Personal Growth — May 13, 2011

Turn Adversities into Opportunities

Some examples of courageous individuals who dared to think for themselves and ignore the commands of their mullahs. They are worthy of your emulation.

bigthinkeditor

What’s the Latest Development?

Here are some examples of ordinary but courageous individuals who dared to think for themselves and ignore the commands of their mullahs, finding ways around life’s inevitable obstacles and nay-sayers.

What’s the Big Idea?

“That is what a free mind does; turns adversities into opportunities. Suharto imprisoned Prameodya Ananta Toer, but only his body. His mind was free, free to craft his world-acclaimed Buru tetralogy. As he said in an interview, ‘I create freedom for myself.’ I hope you do too!”

a computer generated image of a human brain.

Thinking

The great free will debate featuring Michio Kaku and Steven Pinker

Who — or what — really controls your mind?

Building destroyed by the Halifax Explosion. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C.

The Past

The largest accidental explosion of all time

More than a century ago, Halifax suffered an accidental blast one-fifth the size of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima.

a collage of photos of a man with a hat and a book.

High Culture

6 great books with wildly unreliable narrators

Dive into the twisted truths and concealed realities told by literature’s most unreliable narrators.

a group of five matches on a pink background.

The Well

Signs you’re burned out — and how to bounce back

If you don’t feel better after the weekend, the “burnout paradox” could explain why.

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7 min

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with

Laurie Santos

Starts With A Bang

The trick to instantly identifying JWST images

If you can identify a foreground star, the spike patterns are a dead giveaway as to whether it’s a JWST image or any other observatory.

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