Meetings

We meet every other Saturday at the Morgantown Public Library or Mountainlair, West Virginia University. Contact us at tpsowv@gmail.com for more information.

2024

1.  October 21, Saturday - First Meeting!

• 9 AM - 11 AM at Mountainlair Basement, West Virginia University

• Introduced to each other.

• Discussed the mission and idea of forming this society.

2.  November 9th, Saturday - Free Will

• 9 AM - 11 AM, Mountainlair, West Virginia University

• First topic of discussion and conversation. 

• Books & Material Discussed:

3.  November 23rd, Saturday - Free Will

• 9 AM - 11 AM, Mountainlair, West Virginia University

• Had discussions, shared opinions on the idea Free Will in West & East, do we really have free will privileges? 

• talked about forming a mission statement and shared everyone's opinion.

• Books & Material Discussed:

4.  December 7th, Saturday - Mindfulness

• 9 AM - 11 AM, Morgantown Public Library

• Had discussions, shared opinions on religious aspects, human and spiritual aspects of Mindfulness

• Talked about logo ideas and mission statement.

• Books & Material Discussed:

5.  December 21st, Saturday - Mindfulness

• 9 AM - 11 AM,  Morgantown Public Library

• Had discussions, shared opinions on Mindfulness (contd.)

• Talked about logo ideas and mission statement

2025

16.  April 12th, Saturday - Evolution of Democracy - from Ancient to the Modern Times

• 9:30 AM - 11: 30 AM, Morgantown Public Library

• Discussion on the history of democracy as an idea of human governance, its evolution over the millennia (in Eastern  & Western societies esp. in Roman & Greek culture), modern version of democracy beginning in the USA in 1700s, and eventually into the current era.

17.  April 26th, Saturday - Moksha & Nirvana (Liberation & Enlightenment of Human Mind)

• 9:30 AM - 11: 30 AM, Morgantown Public Library

• Discussion on human being's possibility to transcend one's self and ego into a higher state of consciousness. For many ancient wisdom traditions, esp. in Eastern cultures, this has been the ultimate goal of existence. How relevant and needed is this thought for a modern human mind? 

18.  May 10th, Saturday - Discussion on the Book 'Sapiens' by Yuval Noah Harari

• 9:30 AM - 11: 30 AM, Morgantown Public Library

• Discussion on 12th chapter of the book 'Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind' by Yuval Noah Harari about the origins of religion in Eastern & Western ideologies.

19.  May 24th, Saturday - Origins of Abrahamic Religions & Current State

• 9:30 AM - 11: 30 AM, Morgantown Public Library

• Discussion on Origins of Abrahamic religions: Judaism, Christianity & Islam, Egyptian civilization, sacred books & texts, modern form of these religions

20.  June 7th, Saturday - Public Talk on 'Myths & Misconceptions of Human Mind' by Dr. Amy Fiske

• 9:30 AM - 11: 30 AM, Morgantown Public Library

• Our first public speaking event! Discussion & insights on misconceptions on human psychology, depression, origins of bipolar behavior and why it is important to build psychological safety nets from a young age to protect the mind. Great talk and more to come!

• The talk was based on the book '50 Great Myths of Popular Psychology: Shattering Widespread Misconceptions about Human Behavior', by Lilienfeld, Lynn, Ruscio and Beyerstein. 

21.  June 21st, Saturday - 'Parenting & its effects on Personal Health, Relationships & Society'

• 9:30 AM - 11: 30 AM, Morgantown Public Library

• Discussion on Good parenting, bad parenting, how it affects the characteristic of children, adults and the society.

22.  July 5th, Saturday - 'Parenting & its effects on Personal Health, Relationships & Society'

• 9:30 AM - 11: 30 AM, Panera Bread (Morgantown)

• Discussion on how parenting has been perceived from the ancient India and differences between parenting in Eastern & Western societies. 

23.  June 19th, Saturday - 'Parenting & its effects on Personal Health, Relationships & Society'

• 9:30 AM - 11: 30 AM, Morgantown Public Library

• Continuation on discussion on importance of parents (& teachers)to shape the individuals and the society.

24.  June 19th, Saturday - 'Parenting & its effects on Personal Health, Relationships & Society'

• 9:30 AM - 11: 30 AM, Morgantown Public Library

• Continuation on discussion on importance of parents (& teachers) to shape the individuals and the society.

24.  August 2nd, Saturday - 'BYOB - Bring Your Own Books'

• 9:30 AM - 11: 30 AM, Morgantown Public Library

• Bring 2 books of your choice to discuss & share the summary of the books.!

25.  August 9th, Saturday - 'Importance of Role Models '

• 9:30 AM - 11: 30 AM, WVU Mountainlair

• Due to low attendance, we discussed on the operation and future goals of the society instead. 

• Topic discussion to be postponed for the next meeting.
  
  

26.  August 23rd, Saturday - 'Role Models: Importance for an Individual & How they Dictate the Direction and Health of a Society"

• 9:30 AM - 11: 30 AM, Morgantown Public Library

• Discussed on definition of role models, difference between role models & mentors; examples of role models; personal examples.

• To be continued next week.

27.  September 6th, Saturday - 'Role Models: Importance for an Individual & How they Dictate the Direction and Health of a Society"

• 9:30 AM - 11: 30 AM, Morgantown Public Library

• Topics discussed: role models for young girls and boys & gay community;  a brief discussion on learned helplessness; role models in entertainment industry in 1930's and a small discussion how American comedy series such as 'Laurel & Hardy' influenced comedy around the world.

28.  September 20th, Saturday - 'Learned Helplessness'

• 9:30 AM - 11: 30 AM, Morgantown Public Library

• Discussed on learned helplessness in various cultures; children, parents & elderly; psychological scientific experiments over the decades and learned helplessness in animals.

28.  October 4th, Saturday - 'Philosophy of Empathy'

• 9:30 AM - 11: 30 AM, Morgantown Public Library

• Discussion on types of empathy, empathy in human relationships esp. with children, parents & society, famous thinkers & philosophers on empathy, empathy vs sympathy, kindness & compassion, anti-empathy, apathy, callousness & incompassion, empathy in various cultures, religions and societies and occupations such as education, medica care, social service (therapy), leadership and arts.

29.  October 18th, Saturday - 'Philosophy of Empathy'

• 9:30 AM - 11: 30 AM, Morgantown Public Library

30.  November 1st, Saturday - 'Religion'

• 9:30 AM - 11: 30 AM, Morgantown Public Library

31.  November 15th, Saturday - 'Religion'

• 9:30 AM - 11: 30 AM, Morgantown Public Library

32.  November 29th, Saturday - 'Religion'

• 9:30 AM - 11: 30 AM, Morgantown Public Library