Bridges of the Mind

Bridges of the Mind
"Our negative thoughts and resulting litanies of complaint create grooves in our psyches just as a wheelbarrow carves out a rut in the dirt, burrowing deeper as it reinforces the same track over and over. If we want to establish new patterns of thought, we place our attention on thankfulness, joy, and love so that the groove of gratitude is deepened. So even when circumstances take us out of the groove temporarily, we can slip back into it with ease and grace." From Linda Douty's exploration of the many ways we can become gratitude, be thankfulness.
http://www.explorefaith.org/livingspiritually/a_thankful_life/bridges_part_2.php

Free yourself from oppression by technology

Yair Amichai-Hamburger states is his New Scientist article,  Free yourself from oppression by technology 

My prescription is self-determination theory, developed by psychologists Edward Deci and Richard Ryan of the University of Rochester in New York state. It identifies three vital elements of healthy personal development and functioning which I think can be used to recalibrate our relationship with technology.

After discussing the three elements, he adds a fourth

I believe that autonomy, competence, relatedness and critical thinking are the best ways to establish a balanced approach to technology, and so enhance our well-being