There are people who believe our behavior is shaped primarily by our past. These people see us practicing the examples we have experienced. They understand our lives as responses which reflect the ways we have seen others respond. Other people advocate taking personal responsibility for our own actions. Whatever circumstances we have faced in the past, they argue, we choose our own lives. These people urge us to make wise choices and put them into practice. There is some truth in both perspectives,... Read more

Life is indescribably complex. Still, many of us look to spiritual life for comfort and reassurance. In the face of all the complicated systems of our lives, we still expect spiritual life to be clear. Some of us want to know, understand, and comprehend. Some of us believe spiritual life is supposed to be straightforward and self-explanatory. We want someone or something to answer our questions, give us directions. Where is the app to show us the way? We hope to... Read more

There are people who believe hope is unrealistic, maybe even the opposite of realistic. Some people are convinced we need to face the bleakness of our prospects in all their stark darkness. They focus their attention on the obstacles we must overcome, the challenges threatening to hold us back. Some of us are committed to doing whatever it takes to completely understand how hard it will be. Now, I appreciate a juicy worst case scenario. I have responded, after hearing someone... Read more

There are people who seem to believe spiritual life is about being perfect. Some people work hard to keep their imperfections concealed, hidden from the rest of us. Some of us believe it is important for us to appear perfect, or at least exceed expectations. They think they look less spiritual the further they are from perfection. I see spiritual life in a different light. It is not that I advertise my own imperfections, or those of other people. Spiritual life has... Read more

It is difficult for some of us to remember to practice compassion. Some of us live in a world which tends to forget compassion. Our focus may be on getting more, more money or more security or more accomplishments. Our lives seem to be built on the immediacy of acquiring what we think we need or want. Our perspective may be bound by the people we know, our families and friends and selves. We may only be reminded of compassion when... Read more

Stillness seems to be one of the most challenging, and one of the last, things we want to practice. We hear people say, “We can rest when we are dead.” We have created a society which values action, demands results, thrives on people who make noise. We celebrate people who are adept at drawing attention to themselves, not at stillness. We resist standing still, sitting still, being still. For many people, stillness feels like giving up. They have a right to be... Read more