Spirituality & Practice

Joan Chittister is a Benedictine sister, the author of more than 50 books, and the Executive Director of Benetvision, a resource and research center for contemporary spirituality. She is profiled as one of S&P’s Living Spiritual Teachers and is a frequent leader of our e-courses. In God’s Holy Light: Wisdom From the Desert Monastics gives us Chittister's take on the wisdom teachings of the Desert Fathers and Mothers who lived in the Egyptian wastelands between the third and fifth centuries. She calls them "the Olympians of the spiritual life." They separated themselves from the world, denied the desires of the flesh, and sought to sanctify their bodies through rigorous practices of self-denial. Yet these monks were considered to be revered spiritual teachers: they became "the mystics, the spiritual directors and the counselors of the age." People came from near and far to hear a word from them that would be a catalyst for their transformation. Chittister comments on about 35 of the more than 2,000 sayings from this Christian tradition. Some of them will be very familiar to spiritual seekers while others will be new; each and every one of them is edifying. Here is an oldie but goodie: "Some old men came to see Abba Poeman, and said to him: 'Tell us, when we see brothers dozing during the sacred office, should we pinch them so they will stay awake?' The old man said to them: 'Actually, if I saw a brother sleeping, I would put his head on my knees and let him rest.' " This Desert Father stifles the religious judgments of the old men who come to see him. He admonishes them to act with empathy and compassion rather than a works righteousness approach which leads to hurt and disappointment. The truly spiritual life stems from the actions of the heart. We are entranced by the wisdom of these Desert Fathers and Mothers which shines through their teachings on single-mindedness, perseverance, sanctity, humility, a contemplative consciousness, the value of routine, self-control, peace of mind, generosity, and pacifism. Here is a less familiar passage that speaks to our times: "Abba James said: 'We do not want words alone, for there are too many words among people today. What we need is action, for that is what we are looking for, not words that do not bear fruit.' " Then as now, we are inundated by words and more words. The anecdote then and now is action. Spiritual activism is what can make a difference. It is where the tire hits the road and where the faith leads.

"Some call it a blind spot, others naivete, but Mandela sees almost everyone as virtuous until proven otherwise. He starts with an assumption that you are dealing with him in good faith. He believes that, just as pretending to be brave can lead to acts of real bravery, seeing the good in other people improves the chances that they will reveal their better selves. "It is extraordinary that a man who was ill-treated for most of his life can see so much good in others. In fact, it was sometimes frustrating to talk with him because he almost never had a bad word to say about anyone. He would not even say a disapproving word about the man who tried to have him hanged. I once asked him about John Vorster, the Nazi-sympathizing president of South Africa who tightened apartheid and rued the fact that Mandela and his comrades had not been executed. " 'He was a very decent chap,' Mandela said with complete sincerity. 'In the first place, he was very polite. In referring to us, he used courteous terminology.' "This might seem like praising Saddam Hussein because he was kind to animals. But it is not that Mandela does not see the dark side of someone like John Vorster; it is that he is unwilling to see only that. He knows that no one is purely good or purely evil. We were talking one day about a prisoner who had been a rival of Mandela's on Robben Island and who had actually put together a list of grievances about Mandela. When I asked him about the fellow, Mandela did not address the man's hostility but said, 'What I took from him was his ability to work hard . . .' "What I took from him. Mandela seeks out the positive, the constructive. He chooses to look past the negative. He does this for two reasons: because he instinctively sees the good in people and because he intellectually believes that seeing the good in others might actually make them better. If you expect more of people, whether they are coworkers or family members, they often contribute more. Or at least feel guilty if they do not. "The worst he might say about someone is that they are operating in their own self-interest. I remember once listening to him talk on the phone with the editor of South Africa's largest black newspaper. The editor was planning to run a piece on the negotiations, and Mandela asked him to hold off because the matter was sensitive. Afterward, Mandela assured me that the editor would pull the story. The following day, though, the story was as big as life on the front page. I pointed it out to him, and he smiled and said, 'These people do these things, you see, without an ulterior motive. They do it from the point of view of their own interest. So I didn't get cross about it.' The editor had not misled him; he had simply acted in his own interest. There was no point in taking it personally. And he didn't."

