Before we universally condemn loneliness we should ensure we understand its roots, and that sometimes solitude can be sweet.The meaning of Christmas, and its supposed power to bring friends and family together, is again in evidence this year. Jonathan Freedland admirably called for an end to loneliness, and urged social policy to address it – a sentiment echoed by a Guardian leader. Link to read Balaji Ravichandran’s A happy Christmas alone
Source: The Guardian
A bit of Christmas fun!
January’s 2010 edition of Scientific American  has an interesting article that asks whether depression is not a malfunction but a mental adaptation that focuses the mind to better solve complex problems.
The key concepts of the article are:
Link to read the complete article
Source: Scientific American
Image Credit: Stockxpert
Christmas is barely complete without a bishop or a commentator declaring that we have lost sight of the true meaning of this religious festival. But the truth is more interesting: there is an extraordinary continuity in the traditions of this winter celebration. For millennia, it has been a time to feast with family and friends, and the one point in the year when people invest in relationships: the office parties, the school nativity plays, right through to the family Christmas lunch. The festival serves a crucial need.It is a need we too easily neglect, as the Young Foundation’s recent report, Sinking and Swimming, points out. Half a million pensioners will spend Christmas Day alone this year, while a million people say that they have no-one to turn to. The welfare state was developed to ensure a safety net in which material needs were met, but its architects presumed that…
Source: The Guardian
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