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<DIV>Optimism is always key to a happier disposition than is the proverbial
glum of a sour puss. Yet it needs to be balanced between too strong a dose
that resembles Pollyanna Anna and not enough. Like seasoning of food, too
much salt renders the dish inedible. Kids need involvement in
something but I certainly wouldn't want to advocate suicide bombing as a way of
supporting an ideology. Religion IS behind most wars.....possibly
the reason you make the statement you do is because 20th century wars were given
tags that substituted for religious zeal...."nationalism" and "technological
supremacy" are two such labels.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Gerry Reinhart-Waller</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message -----
<DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; font-color: black"><B>From:</B> <A
title=ljohnson@solution-consulting.com
href="mailto:ljohnson@solution-consulting.com">Lynn D. Johnson, Ph.D.</A> </DIV>
<DIV><B>To:</B> <A title=andrewsa@newpaltz.edu
href="mailto:andrewsa@newpaltz.edu">Alice Andrews</A> ; <A
title=paleopsych@paleopsych.org href="mailto:paleopsych@paleopsych.org">The new
improved paleopsych list</A> </DIV>
<DIV><B>Sent:</B> Wednesday, February 23, 2005 7:50 AM</DIV>
<DIV><B>Subject:</B> Re: [Paleopsych] Re: paleopsych Digest, Vol 9, Issue
20</DIV></DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>Marty Seligman (learned helplessness theorist, <I>Learned
Optimism, Authentic Happiness</I>, former APA president) - an atheist - mentions
that as a key to true happiness. He reviews literature that religious people are
generally happier and more fulfilled, more resilient. Czentmyhali (spelling!) at
U Chicago finds that kids involved in something greater than themselves are much
more likely to experience "flow" and periods of greater happiness. Religion is
clearly an adaptive force. BTW, I don't want to hear arguments that religion is
behind most wars. That is a pretty tired argument that was thoroughly debunked
by the 20th Century. <BR>Lynn<BR><BR></BODY></HTML>