Category Archives: Buddhism

The expression “getting your just deserts,” according to Merriam-Webster, means receiving the punishment that you deserve. This episode looks at rewards as well as punishment. The idea is to explore whether we can be said to deserve something or not. I explain that there are three separate meanings for this notion: Merit — What we earnContinue reading “012: You Don’t Get Your Just Deserts”

Today’s topic is about the word “want.” Even though we spent the last two episodes talking about how having preferences is a healthy alternative to imposing “shoulds” or “needs” upon ourselves. I present here three reasons why we fall into some thinking traps when we use the word “want.” Those reasons are: We don’t reallyContinue reading “011: Three Little Words That Can Mess up Your Life (Part 3) — Want”

In this second part of a miniseries on the words we say to ourselves that create tension and distress, today’s word is “Need.” Today we talk about: The psychological theories of needs, which are in fact theories of human motivation. Byron Katie’s radical approach to needs. Buddhist notions of taṇhā (thirst) and chanda (wholesome desire).Continue reading “010: Three Little Words That Can Mess up Your Life (Part 2) — Need”