Portrait Inside My Head
Spiritual Quotation
"One of my greatest flaws is the need to regard myself as superior to those around me, and to position myself in such a way that they will feel it, too. Knowing full well that there are many different kinds of intelligence and that, besides, we are all ultimately dust and atoms under the aspect of eternity, I persist in wanting to view myself as the most intelligent person in social situations. That exaggerated self-regard undoubtedly colors my relationship with my brother in unhelpful ways. I insist on holding the 'wisdom' and 'maturity' cards, and on considering myself the more 'reflective.' But he overlooks it, perhaps because he is finally the more ample-spirited.
"Together we look forward to sharing all the pleasures of old age: nostalgia, illness, incontinence, senility, abandonment. We will not abandon each other, I hope, because the world is less lonely for me as long as my brother is in it. He has been, if not the most important relationship in my life, certainly one of the most defining. I have made it a point alternately to be like him or not to: either way, he has been my lodestar. I'll say more: he has been my personal metaphor for Life itself, in all its encompassing, onrushing urgency."
Phillip Lopate on sharing the pleasures of old age with a brother.
Chandra Muzaffar, Subverting Greed
By Paul Knitter,editor, Chandra, editor Muzaffar, editor
Spiritual Quotation
Caring, sharing, and giving are fundamental to all our religions. The pivotal significance of justice in the value system of most traditions is worth stressing over and over again. Likewise, compassion is as much a defining characteristic of Jewish thought as it is of Buddhist philosophy and, indeed, of other religions.
It is apparent that there is a comprehensive spectrum of values, principles, and ideals, ranging from restraint and moderation, on the one hand, to justice and compassion, on the other, at the sanctum sanctorum (the holy of holies) of all our traditions. These values should constitute the ethical core of the global economy.
Caring, sharing and giving are fundamental to all our religions
Michael Berg, The Way
Spiritual Quotation
So what shall we choose — between living reactively or proactively, between selfish desire and desire to share? . . .
Like other drugs, self-serving desire has many street names. Money, Fame and Power are some of the most familiar.
So what shall we choose
The New Sharing Economy
Spiritual Quotation
In the LosAngelesTimes.com, Sandy Banks writes about how she first heard about the sharing economy. Her daughter was able to travel cheap in Europe by going online each day and finding a couch at a stranger's place where she could sleep. She called this the "peer-to-peer economy."
After missing the last train to San Francisco one night, Sandy couldn't get a cab and downloaded the Uber app on her cellphone. In the blink of an eye, she was picked up and taken to her destination for half the price of a cab. She sees this company as meeting the needs of urban people with busy, fragmented lives. Now Uber operates in every continent except Antarctica. Sandy loves the convenience and transparency of the ride-sharing process.
In the LosAngelesTimes.com, Sandy Banks writes about how she first heard about the sharing economy. Her daughter was able to travel cheap in Europe by going online each day and finding a couch at a stranger's place where she could sleep. She called this the "peer-to-peer economy."
After missing the last train to San Francisco one night, Sandy couldn't get a cab and downloaded the Uber app on her cellphone. In the blink of an eye, she was picked up and taken to her destination for half the price of a cab. She sees this company as meeting the needs of urban people with busy, fragmented lives. Now Uber operates in every continent except Antarctica. Sandy loves the convenience and transparency of the ride-sharing process.
Three-Day Shabbat
Spiritual Quotation
One way in particular that we [the Interfaith Amigos] have found for the three Abrahamic faiths to meet each other and either begin or deepen the interfaith dialogue is through the celebration of what we call a Three-Day Shabbat. Friday is the main gathering day for Muslims, Friday evening and Saturday is Shabbat for Jews, and Sunday, although technically the Day of Resurrection, is celebrated as the Sabbath in the Christian community.
A Three-Day Shabbat invites a sharing of our rituals toward common purpose. The nature of the program you might create will depend on the degree to which interfaith dialogue already is taking place, but the design is simple and natural. The community gathers at noon on Friday, either at a mosque or at another place where Muslim prayer will take place. Christians and Jews can either witness or share the prayer with Muslims, and at a simple lunch afterward, talk together about the nature of that experience. Friday night or Saturday morning would be the sharing of the Jewish Shabbat, and Sunday morning would be Christian worship. No one would be asked to "water down" their tradition, but each would celebrate the deepest yearnings of their own faith. Saturday and Sunday afternoons can provide further time for study and for discussion.
Encourage interfaith dialogue with this multifaith practice.
Next Door Democracy
Spiritual Quotation
When I first moved to Berkeley, California, almost three years ago, someone told me about the NextDoor app. I signed up right away and soon discovered that it is a great way to connect with your neighbors. People post about free lemons and plant cuttings. They request help with odd jobs like weeding. They share details about upcoming events like community open mic nights and movies in the park. People generously responded when I asked to borrow some snowshoes (for a trip). And there are, sadly, many posts about missing (but also some found!) pets.
