Are there words that cut off life? That create walls between people, that stop communication and instead of fostering growth initiates a death process? Yesterday I was in the beautiful northern part of Washington state, noticing again a large tree stump. As regular readers of my blog will know, I have posted about dead stumps… Read More Words that cut off life
How many refugees left their homes in the last minute, somewhere in the world? According to a United Nations report issued today, on World Refugee Day, last year there were 20 people every minute that were driven from their homes. That is about one every three seconds, which would be less than the time I… Read More How many refugees left their homes in the last minute?
I’m reading a biography right now of Huey Long, a Louisiana politician, who has become relatively unknown in the decades since his violent death in the 1930’s. But Long’s life and his obsession with power is a cautionary tale that should be told to each succeeding generation. By some measures the decade of the 1930’s… Read More One of the Scariest People in American History
This was not an easy post to write. Or to read. The title alone is a problem, as of course we are not ALL racists! Or are we? But I worded it that way on purpose, because the common human condition is to accuse always the other of being a racist, and not ourselves. Racism is an… Read More We are all racists now
One of the greatest pains we can experience is to be betrayed by a friend. Or to know that someone is plotting your destruction, whether on your career, reputation, or even physical life itself. A decade or so ago in US politics there was a phrase used quite a bit, “the politics of personal destruction”.… Read More How Do You Treat Someone Plotting Your Destruction?
This quote, shared by a speaker I was listening to this week, created vulnerable space for reflection: “If you live as a hermit (or alone), whose feet will you wash?” It is reportedly from St. Basil of Caesarea (329-379), or St. Basil the Great, one of the Fathers of the first four centuries of the Christian… Read More “If you live as a hermit, whose feet will you wash?”
Recently I wrote about my trip to the very well-preserved ruins of ancient Nalanda University in the modern Northern Indian state of Bihar. (See post The Thrill of Visiting the Ruins of 7th century University of Nalanda). Nalanda thrived as an international center for education for almost 700 years, with students from over 35 nations. Primarily… Read More Were there Christians in 7th century Nalanda University?
Have you ever watched a movie on an airplane and forgot at times where you are? It happened to me last week, as I finally saw the movie Silence. I had blogged twice about the Martin Scorsese directed film in the months leading up to its release in late January this year. (See Silence: The End of… Read More Reflections on finally seeing the movie ‘Silence’
Last week I had one of the thrills of my life. Getting to visit the ruins of one of the greatest universities in history, the University of Nalanda. Located about three hours SE of the modern North Indian city of Patna (previously called Pataliaputra, the capital of several Indian Empires), Nalanda’s history as a University… Read More The Thrill of Visiting the Ruins of 7th century University of Nalanda
Can you see the end of your life? I don’t mean imagining gruesome ends that cause fear and anxiety. But rather to be able to evaluate what kind of life you are living, and if it ended today, what would it really matter that you lived? Last week in Patna, the capital of the Northern… Read More Can you see the end of your life?
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