Here are some of Aquinas' teachings on magnanimity: Magnanimity is the expansion of the soul to great things. It is characteristic of magnanimous people to be more solicitous about the truth than about the opinions of others. It is a mark of magnanimous people to speak and work openly. . . . That people hide what they do and say arises from the fear of others. Magnanimous people deliberately determine to forget injuries they have suffered. Magnanimity is part of the virtue of courage or fortitude. Magnanimity strengthens a person to take on good tasks.

Bring with you into your day the commitment to listen wholeheartedly in all the moments when someone is asking for your attention and presence. In contact with a friend, listen with awareness and spaciousness. Listen with your heart, sensing the reaching out to forge a connection with you and be fully present. Listen with patience, noticing the moments when with impatience or boredom you start to disconnect. See if you can bring your attention back to be fully present. Listen with openness, instead of preparing your responses or waiting for a lull in their speech so you can say something you deem to be more interesting or important. Notice if there are moments when you start to judge whatever they are recounting to you. Sense whether it is possible to let go of those judgments and renew your commitment to being fully present with the person in front of you. Bring awareness into those moments in your day when you are listening to someone who is distressed or angry. Sense what happens in your own body, mind and heart as you listen to distress or anger. Notice how you may be prone to stop listening as you prepare your defenses or retorts. Sense if you feel hurt or helpless as you absorb the words of another. When faced with someone who is enraged, it may be helpful to explore what it means to stay connected with that person without being lost in the barrage of their words. Are you able to sustain eye contact with them, sense the pain or frustration that underlies their anger, and listen without feeling attacked? Are you able to leave their anger with them rather than feeling you need to defend yourself or respond in kind? Listening to someone who is deeply distressed or in pain can be deeply challenging. As you listen to someone recounting to you their heartache, notice if as a reaction to feeling helpless, you begin to search for formulas or prescriptions to "fix" their pain. This may not be what is being asked of you. What is being asked for is a compassionate presence. Faced with someone in distress, explore what it may mean simply to bring a compassionate, open stillness that can receive that sorrow. Experiment with listening to yourself as you speak, sensing whether your speech is a genuine expression of care and sensitivity. Are you saying what you wish to say, communicating what you most need to communicate? Are you able to listen to your own heart and mind before the words are spoken?

Download a pdf version of this guide to print here. Day after day, month after month, year after year, Americans spend a major portion of our lives at our workplaces. It’s obvious, then, that if we are to embrace democratic values, virtues, and practices, we need to do so at work. The way we go about our jobs and how we relate to our colleagues — both in our own workplace and on behalf of the larger community of workers — will reveal how we much we value the common good and the national motto “Out of many, one.” 1. Create A Mission Statement Spiritual practice often begins with self-assessment. Do you feel that you can seek and express democratic values and virtues through your work? Spiritual writer Matthew Fox in The Reinvention of Work observes that “Both life and livelihood are about living in depth, living with meaning, purpose, joy, and a sense of contributing to the greater community.” His Holiness the Dalai Lama in The Art of Happiness at Work writes: “Workers should recognize that by actively participating in this workforce, in some way they are acting out their role as a good citizen in their society, a productive member of society. … If they think along these lines, then they can see some purpose in what they are doing that is beyond just providing a means of livelihood for themselves.” Write a mission statement for your work identifying how it contributes to your community and nation. Keep this on your desk or elsewhere so you can refer to it daily. 2. Pause Many Americans highly value professional achievement, which is reflected in such democratic virtues as the pursuit of excellence, determination, assertiveness, and love of learning and knowledge. At the same time, momentarily setting aside an achievement orientation helps us tune into deeper currents of wisdom that strengthen democratic virtues like adaptability, honesty, humility, integrity, and social conscience. In Be the Change by Ed and Deb Shapiro, meditation teacher Jon Kabat-Zinn shares a story about starting a business workshop with ten to fifteen minutes of sitting quietly with no agenda. Many of the participants had powerful and moving experiences as they shifted from a focus on doing to just being. To integrate a habit of pausing at work, begin each meeting with a few minutes of silence. If you can, hold longer