This post builds on the annual rhythm of Memorial Day to consider the import of cultivating a daily rhythm of remembrance in honor of those who have sacrificed so much for your life. Memorial Day and the Annual Rhythm of American National Life Memorial Day is part of my country’s liturgy. It is a key aspect of the annual rhythm of American national life. The intent is to remember and honor members of the US military who died while serving... Read more
This post reflects upon the import of Pentecost season for ordering your and my everyday life for maximum growth. Fear of the Holy Ghost in Our Secular Age I remember tucking my daughter Julianne into bed one night when she was a little girl. She asked me to protect her from the Holy Ghost. No doubt mention of the Holy Spirit in my good night prayers conjured up all kinds of scary notions of ghosts. No doubt, my daughter wasn’t... Read more
This post pays tribute to mothers on Mother’s Day and the importance of secure attachment for all of us in a secular age. The Grinch and his Mother’s Deep Affection I was watching Dr. Seuss’s 1982 classic, The Grinch Grinches the Cat in the Hat with my granddaughter Jaylah yesterday afternoon. Like a master psychologist, the Cat in the Hat discerns that the only thing that will change the Grinch’s nasty disposition is to reawaken the Grinch’s mother’s loving memory.... Read more
This entry focuses on the importance of learning to let it go and not fixate on the fruit of one’s action in life. If you are anything like me, it will take a lifetime to learn the fine art of renunciation. Elsa learns to let it go. My granddaughter Jaylah tells me with a cheeky smile on her face that I am a “horrible Elsa singer.” She loves to sing “Let It Go” from Frozen with her karaoke microphone system.... Read more
This post is about the inspiration and strength I draw from my adult son’s defiance of misfortune resulting from his traumatic brain injury. The smirk on his face at momentous times tells me that somehow, in some way, he will have the last laugh. How do we respond to misfortune in our lives? Do we allow it to conquer us, or will we gain strength with the help of others to prevail? I don’t know how often guardian archangels tickle... Read more
It is vital that we bear up rather than give up in the face of adversity. How do we go about doing it? No doubt, there are many ways to grow in bearing up. Here are three: cultivating a deep sense of secure attachment with God and others; developing strategies for successful adaptation amid challenges like depression and anxiety; and growing in approaching life by way of creative maladjustment. This post reflects briefly upon all three. This subject matter is... Read more
Did you know that you matter more than things, including the images you project? Sometimes it is very difficult to keep this point in mind in a society where all that appears to matter is what the market values. The market values certain images we project and masks we wear. In what follows, I will call for valuing persons over personas, masks, or images. Michael Sandel, Jonathan Sacks, Barbara Johnson, and Martin Luther King, Jr. encourage and exhort us to... Read more
I have been thinking a lot recently about the need to live with open palms rather than clenched fists. There are many reasons for it, which I will reflect on in this Palm Sunday meditation. The aim is to live not only on Palm Sunday but every day with open palms and palms joined rather than clenched fists. One reason why I have been thinking a lot about the need to live with open palms is because we continue to... Read more
The mindset of autonomy, objectivity, and detachment dominates so many aspects of our society. I often see it on display in the medical community and in the marketplace. Philosopher Charles Taylor’s concept of the “bounded” or “buffered” self in his magisterial work, A Secular Age, not only reflects the secular age’s view of humanity in relation to a transcendent or spiritual realm. It also manifests itself in our relation to one another (For a brief reflection on his treatment... Read more
One of the most important endeavors in life is to stimulate a meaningful response in someone for personal growth. But what happens if they are not interested, or do not demonstrate an ability to signal a meaningful response? This post reflects on this subject and highlights the importance of stimulation motivated by compassion and grace. As an educator, I work hard to try and motivate student interest on a topic. Take, for example, the modern philosopher and ethicist, Immanuel Kant.... Read more
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