Articles from the Week of August 30, 2024
Explanation: Although I scan the Internet primarily for counseling articles, in the process I run across quotes and interesting facts that I sometimes include in these first two sections. If you’re just interested in the counseling articles, you can skip these first two sections and go directly to the section called Counseling Articles. HV
Interesting Quotes
You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.
Les Brown
A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor.
Franklin D. Roosevelt
A happy life consists not in the absence, but in the mastery of hardships.
Helen Keller
Many people have a wrong idea of what constitutes true happiness. It is not attained through self-gratification but through fidelity to a worthy purpose.
Helen Keller
“No man will make a great leader who wants to do it all himself or get all the credit for doing it.”
ANDREW CARNEGIE
"Getting old is like climbing a mountain; you get a little out of breath, but the view is much better!"
Ingrid Bergman
"As I grow older, I pay less attention to what men say. I just watch what they do."
ANDREW CARNEGIE
Fascinating Facts
Oceans have lakes and rivers.
“The Earth’s oceans are just as dynamic a landscape as the bits of rock that peek above its surface. Our seas are home to the world’s longest mountain chain, its deepest trenches, and other impressive natural structures that boggle the mind. The ocean is even home to its own underwater lakes and rivers…..
“These aren’t the only types of “rivers” found in the world’s oceans. Where some of the world’s major rivers (including the Amazon and Congo) meet the sea, an underwater current of silt and sand can create massive channels that move more sediment in a few weeks than all the world’s regular rivers combined can move in a year. Although these are massive undersea structures, scientists discovered them only 40 years ago with the advent of sonar mapping, and many mysteries still surround them. In fact, some oceanographers have said that we know more about the surface of Mars than the depths of the Earth’s oceans, and less than 19% of the ocean floor has been mapped in detail. Which raises the question: What other amazing aquatic wonders have yet to be discovered?” (Source: InterestingFacts.com)
Do You Know How the Three Musketeers candy bar got its name?
The 3 Musketeers candy bar was initially named for its flavors. The original candy bar had three bars with different flavors: chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla. During WWII, citing ongoing challenges and costs related to wartime restrictions, the Three Musketeers bar was reduced to one piece, available in just one flavor: chocolate. But despite the lower bar count, the name remained the same. (Source: HistoryFacts.com)
Counseling Articles
Active Fathers Are Exacerbating the Two-Parent Privilege
Titles of articles sometimes help us decide whether we want to take the time to read an article, but sometimes they give us a skewed picture of what the article is about and may prevent us from reading an article that is rich in other ways. This article tells us of the many ways that many fathers are more involved than in previous generations and the benefits of this. It does also mention the fact that single parent families often lack these benefits, but I hope you won’t miss the positives in this article because of its headline. And maybe it can be a reminder of things we can do when we see single-parent families in our churches.
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Resolving Conflict: New Study Shows What Long-term Couples Can Teach Us
This well-done research study examined the methods long-married couples used to resolve their conflicts. They found that each couple found those ways that worked for them, but the three that were mentioned most frequently were listening, avoiding conflict, and communicating well and the next three were compromise, resolving it quickly, and cooling down. For couples who are having difficulty learning specific communication skills this article might provide some helpful ideas.
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7 Creative Ways to Say “I Love You”
If you do marriage counseling or are married you may want to spend two minutes reading this article. You and your clients probably know and may already use several of these ways, but there are a few that you or they might not have thought of or may have stopped using that could be helpful.
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Why people have fallen out of love with dating apps
You may not be able to read this unless you have a subscription to The Economist, but a summary is that dating apps like Tinder and Bumble are having more and more trouble getting singles to pay for them. The reasons are varied and differ between men and women, but apparently enough people are dissatisfied with the results that they no longer believe they are worth the cost.
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The Power of Meditation in Enhancing Brain Function
Once associated with Near Eastern religions, the research on those who consistently practice meditation found that it reduces stress, increases ability to concentrate and remember, increases one’s sense of emotional well-being, and increases creativity. This article summarizes each of these factors.
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College Is So Yesterday — There’s Another Path to the American Dream
If you’re a parent with one or more children about to go to college, or if you counsel teens, this is probably a worthwhile article to read. There are some careers where a college education is necessary, but for at least some teens, waiting until their career interests have stabilized, or other options such as internships may be worthwhile to consider.