silent-space sessions twice a day 3. Organize a Service Day Much has been written about the common good. Some Americans think of the common good as placing the good of the country and of our fellow Americans above individual interests. Others think of the common good as the individual taking responsibility to improve the lives of others. Whatever your understanding of the common good, it can be pursued in your work life. You can do so by seeking to build and maintain supportive relationships with your coworkers. You can also do so by engaging with your coworkers in activities that are beneficial to your community and the larger world. Doing so can even contribute to recruitment efforts and employee retention. Some employers place such a high value on community relations that they offer employees paid compensation for two days of volunteering a month. Here are some ideas for organizing a service day. Find out what is important to your coworkers and what is needed in your community. You might check what community service events have been held in the past and decide whether you want to create something new to fill a gap, partner with an existing organization, or expand an existing event. Here are some categories of need for your discussions with coworkers: schools/education, children, troubled teens, senior citizens, citizens who are hungry/homeless, the environment, animals, community safety and crime prevention, community enhancement. Consider your own and your coworker’s skills and talents to make sure you put them to good use. You will want to choose your project or event based on what you’re good at and what you have the resources to do, as well as its potential impact. Choose a date that works for as many of your coworkers as possible. Plan, plan, plan — far in advance. Consider your goals, the practicalities and logistics of accomplishing them, and possible partners. Factor into the picture potential complications, especially safety or liability issues, volunteer recruitment, budget, timeline, fundraising/sponsorships, set-up and clean-up plans, and post-event assessment. Publicize your effort/event sufficiently in advance and as much as possible. Here are some service day ideas to get your mental wheels turning: Coordinate a beautification project. You can clean up or plant flowers and trees at a local park or alongside a river, lake, or highway. Or repair, paint, or otherwise improve walls, fences, buildings, or playgrounds. Organize a community blood drive. Hold a fun run or other charity race like a walk-a-thon or bike-a-thon. Organize a car wash and donate the profits. Hold an auction to benefit a charity. Organize an event for teaching computer, smart phone, and other technology skills to older persons or new device users. Host a holiday meal. Start a community garden. Create a new walking trail or care for an existing trail. Organize an outing for urban youth who have little exposure to nature. Participate in building a house for Habitat for Humanity 4. Encourage Employer Donation Programs Throughout history, flourishing democracies have been known for their generosity and willingness to sacrifice for others. One proof of this is the number of charities and nonprofit organizations that regularly receive support from individuals, corporations, and government agencies. In The Better World Handbook: From Good Intentions to Everyday Actions, authors Brett Johnson, Brian Klocke, Ellis Jones, and Ross Haenfler suggest that you find out whether your workplace encourages charitable giving. Does your employer have a charitable donation matching fund program, or does it offer the option to take an amount you specify from your paycheck to go directly to the charities you chose? If it doesn’t, ask if they would be willing to start one of these programs. Regardless of your employer's participation in a donation program, you can create your own ways of bringing together your workplace and the social and environmental impacts that are important to you. Here are some possibilities: Ask for charitable donations instead of gifts for your next birthday, promotion party, or other celebration. When your office plans to hold a party for either an employee or a client, advocate for donating the money that would have been spent on the party to a cause of that employee’s or client’s choosing or a cause that relates to your work. Not all company donations have to be monetary. Here are some ideas for non-monetary giving: Organize a lunch-time bake sale to benefit your favorite charities. Organize lunch-time meal deliveries to people in need. Organize a gift collection, like knitted blankets for hospital patients, persons who are homeless, or nursing facility residents, and deliver the gifts during a lunch break. Organize a collection event. Leave boxes in a lobby or break room for art supplies or used sports equipment you can donate to after-school programs, care kits or winter clothes for homeless shelters, unused makeup and perfume for a women’s shelter, stuffed animals for hospitalized children, baby clothes and supplies for new parents, books for a library, and so forth. A powerful way to host a collection event related to food is to hold a fast-at-work day to coincide with collecting food you can donate to the local food bank. Organize a