Doris Kearns Goodwin & Lincoln’s Inner Life
I found Goodwin's biography of Lincoln's war-time leadership Team of Rivals a powerful insight into the type of personality it takes to lead a country during a time of great strife. She expands on her book in this speech at TED. I was particularly moved by her comment at the very beginning, that the richest life is achieved through an inner balance between three things: work, love and play. As she says, "to pursue one at the disregard of the others is to open oneself to sadness later in life; to find balance is to find both fulfillment and achievement." Her whole speech is here:...Support the Home Team!
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Some time ago Cohen wrote a lengthy blog post about what enlightenment actually is, and in doing some catch-up reading today, I read his essay in whole. His candor in acknowledging the lingering impact of postmodernity's narcissism on those who are spiritually enlightened, but still struggle to defend the "wholeness" of spiritual experience is convicting. Many of my own students, over the years, would have been considered, by any neo-advaita standard, to be “enlightened.” All I would have had to do was affirm them, tell them they were God’s gift to humanity, and send them out with my blessing, and I’m sure many would have done pretty well out there in the postmodern spiritual supermarket, where “all is ...Goodbye for Now …
Many of us can look backwards into specific times of our lives when we made truly momentous changes. Since July of last year I have been going through one such part of my own journey. It is marked by some of the first and best clarity and insight I have ever had, but it has been an expensive and draining experience. As with many such journeys, having gone through it I realize why most are unwilling to let go of their past and embrace new challenges: the potential of failure is very real. It is in the act of failing that we many times see our own problems more clearly than any success can ever ...Secular Spirituality - Introduction
In this series, we will explore the non-theistic attempts to develop a spiritual sense. Does man need God to be moral? To have a sense of spirituality? What have other cultures not bound to the Judeo-Christian ethic found in their pursuit of this question? What might Buddhism suggest as an answer to this? The first part of this exploration follows.Harris Presents Another Compelling Argument
Another very good article from Harris has been posted at TruthDig.Com. One of several important quotes follows: "The notion that the bible is a perfect guide to morality is really quite amazing, given the contents of the book. Human sacrifice, genocide, slaveholding, and misogyny are consistently celebrated. Of course, God’s counsel to parents is refreshingly straightforward: whenever children get out of line, we should beat them with a rod (Proverbs 13: 24, 20:30, and 23:13-14). If they are shameless enough to talk back to us, we should kill them (Exodus 21:15, Leviticus 20:9, Deuteronomy 21:18-21, Mark.7:9-13 and Matthew 15:4-7). We must also stone people to death for heresy, adultery, homosexuality, working on the Sabbath, worshipping graven images, practicing ...Love Knows When to Say “No More of This”
Coming to the point where you realize that you must say “no more of this” is an honorable decision. It is a regrettable decision, but we can regret the consequences of a situation not of our making, but a necessary ending that is of our choosing. In many ways it is the foundational moment of adulthood when we acknowledge our willingness to take responsibility for our lives outside of the destructive influences that formed us. It is not the same as being angry or bitter, but it will be misunderstood by the people still trapped inside the old paradigms as both.President Bush & Wiretaps
For those of us who are exhausted at the rhetoric over the war in Iraq and the war on terror, the allegations that President Bush allowed wire taps without proper congressional oversight is worth paying attention to. President Bush does not understand, and those who surround him do not appreciate, that legal safeguards exist for important reasons. Even when the threat is severe, we choose to respect the law out of respect for precisely those moments being when the clarity of the law is most necessary. Sometimes we have to be guarded against what we would be willing to do to protect what is rightfully good and worth protecting. Take the time and read this ...Sam Harris on Atheism
I have linked to Sam Harris' work in the past, including a recommendation of his book An End to Faith and his article on secularism and spirituality. He has a new article posted at www.TruthDig.com which is worth reading if for no other reason than its impassioned comments on atheism. Some of the analysis is one dimensional, in particular his evaluation of religion from only the perspective of what ill it has wrought; however, his writing can be the basis for people of theistic beliefs to understand where atheistic thinkers come from. I will be writing in the near future on what atheists and Christians hold in common. For now, take the time to read Harris' ...Jarhead Movie Review
Jarhead is the story of what happens to a young man who, upon entering the Marines, takes on the identity they desire. In taking on their identity, he finds his own, an understanding of himself that he did not have upon entering the Marines, and one that he probably needed the Marines to force him to find on his own. This identity is ultimately one severed from the identity the military wanted him to adopt; however, it would only be by adopting their worldview that he could determine once and for all what his was to be. « Previous EntriesAbout MysteriousFaith
“If anyone can show me, and prove to me, that I am wrong in thought or deed, I will gladly change. I seek the truth, which never yet hurt anybody. It is only persistence in self-delusion and ignorance which does harm.”
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