The Tomorrow Trap

For Rachel , the key was a greater sense of financial security. For years she postponed her dream of expressing her creative and artistic side. Intent on saving for the future and the children , she spent 20 years at a computer company skimping on sleep , and activities . But the toll was massive. She loathed the heavy travelling her job required - often she burst into tears in front of her computer . At home she became irritable. She hardly knew where the children were . One day feeling a little comforted by a small nest of savings , she stepped out and signed up for interior design school. She found fascination returning to her life .......Living for the future , taking solace or refuge in visions of a relaxed and exciting life " somewhere" down the road have become mirages that a lot of us chase and let's just call it the tomorrow trap. But in reality we just end up burying ourselves in our careers and pursuits. " Someday I'll ....... " or " You won't find me being that ... " etc etc are very emotionally seductive swansongs . Captives of this rationalisation feel rushing past fun , family , friends and laughter as noble and worthwhile . But err the burnout , loss of motivation , exhaustion and the death of celebrating life arrives , step out and just go and do it today!

Living The Good Life...

A much-loved story about a remarkable couple. During the Great Depression Helen and Scott Nearing quit city life and moved to Vermont. He was a brilliant economist, she a concert violinist. Together they made Forest Farm synonymous with the ideal homestead. In the noble tradition of Thoreau, Scott was an influential figure in American life for nearly 70 years. Scott died in 1983 shortly after his 100th birthday, Helen lived into her 90's.Filmed in 1976 when Helen was 74 and Scott 93, the Nearings are seen still growing their own food, cutting firewood for fuel, and putting the finishing touches on a large stone home built by hand.Through their books, public appearances, and by the example of their lives, the Nearings remain an inspiration.More...



Seven years ago Petrea King was diagnosed with leukemia and told that she had only weeks to live. Today she counsels people with terminal illnesses and is recognized in her home country of Australia as the leading figure in the field.King's qualifications are her own experiences and her realization that it is only through extreme circumstances that we become aware of the uniqueness of life. She offers not medical advice but wisdom to deal with the feelings of anger, guilt, injustice and helplessness that a life threatening disease can create in an individual. Her therapy involves asking the most basic of questions, "Why do you want to live?"
Those who seek King's help discover an intense joy in life, a new emotional balance and a transformed outlook on the world. Dying this way, she is often wryly told, is a life-altering experience.Although the subject of death is difficult, the nature of King's work is overwhelmingly positive. Laughter and joy counterpoint fear and anguish as people confront a finality that awaits us all.More...

Let's Complain Less ....

When You Feel Like Giving Up ....

Bed ?

Rat Race ?

FRIENDS.... secrets to a long life

Cleo will never forget the phone call he received from Phil one August morning.Cleo's two daughters were killed in an automobile accident.Though neighbours , friends and others reached out to him he drew the greatest comfort from Phil who lost his two girls to a sniper. In the many months since the two have shared each other's losses,hardships and joys and that saved the sanity for Cleo.Scores of studies bear out that deep close friendships boost people's chances of fighting back , overcoming life-threatening situations , build stronger more resilient immune systems , nurture mental health and give people longer life expectancies than those who go it alone.People with friends - deep and shared - are less likely to suffer from depression , anxiety and other types of mental illness. Researchers have discovered that those with a network of friends , the kind of friends you can't live without are less likely to have massive attacks of stress , changes in heart rate or blood pressure when crisis looms or trouble strikes . Of course some friendships will leave you depleted rather than renewed. But quality instead of quantity is an individual choice.

Dr Muto's Labour To Master Earthquakes

When the Kanto Earthquake hit central Japan in 1923 , 100,000 people lost their lives , another 100,000 were injured but more than 700,000 homes were destroyed. Kiyoshi Muto , then 21 decided to devote his life to seismic architecture. Using new seismographic equipment and computer technology it became apparent that the old idea about the shape of the earthquake wave was false: the waves were not identical. " If every single wave has it's own shape, a building then would not necessarily suffer a
'multiplied' tremor!Each wave needs to be dealt with separately" - working on that hunch Dr Muto thought of making buildings flexible instead of solid. Traditional ferro-concrete walls were too strong , too rigid.After a series of experiments Dr Muto came up with a "slitted wall " - designed in such a way as to contain all the impacts of the earthquake.The framework was applied to the 36-story Kasumigaseki Building when construction started in 1965.On March 2 , 1967 a severe earthquake hit Tokyo but workmen on the 27th floor of the building hardly felt the tremor!His reputation established as the foremost designer of earthquake-proof structures , Dr Muto has enabled Japan to stretch skywards and other earthquake prone nations to finally be able to rebuild from the devastation and destruction ...

Miracle Of The Trees

Many nations plant trees, but no other as Israel has.When Israel was born in 1948 , half it's land was desert and wilderness ; most of the the rest was gaunt gray stone and eroded hills . Today in excess of 600 forests , great and small clothe the once naked land. As many as nine million trees are being planted yearly.Surprisingly , there is no Forestry Department.Forestry is handled by the Jewish National Fund which also involves itself in land reclamation. These monuments of foliage and wood are the result of the JNF's "plant a tree with your own hands" program which hardly no other nation has poured itself into with such fervour , dedication and reverence.