When I first moved to Berkeley, California, almost three years ago, someone told me about the NextDoor app. I signed up right away and soon discovered that it is a great way to connect with your neighbors. People post about free lemons and plant cuttings. They request help with odd jobs like weeding. They share details about upcoming events like community open mic nights and movies in the park. People generously responded when I asked to borrow some snowshoes (for a trip). And there are, sadly, many posts about missing (but also some found!) pets.
Mortality Is a Hot Topic Around the World
Spiritual Quotation
Bernard Crettaz, the Swiss creator of the "death cafe" movement, has decided that it is time for leadership to pass to the next generation. Ten years ago after the death of his wife, this popular sociologist came up with the idea of death cafes where the taboo subject was the sole topic of conversation. Small groups gathered in restaurants, anyone was welcome, and Crettaz usually led the conversation about grief, suicide, near-death experiences, faith, spirit, soul, good deaths, and the afterlife. The only rule was that there was to be no prescription: no topic, no religion, no judgment. The first death cafe took place in 2004 and in the last three years, there have been over 1,400 death cafes in 26 countries. The website www.deathcafe.com will give you more information on hosting a cafe and the location of conversations around the world.
Bernard Crettaz, the Swiss creator of the "death cafe" movement, has decided that it is time for leadership to pass to the next generation. Ten years ago after the death of his wife, this popular sociologist came up with the idea of death cafes where the taboo subject was the sole topic of conversation. Small groups gathered in restaurants, anyone was welcome, and Crettaz usually led the conversation about grief, suicide, near-death experiences, faith, spirit, soul, good deaths, and the afterlife. The only rule was that there was to be no prescription: no topic, no religion, no judgment. The first death cafe took place in 2004 and in the last three years, there have been over 1,400 death cafes in 26 countries. The website www.deathcafe.com will give you more information on hosting a cafe and the location of conversations around the world.
Moments of Democracy
Spiritual Quotation
I’m not sure about the future of democracy, but I do believe in moments of democracy.
A moment of democracy may last only for five seconds, but its memory lingers in our imaginations for many weeks, a year, or a lifetime. It is a moment when we hear others on their own terms, for their own sakes. Even as we may find some of their attitudes -- about race and class and gender, for example -- completely reprehensible. Even as we may disagree completely with their politics. Even as we may sense in them a hostility, an anger, that frightens us. We may sense that beneath the anger there is a pain, but we don’t know what it is. We know their rage but not their pain.
I’m not sure about the future of democracy, but I do believe in moments of democracy.
A moment of democracy may last only for five seconds, but its memory lingers in our imaginations for many weeks, a year, or a lifetime. It is a moment when we hear others on their own terms, for their own sakes. Even as we may find some of their attitudes -- about race and class and gender, for example -- completely reprehensible. Even as we may disagree completely with their politics. Even as we may sense in them a hostility, an anger, that frightens us. We may sense that beneath the anger there is a pain, but we don’t know what it is. We know their rage but not their pain.
Director of Nomadland Salutes Compassion
Spiritual Quotation
Our favorite spiritual film of 2020 is Nomadland which we summed up as "the remarkable odyssey of a feisty woman who finds community and her true self in her home on the road."
Our favorite spiritual film of 2020 is Nomadland which we summed up as "the remarkable odyssey of a feisty woman who finds community and her true self in her home on the road."
Book Clubs as Transfusion Centers
Spiritual Quotation
In an article in The New York Times, writer James Atlas points out that there are about 5 million Americans participating in some kind of book club. They meet in living rooms, in local libraries, in bars, and online. Goodreads.com claims to have 25 million members and was recently sold to Amazon. There are book clubs for seniors, youth, co-workers, and only men or only women.
One of the most appealing things about book clubs is that they sometimes generate aha! moments when the group coalesces and are united in tribute to a truth expressed in the book being discussed. Other times, dialogue can break down when someone hogs center stage or a needy person goes off topic and shares his/her troubles. That is why some groups are now hiring professional group facilitators. Another new development is seeing authors taking the role of master-of-ceremonies or moderator for a fee. Naturally, in this age of celebrity, groups are eager to have such creative people in their midst and thankful for the publicity.
In an article in The New York Times, writer James Atlas points out that there are about 5 million Americans participating in some kind of book club. They meet in living rooms, in local libraries, in bars, and online. Goodreads.com claims to have 25 million members and was recently sold to Amazon. There are book clubs for seniors, youth, co-workers, and only men or only women.
One of the most appealing things about book clubs is that they sometimes generate aha! moments when the group coalesces and are united in tribute to a truth expressed in the book being discussed. Other times, dialogue can break down when someone hogs center stage or a needy person goes off topic and shares his/her troubles. That is why some groups are now hiring professional group facilitators. Another new development is seeing authors taking the role of master-of-ceremonies or moderator for a fee. Naturally, in this age of celebrity, groups are eager to have such creative people in their midst and thankful for the publicity.