Science & nature
There's a phony war on called 'nature versus science'. Nature IS science. Chemicals are in every natural thing (including us). Which are the 'good' ones, and what easy science info do we need to know so we can make good health decisions, live greener and recognise advertising and media faff about statistics and 'scientific proof'? I promise it will be easy to understand – I'm so ignorant about science I wonder why radio waves aren't wet. But here goes...
Beliefs
'Why am I here?', 'What's the meaning of life?', 'What should I believe in?', 'What's the right way to live?', 'What's the secret to true happiness?', 'Should I try to change the world or myself?' and 'Why did George Clooney do ads for a coffee machine?' There are so many questions.
People believe all sorts of things depending on where they were born and what they were taught, but most of us believe in some form of spirituality or the pursuit of love and happiness. Unless we get severely depressed, existence isn't just about breathing, eating and sleeping. We're the sum of our experiences, our beliefs, our ideas, the way we look at the world and our hopes for the future. This chapter looks at our values, what we believe and how we apply that to our lives. It also talks about happiness and shares mottoes for life.
Community & caring
Lots of ancient religions, modern philosophies and 'happiness' survey results suggest that people who contribute to their community (or a more global version) do themselves a favour. Life seems to have more purpose, they experience an important sense of belonging and being needed, and so they're happier. Others just have a sneaking suspicion that if you don't care about other people and never ever do even something little to help them in some way then you're an arseholic. In any case, here's how to get involved, stay informed or volunteer, in little and big ways. If you're put off by this idea and want to skip off back to the 'Make-up' section, I must warn you: changing the world is sooo much easier than drawing on realistic eyebrows.