chores-for-another weekend. Identify an individual or individuals in your community that could use help with errands, housework, or yard work. Gather volunteers from your coworkers, and set a schedule. Organize a carpool. Once a month, invite a person who is food insecure to share a lunch with you and your co-workers. Organize a home-alone safety class for children or self-defense workshop for people of all ages. 5. Get Political Whether we admit it or not, most of us bring our political views with us to work, even though we may be discouraged from trying to persuade others to agree with us. Still, the workplace is an appropriate venue for some political activities. You could organize a "write for a cause" lunch, in which you and your coworkers write articles, letters, or e-mails in support of causes of your own choosing. The organizer can provide contact information for government officials or agencies handling a wide variety of issues. As an election nears, have a "register to vote" station in your workplace. Bring voter registration applications and encourage your coworkers to complete the applications at lunch or during a break. Drop the completed applications at the post office on your way home 6. Use Right Speech Speak up if you hear a slur against a person or group. Say "yes" when someone asks if you are offended by racial, ethnic, or otherwise inappropriate jokes. If you do hear such comments, explain politely and with humor, if possible, that you prefer not to hear them. Leave the room if someone persists in making inappropriate remarks. Be sure to follow both your workplace guidelines and applicable laws for reporting discrimination or harassment. Another way to remind yourself to practice right speech is to use a gatha, a short saying from the Buddhist tradition. Here is one by Thich Nhat Hanh in Happiness: Essential Mindfulness Practices: "Words can travel thousands of miles. May my words create mutual understanding and love. May they be as beautiful as gems, as lovely as flowers." 7. Send Holy Emails Practicing democratic virtues in relation to what we hear and say is only part of practicing democracy with our words. Our written words are equally important in making sure that we are practicing dignity, respect, and consideration. So why not take workplace civility to the next level? In Liturgy of the Ordinary, Anglican priest Trish Harrison Warren suggests that we reframe sending emails as holy tasks, as an unfolding of God’s mission. She writes, "Our task is not to somehow inject God into our work but to join God in the work he is already doing in and through our vocational lives." Warren also asserts that we should love our neighbors through our work, even if that's "someone sitting at a computer screen far away." Our emails should carry hope and love. "Blessed and sent" emails are a great way to practice the democratic virtues of sincerity, responsibility, and self-discipline. Think of your work as an unfolding of a divine mission while you are drafting your emails, and set the intention to love your neighbors when you click "send." 8. Reframe Work Jargon We can practice democratic virtues in how we refer to our work as well. In Getting a Grip, Frances Moore Lappé, who has written extensively on world hunger and living democracy, suggests that we consider the difference between such words as consumers and buyers, regulations and standards. She asserts that we don’t "consume" the products we buy because those products don’t just disappear from the ecosystem when we’re done with them. Similarly, "regulations" conveys constraint and oversight whereas "standards" signifies our commitment to excellence. Accordingly, she advocates that we use "standards" when "addressing our needs as citizens for clean air, water, and soil." Take a few minutes to reflect on what jargon permeates your workplace. Do you use words like "consumers", "regulations," "minimum standards," "high standards," etc.? Does your work jargon coincide with your company’s vision and mission? What about its ethics? Does the language you and your coworkers use reflect the full life cycle of your company’s products or services? If not, consider changing your word choices, and start talking to your coworkers about doing the same. 9. Advocate for Corporate Ethics In Resisting Structural Evil: Love as Ecological and Economical Transformation, Cynthia D. Moe-Lobeda, a professor of Christian ethics, argues that we are called to love neighbor as self and to nurture Earth’s well-being. Thus, she asserts that we are obligated to strive against any powers that keep us from following this call. She specifically points to global corporations that have become so powerful that they negatively influence our relationships with our neighbors and with the Earth. Her concern with the imbalance of corporate power versus public power is worth considering in light of the core American democratic value of public sovereignty -- the principle that the power of the government comes from us, the people. Moe-Lobeda offers the following approaches to restoring a balance of power to and for the people: Turn to local and small- or medium-scale businesses and financial institutions as an alternative to global entities. Evaluate a business corporation’s moral culture as part of its corporate social responsibility; especially do this for your own company or organization. Take action as citizens and consumers to pressure a corporation to voluntarily change its conduct and constrain corporate conduct within socially responsible, moral, and ethical bounds. Take citizen action to achieve corporate social accountability through publicly mandated regulation and legislation and to limit the privatization and marketing of some essential goods, such as water, seeds, and HIV/AIDS drugs. 