Is Einstein history’s greatest “don’t give up your day job” story?
From Walter Isaacson’s Einstein: His Life and Universe: So it was that Albert Einstein would end up spending the most creative seven years of his life— even after
Comparative study of different forms of meditation
This study is badly needed: There are countless ways of meditating, but the purpose behind them all remains basically the same: more peace, less stress, better concentration, greater
A global history of meditation
I can only say I wish this project had been completed when I was writing The Distraction Addiction: a three-volume comparative study of meditation in global religions. I
Thomas Jefferson on exercise: “You should therefore not permit yourself even to think while you walk”
Thomas Jefferson, writing about exercise in 1785: Encourage all your virtuous dispositions, and exercise them whenever an opportunity arises, being assured that they will gain strength by exercise
“Doctors are prescribing a walk in the park:” the revival of nature therapies
Laura Smith in Slate writes about the revival of doctors prescribing time in nature to deal with obesity and other ailments, focusing mainly on Washington DC physician Robert
“Presidents are better for having time out of Washington, even better for time away with their families”
Former White House staffer Bill Burton argues that people should “stop complaining about Obama’s golfing.” Bottom line: it’s not really a vacation, even in Hawaii. Burton makes a
Work and rest during wartime: Lessons from Telegraph Cottage
One the most common reasons people give for not taking time off from work— forgoing vacation days, taking home work on the weekend, checking voice mail or email
Deliberate Rest: A Manifesto
In my last book, The Distraction Addiction, I devoted two chapters to rest and restoration, and the Digital Sabbath movement. In a chapter on rest, I talk some about
C. S. Lewis
In Surprised by Joy, C. S. Lewis describes his time living in Great Bookham with William Kirkpatrick, a former school headmaster who tutored students preparing for university entrance
Quote of the day: William Gibson
"It’s harder to imagine the past that went away than it is to imagine the future." (From his Paris Review interview.)