President's Column

Listening to Your Life

William F. Evans

Posted Oct 1, 2007

As another anniversary of 9-11 arrived, I found myself contemplating how fragile the world seems sometimes. It is difficult to understand the meaning of life in times of tragedy and suffering.

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Take This Job and Love It!

William F. Evans

Posted Mar 1, 2007

There it was, projecting up at me from the top of an advertisement page in a weekly news magazine: “take this job and love it!” Why did this phrase capture my attention? Besides the fact that it was an obvious take off on an old country music hit, “take this job and shove it, I ain’t working here no more,” I also think it was the audacity of someone thinking that work could be fun!

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Intuition: The Best Kept Secret for Survival and Success

Paul T. P. Wong

Posted Jun 1, 2006

Often intuition is the deciding factor between failure and success. Even though we don’t know precisely what intuition is, at the gut level we all know that it is there and that it can be summoned to our aid whenever we feel overwhelmed.

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Does Reverence Matter in Today’s Secular Society?

Paul T. P. Wong

Posted Apr 1, 2006

We are in the grip of a crisis of international proportions. Is it terrorism? Is it ethnopolitical conflict? I suggest that the underlying problem may be the loss of reverence for life.
In a diverse multicultural society, respect for others is touted as the highest virtue while reverence for life is relegated to the dustbin of history. There is something incongruent and self-contradictory in these two social trends.

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The Positive Psychology of Persistence and Flexibility

Paul T. P. Wong

Posted Feb 1, 2006

What are the most valuable life strategies essential for survival and resilience? What are the most common traits shared by successful athletes and CEOs? More importantly, what are the virtues most important in living the good life?

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How to Humanize Higher Education and Reduce Human Suffering

Paul T. P. Wong

Posted Jan 1, 2006

Across the land, away from the spotlight, a different kind of suffering goes on unnoticed – in homes, workplaces, schools, and universities. I am talking about intentional cruelty against other human beings, such as physical and emotional abuse, bullying, oppression and exploitation.

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The Positive Psychology of Self-Sacrifice

Paul T. P. Wong

Posted Dec 1, 2005

There is a tragic ring to the term self-sacrifice. It conjures up images of Christ crucified, soldiers killed on battle fields or suicide-bombers blown to pieces along with their innocent victims. How can self-sacrifice be positive? Is self-sacrifice the highest expression of virtue or the worst form of human folly? Who benefits from self-obliteration? How can one reconcile self-sacrifice with self-actualization? During my recent trip to Hong Kong and China, I began to gain some insight to these puzzling questions.

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Touchstones of Character Strengths

Paul T. P. Wong

Posted Oct 1, 2005

Human achievements cannot be measured simply in terms of wealth, power or fame. Such accomplishments belong to a small group of elites who are blessed with special talents and good fortunes. Basking in the glory of success and wielding immense influence, they are idolized, envied or feared, but not trusted.

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