10. Reduce Your Footprint The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, an internationally recognized authority on climate science, recently released an alarming report warning that if global warming is not kept to a maximum of 1.5 degrees Celsius within the next twelve years, then even half a degree will significantly worsen the risks of drought, floods, extreme heat, and poverty for hundreds of millions of people. Ninety-one leading climate scientists from 40 countries analyzed more than 6,000 scientific climate-change studies and concluded that we have an extremely short time to transition our economy away from fossil fuels and other carbon pollution as part of a necessary global mobilization in pursuit of a stable climate. At the same time, the U.S. has been the world’s biggest source of historical emissions, and the Trump administration has withdrawn the U.S. from the 2015 Paris climate agreement. Yet the report predicts drastic falls in grain yields and food supplies, dramatic shrinking of the economy, six times as many wildfires in the U.S., states of permanent drought, many major cities flooded as Arctic ice sheets melt and sea levels rise, the death of nearly all coral reefs, and other disasters. What does this mean for how we practice democracy? We encourage you to consider the democratic values of justice for all, the common good, and popular sovereignty as you take the following steps: Consider what changes you can make to reduce your carbon footprint and make a commitment with your coworkers to do so. Check in with your coworkers regularly to make sure you are all meeting your goals. A free carbon footprint calculator (such as those listed below) can help you determine the amount of carbon dioxide and other carbon compounds emitted due to your consumption of fossil fuel. https://www.terrapass.com/carbon-footprint-calculator https://www.carbonfootprint.com/calculator.aspx https://www.nature.org/en-us/get-involved/how-to-help/consider-your-impact/carbon-calculator/ Determine your workplace's carbon footprint. Start with the office, plant, or store. Then consider how much travel is required as part of your doing business in the world. Convene a group to review what actions your company/organization can take to reduce consumption and emissions. Make recommendations to the appropriate decision-makers. Make sure the group follows up regularly to see how you are doing in meeting your goals. Research the impact of global warming on the area in which you live and work. Find out what, if any, actions your local, state, and federal authorities are planning to address these problems. Consider how you believe a government of the people, by the people, and for the people should address these challenges. Get involved in advocating for the solutions you believe are fair, just, and a reflection of America’s core democratic values. 11. Support Living Wages The U.S. Declaration of Independence espouses equality. The U.S. Pledge of Allegiance espouses justice for all. The U.S. Constitution espouses the general welfare, i.e., the common good. Yet, according to a 2017 report by the Wall Street Journal, the median pay for CEOs of the largest U.S. companies was $12.1 million. At the same time, the current federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour, and has not increased since July 2009. Many refer to the federal minimum wage as "starvation pay." Millions of low-wage workers in our country work full-time and still can’t afford life’s necessities. And the gap between workers’ wages and the cost of necessities is growing. Are we living up to our American democratic values and virtues of equality, justice, and the common good with the U.S.’s income inequality at an all-time high? A living wage is the minimum income necessary for a worker to meet basic needs like food, housing, clothing utilities, transportation, health care, and child care, in consideration of location and type of household. As many full-time workers in the U.S. do not earn enough to support themselves and their families, living wage campaigns are becoming more visible and frequent. These campaigns assert that a living wage is a human right and that the employee, employer, and the community all benefit from a living wage. Employees would be more willing and better able to work, employers would have less costs associated with employee turnover or reduced productivity, and the community would be helped by having citizens able to purchase their basic needs. Moreover, the lack of a living wage has been linked to other workplace abuses and labor-rights violations. Our fellow citizens cannot fully participate in our democracy if they are forced to work multiple jobs and expend all their time and energy to simply survive, and our democracy cannot flourish without the