I am amongst other things the Secretary of the Howard League in Scotland. John Howard was the 18th century founder of the penal reform movement: between 1775 and 1790 he toured Europe seeking humane forms of penal provision and promoting these in Britain. In 1921, under the guidance of Margery Fry, the Howard Association […]

Europeans generally don’t celebrate Thanksgiving[1]; we have important, though quieter harvest festivals, and we wish you North Americans ease.  Sitting between Diwalli (Hindu) and Christmas (pagan in its timing), the Thanksgiving celebration of harvest brought in rests well.   Celebrations matter in the rhythm of life.
Goodwill is the hallmark of autumnal and winter festivals across the […]

Preparing for a workshop I was running last week, I e-mailed the 20 or so participants with briefing notes and added a PS to the warn them that I would be hobbling on crutches as I had “recently broken my leg whilst roller-blading in the Andes with a bunch of Brazilian dancers.”

Two delightful people initially believed my explanation to which I could only say, “I really wish I were the kind of guy that could be true of.” […]

I write these thoughts in the news of the shooting rampage at Virginia.

The science of positive psychology is-value free and as Shane Lopez writes, we still don’t know if it will ‘work’: does it furnish our mentalities enough to save the world? I have been listening to the Reith lectures by Jeffrey Sachs, an economist (UN and Columbia) who sets out clear pathways to eradicate extreme poverty within a decade – for example providing mosquito nets for all children in Africa over the next ten years would cost less than the Pentagon spends each day – and I have been struck by the scepticism that infuses all the questions, the doubts, the bias to the negative, the lack of hope, the sabotage of agency. Log on to BBC radio to check out this extraordinary battle between possibilities and doubt. (more …)

Rabbits are ancient symbols of fertility and so symbolize the return of spring. In thinking of them, of Easter, and of Sherri Fisher’s excellent article, Positive Psychology is more than happiness, I spoke with a friend who had just returned from working near the equator. “What did you miss most?” I asked. Quickly came the […]

Is it wrong for anyone to be happy in prison? Is there to be no redemption once banished? Should the exchanges between the guards and the prisoners be always suspicious, judgmental? The US, with the UK following too closely behind for my mind, has seen, State by State with important variations, massive rises […]

Technology drives speed and anxiety. We click to agree or even authorize an event or exchange, payment or information, and as soon as we click, we want the result delivered, no delay. Often we are given comfort messages that the technology is still thinking of us, still engaged; on computers we have moving bars, dancing icons and patience hints, on phones we get musak interrupted with reassurance of how important our call is and in queues for shop or train we get digitized displays of how many people are before us and how long we might expect to wait. Much of this is of course helpful information. But these sensory and cognitive invasions of our waiting time may serve to deplete rather than enhance our patience, even if they prolong it. […]

Our brains are attics - they have to be, storing all our past stuff. But we live when we can in the dizzy day-room delights of children’s laughter, family chaos and even work. Spring seems to arrive earlier each year. Well, Easter is earlier this year than for ages, even lunar ages. […]

Hobbling down the stairs and across the street I realized too late that I had left my wallet in the office. This meant that I missed the bus, and later had to get the train which sensibly stopped at the train station some two miles from the bus station. So, that evening’s plan for Jess – a student driver – to drive us home from the bus station was abandoned, as was the car which was, of course, a vital player in the plans for the next morning travels. Jess had a party to enjoy. For recovering from my broken leg I had clear goals (well advised) which included starting to drive again ten days hence. But returning from the train station I recklessly then drove down with Shelagh to get the other car, and drove back. I have been driving since. Events and circumstance accelerated both the motivation and achievement of my goal. […]

Skiing for the first time in my life earlier this year, I was offered by my wonderful Italian ski instructor a new positive psychology construct I want to share with you. […]