The person who is being “nice” can be coming from an inner place of safety and distance. The person who is being “kind” is coming from an inner place of vulnerability and compassion. I can be “nice” to someone from a place of comfort or superiority. To be “kind” comes from a place of shared humanity
The Gift of Disillusionment
“I’ve become so disillusioned,” someone says, and then describes what happened. We hear sadness, detachment, even depression in their voice. But there’s another way to hear it.
“It Is What It Is”
Our pilgrimage through life can include times when we feel stuck. We don’t like where we are or what has happened. But when we can say, “It is what it is,” we have a new place to start from.
The Gift of Multiple Perspectives
…it’s helpful to remember that real people are more complex than the simple categories we create.
Golden Calf Sends Stock Market to Record Highs!
My thoughts recently have been drawn to the story of the Golden Calf from the book of Exodus.
The Constraints That Set Us Free
…your love for these things will constitute fires in the heart, producing great vitality, full engagement, an increase in personal force. It is one of the weird paradoxes of life that the constraints you choose are the ones that set you free.
Does Everything Happen for a Reason?
Wanting to know why things happen is a basic human instinct. It has been invaluable to our survival; we have flourished as a species by being curious. But finding all the answers we want can be a challenge.
My Brown Bag Lunch with a Nobel Scientist, Quiet Time in My Backyard, and Faith as a Signpost
Faith is not about having everything figured out. It is a signpost pointing in a direction we want to go, a direction that leads to discovery, delight, hard work, and service.
Useful Flemish Proverbs
Before A. I. meant “Artificial Intelligence,” it could have stood for something even more amazing: “Artistic Imagination.”
Dolly and Wendell
Wendell described what I have always felt but did not have the words to express. I think Dolly would know exactly what he was talking about. I’m grateful to them both.