participation of all its citizens. Here are some suggestions for how you and your colleagues can help secure a living wage for all citizens: Support campaigns to ensure that no full-time worker lives in poverty by raising the minimum wage to at least $15 per hour. Join a political-action group or take a service trip that focuses on advocating for a living wage and other worker’s rights, like the right to breaks, potable drinking water, well-maintained toilet and handwashing facilities, and overtime pay protection. Support the labor movement to ensure that workers can engage in collective bargaining to have a say in their own economic futures. Join an advocacy group that focuses on establishing equal pay for women. Support legislation to raise the minimum wage, legislation that makes it easier for workers to organize and bargain collectively, and legislation that establishes equal pay. Encourage large employers to provide on-site child care. 12. Hire People Who Are Differently Abled In The Problem of Wealth: A Christian Response to a Culture of Affluence, theology professor Elizabeth Hinson-Hasty tells the story of her experience of a ropes course. At the time she was teaching at St. Andrews Presbyterian College, which had established a curriculum with the mission of educating able-bodied students alongside differently abled students. In the ropes course, both groups of students participated; often able-bodied students assisted their peers with disabilities. Towards the end of the course, when everyone was getting tired, two of the students in wheel chairs wheeled able-bodied students through the remainder of the course. Hinson-Hasty writes, "When the students faced the challenges, they entered into a sort of dance; learning how to work together, collaborating to find a way through. Everyone was involved, and as a result, a household of equal partners emerged. Everyone was valued according to what they contributed as anyone might have needed help on that day. … [This] model for daily life suggests a way of ordering social, economic, and political systems and structures in forms appropriate to what [Catholic theologian Catherine] LaCugna calls 'the mystery of persons in communion.' " As Hinson-Hasty points out, people with disabilities frequently experience income poverty and other economic deprivation at two to three times the rate for persons without disabilities. To practice the democratic values of equality and justice for all, and to also practice the democratic virtue of embrace of diversity, make a commitment to promote the hiring and retention of differently abled persons as an important step toward reducing poverty and expanding economic inclusion. You can easily find free online resources with helpful recruitment and retention suggestions. Here is one: https://www.eeoc.gov/eeoc/interagency/upload/employing_people_with_disabilities_toolkit_february_3_2015_v4-2.pdf. Consult whoever handles human resources for your business, and get started. 13. Modern-Day Jubilee The Liberty Bell in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania — widely known as a symbol of American independence —- was rung on July 8, 1776, to summon people to hear the Declaration of Independence. The bell is cast with the lettering "Proclaim LIBERTY Throughout all the Land unto all the Inhabitants Thereof", a reference to the hallowed 50th year, known as the jubilee, mentioned in the Bible (Leviticus 25:10). In a jubilee year, liberty was to be proclaimed to all inhabitants of the country, servants and masters alike; property ownership was to revert to the family that originally possessed the property to reestablish the original arrangement regarding the division of land; and all inhabitants of the country were to live a simple life, living off of storage from previous years, allowing the land to rest. The jubilee was to be a year of spiritual and physical renewal. In "Toward a Jubilee Economy and Ecology in the Modern World," American Rabbi Arthur Waskow offers possibilities for a modern-day jubilee: Recycle wealth by transferring liquid assets from large corporations to grassroots and local businesses that are worker-owned, consumer co-ops, family-operated, or neighborhood-operated. If liquid assets aren’t available, transfer a portion of the ownership rights to a community-ownership trust that can transfer assets to workers. Take a sabbatical from research and development every seven years to reflect on the environmental and social impact of production and technology. Empower neighbors to encourage economic renewal, cooperative business ventures, and celebrate their life together one day a month. In "Healing America: Beyond Economics," Rabbi Waskow offers the idea that community celebrations could relate to a neighborhood venture, like an energy co-op to reduce energy costs for neighborhood homes and businesses. Now it’s your turn to "proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof." Take 10 - 15 minutes to reflect on the merits of a jubilee and its possible applications for you, your workplace, and your community. Jot down whatever ideas you have without editing. Come back to the list later and read it over again before making any changes. Then discuss your ideas with a coworker and decide which ones to act on. 14. Practice Humility