It’s always presumptuous and frequently dangerous to assume that your experience, perspective, and path in life constitute a norm against which that of others might be meaningfully compared. Not long ago, thinking in terms of types and standards of normalcy was widely used as a method for understanding ourselves and each other. Nowadays, however, theContinue reading “A Storyline of Faith”
Tag Archives: meaning
Under the Hat
According to the worldwide spiritual wisdom tradition known as the Perennial Philosophy or Sophia Perennis, the one thing each of us must realize is that we are not who we think we are. Who is a term attaching to a personal identity, which is all about playing a role on the social performance stage. TheContinue reading “Under the Hat”
Seeing the Truth
When you were just an infant, your experience was, in the words of William James, a “blooming, buzzing confusion.” You had no language and hence no discrete categories of thought to label, classify, and organize your perceptions. Everything just swirled around you, bombarding your senses from every side. It was fascinating – and frequently overwhelming.Continue reading “Seeing the Truth”
The Path Through College
It is common for college students to envision their career as something that’s ahead of them, as the anticipated next step after graduation. As they make progress on their degree plan, many are secretly hoping that their credential will open the door to a job that pays well and doesn’t suck. A significant number ofContinue reading “The Path Through College”
Once More Into Religion
Many people think that religion is about believing in god, going to church, doing the right things, and getting to heaven when you die. Every one of those elements has been contested through the centuries. Whose god? What church? Which things? Where is heaven, if not just above the clouds or over the moon? NeedlessContinue reading “Once More Into Religion”
A Family History of the Passions
We like to think that we act the way we do, believe what we believe, and curate a philosophy of life based on rational choices. We thought it all out and made a decision. Where we stand on things and how we feel about it is the product of careful consideration and common sense. Right.Continue reading “A Family History of the Passions”
The College of Unconditional Love
I don’t get it perfect every time, but with practice I’m getting better. Over the years working in higher education with students who are trying to find their path, I’ve come to understand what they are seeking as “vocational clarity” – not a major, not an occupation even, but a freely chosen path of purposeContinue reading “The College of Unconditional Love”
The Wonder of It All
What our planet of nations needs, almost more than anything else right now, is a shared image of existence – a sacred mandala that can guide a deeper contemplation of the universe and of our own human nature. If we had such an understanding of ourselves and all things, I am sure that most ifContinue reading “The Wonder of It All”
A World Worth Imagining
That little plant in the illustration to the left is rooted in a Mystery of deeper oneness named Being. It is also connected inside a Web of higher wholeness named Universe. If our plant knows any of this, it is not at some epistemic level of knowing, using logic and rational thought to construct aContinue reading “A World Worth Imagining”
Trumped-Up
“Trumped-up” (adjective): spuriously charged; fraudulent; fabricated. What happens to the moral fabric of society when members make misleading claims or lay false charges against one another? What becomes of social trust when leaders intentionally misrepresent the reality of what’s going on, so as to exploit the fear, uncertainty, or idealism of the people they haveContinue reading “Trumped-Up”
Tracts of Revolution 