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A More Impressive Word When You Can’t Think of a Word
I taught until I was 70. During the last two years or so I complained that my age was causing me to have “noun-loss”—I couldn’t remember the word I was trying to think of. Several of my 25-year-old students said they had the same thing, so it wasn’t something that just affected older people. I just found out there is a more formal word for that phenomenon, should you wish to use it: lethologica. I’ll let you decide which term communicates the meaning more clearly.
Scientists find neurons that process language on different timescales
You may not choose to spend your time on this article because it’s fairly technical. It is a summary of some brain research on how our minds interpret words. According to other research I have read, our brains consist of 86 billion neurons and 100 trillion connections, so its likely that we’ll be trying to understand the brain for some time in the future. What this study did conclude was that different parts of the brain are involved in interpreting different parts of speech (some parts of the brain interpret individual words, some interpret phrases). If you’re interested in more detail, read the article.
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Finding love: Study reveals where love lives in the brain
Here is a study that probably more of you will find interesting—a study of how different types of love activate different parts of the brain.
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Teenagers: How to avoid sexual temptation, according to Hong Kong officials
Hong Kong officials recommend that their teens play badminton. I haven’t figured out exactly how playing badminton reduces temptation, but perhaps some of you younger folks may know. You may not be able to read this article without a subscription to the New York Times.
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Government Pressure on Social Media Platforms to Suppress Free Speech and How Effective Are Climate Change Policies?
Normally I don’t include political issues in this compilation of counseling-related articles, but the two issues discussed on Wednesday’s version of The Briefing are so important that I encourage every adult to read them. You can either listen to Al Mohler’s broadcast (he has a very interesting speaking voice) or read the transcript, but I think to be an informed Christian it will be helpful to do one or the other.
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Toxic Homes for Sale: How California’s Illegal Marijuana Industry Ruins Houses
This in-depth article will probably be less relevant to you unless you or a client are considering buying a home in California, although it could be relevant if you find a home anywhere in the country that is priced significantly below market value. This article gives you comprehensive knowledge of how hard it is to make the home healthy for an incoming family ever again.
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'Emerging Threat' Xylazine Use Continues to Spread Across the United States
If you work in the substance abuse field you probably will be interested in this article. This veterinary tranquilizer is frequently mixed with fentanyl and can cause serious medical and psychological effects. It is spreading across the U.S. See article for more details.
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Do You Have What It Takes to Be the Bass Player at Church? Here Are 9 Qualifications
In case you’re not familiar with the Babylon Bee, it’s a Christian occasional newspaper whose articles are usually a total spoof. But if you have had a hard week and need a little humor, you might like this article.
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Man Unsure If He’s Becoming More Virtuous with Age or Just Too Tired to Sin
If you need more from the Babylon Bee, here’s a second article.
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Christopher Reeve said wife’s seven words saved his life after paralyzing accident
As you may remember, Christopher Reeve played Superman in the movies Superman, Superman 2, Superman 3 and 4. He was paralyzed from the neck down in a horse-riding accident. During his recovery period he recalls saying to himself “I ruined my life and everybody else’s. I won’t be able to ski, sail, or throw a ball to Will. Won’t be able to make love to Dana. Maybe we should let me go.’” His wife then “ said the words that saved his life: “You’re still you. And I love you.”
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The Joy of Growing Old Together
Having recently enjoyed our 54th anniversary together, I can personally attest to the truths of this article. And in my work as a pastoral care volunteer at Jupiter hospital I frequently have a chance to talk with couples who have been together for 60 or even 70 years. So even if you are much more recently married, I want to encourage you about the experiences that await you if you continue your commitment to each other.
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Psychiatric and Cognitive Symptoms in Once-Hospitalized Long COVID Patients Increased at 2- to 3-Year Follow-Up
If you have clients who were hospitalized for long COVID and after 2 or 3 years are having a resurgence of symptoms you may want to read this article, for apparently this phenomenon is not an infrequent occurrence. This may be another reason for all of us to consider getting one of the two boosters that have recently been approved—studies have shown that getting the boosters does not prevent one from getting COVID, but from getting a severe case of COVID.
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Have a wonderful Labor Day weekend or week!
Henry Virkler