In From Enemy to Friend: Jewish Wisdom and the Pursuit of Peace, Rabbi Amy Eilberg considers how Alan Morinis, a teacher of Jewish Mussar practices, defines humility: "to occupy as much space as is my natural right in the world, neither to diminish my own place nor to rob others of theirs." This definition fits perfectly with practicing democratic virtues. If we embody this sort of humility, we "lay claim to that which is rightfully ours, including speaking up for our views" while being "careful not to deny the other’s right to his or hers." How better to practice core democratic values like equality, freedom, liberty, and justice than with the virtue of humility? When we do so, we can't help but recognize each other’s humanity even when we have difficulty valuing another’s point of view. Here are some suggestions from Eilberg and Morinis for how to practice democracy with humility: Pay attention to how you share space with others. Do you spread your stuff around? Do you place your things on the empty chairs beside you? Do you move them when someone else enters the space? Do you diminish your own needs by squeezing or twisting yourself to make room for others as if you don’t have the right to be comfortable? Pay attention to how you share airtime in meetings or classrooms. How often do you insist on sharing your thoughts? Do you do so at length or succinctly? Are you aware of how your sharing impacts the time available for others? Do you defer to others? Do you act as if you have little to contribute? If you notice that you often claim the available time or space, experiment with stepping back and inviting others to take their rightful place. If you tend to think of your viewpoint as the only view, practicing asking yourself whether someone knows something you don’t. Practice learning from other’s perspectives. If you avoid stepping up or speaking out, practice asserting your personhood, needs, and perspectives. Democratic Values, Virtues, and Spiritual Practices America’s democracy is founded on powerful ideas: We are all created equal. We have the right to life, freedom, and the opportunity to pursue our own happiness. At the same time, we are people in united states, trying to form a more perfect union and promote the welfare of all. American democracy can flourish only when citizens are united, at a deep level that transcends ideology, race, and class, with a shared spiritual and moral vision of what America should be. Democracy is more than a form of government. It is a way of life that can be strengthened through spiritual practices — both those traditionally considered to be “inner work” and those that encourage active engagement with our neighbors and communities. The Practicing Democracy Guides give you specific ways to practice democracy at home, at work, on the Internet, and in other settings. The chart below is designed to show how the spiritual practices we’ve suggested, as well as others from your own experience, uphold democratic values and cultivate democratic virtues. Cover photo credit: iStockPhoto.com

Jamie Sams, who died in 2020, was half French and half American Indian, with ancestors from the Cherokee, Seneca, Choctaw, and Mohawk tribes. She was also a key member of the Wolf Clan Teaching Lodge, a retreat leader, and a writer on American Indian spirituality. Sams personally funded many programs to help the Native American community by donating a large percentage of the royalties received from her many books. Beginning in 1988, she developed programs for native youth which included saying no to drugs and alcohol, and she furnished books for Native American schools as well as Indians serving time in prison. She funded elders' travels to teach at youth conferences as well as scholarships for single Native American parents working to receive college degrees. She traveled to many reservations and taught at Youth and Adult Wellness seminars. She donated her time teaching at the Native American Heritage School in Seattle, the Tulip Tribes of Washington, the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Orphanage and Boys Club, and funded many groups including the Mohawk, Aquasasni School trips to the Cradleboard Conference. She worked with Native Ojibwa Elders in Canada founding the Turtle Mother Women's Center for abused Native Women. Sams was a keynote speaker for the Family and Child Education program for Native American Family Literacy and for the Third World Counselors Association of California. In Africa, she worked with Nelson Mandela's task force to help preserve the indigenous stories of African Tribes. In Australia, she helped young aboriginal writers in the Northwest Territories Aboriginal Women's Association record elders' stories and teachings. She founded Native American Tribal Traditions which has hosted countless Native American teachers and spiritual leaders on their ceremonial grounds, The Valley of Miracles Ranch in Northern New Mexico. She founded the Children of Earth Foundation which focuses on the needs of children to help ease the suffering of all humanity. Read For: Knowledge of American Indian traditions and wisdom Sensitivity to the voices of American Indian elders, especially women Wide-ranging points of entry into American Indian spirituality, including cards, books, and audios.

