tamhonkhoe.comCourses · Convergence · Course GT0 · Open
Convergence 0: Six shared habits
Pausing, gratitude, the Golden Rule, discipline, rest and service. Each lesson has three passages from three traditions.
Lessons with a link are published. Lessons without a link are still a planned outline; their titles and passages may change during writing and review.
| For | Adults learning on their own; each lesson has a short kids’ corner |
|---|---|
| Length | 6 weeks · 10–15 min/day |
| Level | 1 |
| Status | Open – Weeks 1 and 3 published; weeks 2 and 4–6 written, awaiting source licence checks |
| Publishing | Published once the project owner approves |
| Expected | Nov–Dec 2026 |
Plan: 6 weeks
| Week | Lesson | Passages | Measurable goal |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pause | MN 10 · Psalm 46:10 · Epictetus (Long) | Pause at least once a day, on 5 of 7 days |
| 2 | Gratitude | AN 2.119 · Pirkei Avot 4:1 · Meditations I.1–3 | Write three things you are grateful for, on 5 of 7 days |
| 3 | The Golden Rule | Matthew 7:12 · Talmud Shabbat 31a · Nawawi 40 no. 13 | One ‘swap places’ action a day, noted on 5 of 7 days |
| 4 | Discipline | Tao Te Ching 33 · Bukhari 6464 · Seneca, Letter 1 | Keep one small fixed task on 6 of 7 days |
| 5 | Rest | Exodus 20:8–10 · Mark 6:31 · Tao Te Ching 15 | One work-free block of 60+ minutes a week; 15 device-free minutes a day |
| 6 | Service | Gita 3:19 · Qur'an 76:8–9 · Meditations V.6 | Two acts of help a week that expect nothing back |
What science finds
- 47 randomised trials, 3,515 people: mindfulness meditation programmes reduce anxiety and depression by a small-to-moderate amount; not better than other active treatments. (Goyal et al. 2014, JAMA Internal Medicine 174(3) · source)
- 27 studies, 3,675 people: gratitude exercises reduce depression and anxiety symptoms by a small amount; less so against active control groups. (Cregg & Cheavens 2021, Journal of Happiness Studies 22(1) · source)
- 27 experiments, 4,045 people: acts of kindness raise well-being by a small-to-moderate amount; the studies are often small. (Curry et al. 2018, Journal of Experimental Social Psychology 76 · source)
- 33 studies of self-control training: a small effect, smaller still after correcting for publication bias. (Friese et al. 2017, Perspectives on Psychological Science 12(6) · source)
- 38,124 workers: people who detach from work when off duty report less exhaustion and better sleep. This is a correlation. (Wendsche & Lohmann-Haislah 2017, Frontiers in Psychology 7 · source)
- 5 cohort studies: volunteers had lower mortality. This is a correlation; randomised trials have not shown clear benefit. (Jenkinson et al. 2013, BMC Public Health 13:773)
Limits, honestly
The scientific evidence differs for each habit and most effects are small. Lessons do not replace treatment.
Stop practising if
Stop or shorten practice and talk to a professional if you notice: rising anxiety or panic; low mood that lingers; feeling that you or the world is ‘not real’; flooding memories of trauma; several nights of poor sleep; hearing or seeing things others do not; thoughts of harming yourself. People with a history of psychosis, bipolar disorder or severe PTSD should ask a doctor before practising more than 20 minutes a day.