greeks in their striving towards individual excellence, and, at the same time, prepared them both physically and mentally for conflict. By Sally MallamContributing Writer The Olympic Games, held every four years in honor …
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A month after his own death in 14 CE, Augustus Caesar was declared a God by the Roman Senate and was worshipped, with statues venerating him throughout the Empire, including in Jerusalem. Pax Romana meant that it was by the will of the Gods that Rome ruled, because of its virtue, strength and nobility. The Jews, on …
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Like all true spiritual leaders, Jesus was uncompromising; should his actions and words involve politics, or have political consequences, then so be it, but, like the great Axial prophets and teachers before him, his aim was spiritual revitalization. Jesus was against the abuse of power, not simply out of compassion for the downtrodden, but because …
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Muhammad was tasked to unite not only the Arab tribes but, as he proclaimed again and again, anyone who believes in the One True God. His mystical experience of the Night Journey prepared him for this life-long task. The record of his experience inspired generations of mystics, including the Christian mystics of the Middle Ages …
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“Islam, unlike any of its predecessors, insisted that truth became available to all peoples at specific times in their development; and that Islam, far from being a new religion, was no more and no less than the last in the chain of great religions addressed to the peoples of the world. By Sally MallamContributing Writer …
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