Tag Archive for Society

Why are women less happy?

May 25, 2009 Reluctant Rant, Society

A recent study by the National Bureau of Economic Research found that women are less happy now than in the 1970′s, when a similar study was conducted. Not only did the subjective happiness of women decrease absolutely but also relative to men.

female-depressedThere are several theories as to why. Some guess that the women’s movement was unsuccessful. Others posit that men have gained more than women from women saturating the workforce, but that doesn’t really explain the absolute decrease in female happiness.

Many are overlooking a few fundamental reasons:

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"Evil" areas of the United States

May 23, 2009 Reluctant LDS Life, Personal, Society

Have you ever wondered where the “worst” areas of the country are? So did the Kansas State University Geography Department. So they mapped it out. They looked at each of the “seven deadly sins” and plotted the highest and lowest concentrations of each.  The breakdown of their methodologies of calculations:

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21 Suggestions for Success

March 7, 2009 Reluctant Family, Inspirational, Personal, Rant, Society

Key to successA friend of mine tipped me off to these suggestions, but they are both profound and simple:

1. Marry the right person. This one decision will determine 90% of your happiness or misery.
2. Work at something you enjoy and that’s worthy of your time and talent.
3. Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.
4. Become the most positive and enthusiastic person you know.
5. Be forgiving of yourself and others.
6. Be generous.
7. Have a grateful heart.
8. Persistence, persistence, persistence.
9. Discipline yourself to save money on even the most modest salary.
10. Treat everyone you meet like you want to be treated.
11. Commit yourself to constant improvement.
12. Commit yourself to quality.
13. Understand that happiness is not based on possessions, power or prestige, but on relationships with people you love and respect.
14. Be loyal.
15. Be honest.
16. Be a self-starter.
17. Be decisive even if it means you’ll sometimes be wrong.
18. Stop blaming others. Take responsibility for every area of your life.
19. Be bold and courageous. When you look back on your life, you’ll regret the things you didn’t do more than the ones you did.
20. Take good care of those you love.
21. Don’t do anything that wouldn’t make your Mom proud.

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Vote

November 2, 2008 Reluctant Politics, Society

Although the below video is geared toward Catholics (from CatholicVote.com), I think it is very relevant to all of us.  It’s only 3 1/2 minutes long so watch it.

Remember if you can’t see the video, view the full post here.

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Empathy Deficit Disorder and shifting the blame

July 4, 2008 Reluctant Rant, Science, Society

Some that know me well (especially my wife) can attest to the fact that I don’t have a great deal of patience in showing empathy or sympathy (yes, there is a difference).

EmpathySo when I saw this article from CNN about EDD (Empathy Deficit Disorder), I finally realized that I can’t help it either.

I’m afflicted with a disorder.  A disease that I can’t control.  EDD is rampant among Americans, so that makes me more comfortable knowing that I’m in a large group of people who “just can’t” show empathy.  It’s not our fault, we have a disease.

The psychologist who “identified” this disorder credits it with creating most conflict in this world.  From war to divorce, it’s all because of EDD.  It destroys lives and causes political strife.

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$112 billion for single parents

April 15, 2008 Reluctant Politics, Rant, Society

A recent study indicates that American taxpayers spend $112 billion a year on assistance to single parents and divorces.  Wow! That’s a lot of money.  Should we eliminate assistance for single mothers?  No, that would be seriously stupid.  But the assistance needs to be much better managed.  Some responsibility needs to go along with it.

The single parents need to show that they are trying to do something with their lives.  That they are taking care of their families properly.  Perhaps that their children are actually improving in school, etc.  I know this is a complicated issue, but it seems that the politicians won’t touch it with a ten foot poll because of the fear of seeming uncompassionate.

It’s time for this country (as a society) to accept responsibility.

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