Forehead: May you have keen insights and think clearly. May your thoughts be kind and wise. May you resolve anything in your mind that keeps you from being your true self. Ears: May you listen to the inner Voice of the Beloved and act on the word of God. May you hear the melodies of your own goodness and treasure who you are. Eyes: May you have inner vision to see more clearly the path that is yours. May you look upon others with love as you search for your way home. Mouth: May you speak with love, proclaim the truth, and make your needs known. May you laugh at the absurdities of life and taste life with joy and enthusiasm. Nose: As you take in air and let out air, may you be reminded of the cycle of life with its dying and rising, its emptying and filling. May you breathe in the aroma of goodness and breathe out what needs to be let go. Hands: May you use your hands to touch all life with reverence and gratitude. May these hands reach out with care to others. May these hands be willing to receive from others. Skin: May you not be too thick-skinned or too thin-skinned as you journey. May you reverence and protect the dignity of others no matter what color of skin they have. Heart: May you develop awareness of what stirs deep within you. May you have a vibrant, compassionate heart, one that is filled with generosity and kindness. Feet: As you travel through the many ups and downs of life, may all the places your feet take you lead you to greater transformation and inner freedom. May you develop an ever firmer foundation for your spiritual path.

It is in our living room where compassion and reconciliation are hatched in the midst of a sea of troubles. It is also a place where we drop the facade of civilized niceness and let loose our primal anger and verbal violence — not only to outsiders but even to those we love the most. We saw the fury of this emotional release in Edward Albee's 1962 drama Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and in plays by Eugene O'Neill, Arthur Miller, and Harold Pinter. As Mother Teresa reminded us: "If we have no peace it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other." But in crisis situations we do not remember that truth about human nature. That's when the parts of us that we have hidden away come crashing through the doors and lash out at others. In the opening scene of Carnage, we see a gang of boys at a Brooklyn waterside park with the Manhattan skyline in the background. One of them separates from the rest and then gets in a shoving match with another youth. The first boy responds by hitting his opponent in the face with a stick. Later, Alan (Christoph Waltz) and his wife Nancy (Kate Winslet), the parents of the aggressive boy, arrive at the Brooklyn apartment of Michael (John C. Reilley) and Penelope (Jodie Foster) with the intention of resolving any problems connected with the violent encounter. It turns out that Michael and Penelope's son has two broken teeth. The couples engage in chit-chat to get to know a little more about each other. Michael sells hardware; Penelope is a writer who is struggling with the moral meanings of Darfur; Alan is a corporate lawyer; Nancy is an investment banker. The class differences between them are apparent from the outset as the mutual plan of reconciliation slowly unravels. Alan and Nancy try to exit swiftly but are lured back first by Penelope's cobbler and then by Michael's special bottle of Scotch. Throughout their time together, Alan pulls himself away from the conversation and talks on his cell phone about a pharmaceutical company's problems with a new drug. Nancy can't stand her husband's addiction to talking on his phone and ignoring the people right in front of him. At one point, she is so overcome with anger that she throws up all over Penelope's beloved art books on the coffee table. Carnage is masterfully directed by Roman Polanski who has adapted Yasmina Reza's award-winning play for the screen with all of its vituperative emotional outbursts intact. This is a character-driven drama that sizzles with the heat of anger and hatred. Jodie Foster, Kate Winslet, John C. Reilly, and Christoph Waltz do not disappoint. Catholic author Ronald Rolheiser has observed: "When we watch the news at night, most of what we are seeing is a reflection of what is inside ourselves." During their time together, the couples manage to cover a lot of turf related to marriage, fighting fair, the burdens of parenting, the ethics of business, the meaning of the moral high ground, the male need for camaraderie, and the dynamics of blame and revenge. Carnage proves just how difficult it is for most people to practice forgiveness and reconciliation. At the same time, this movie gives us an opportunity to do essential shadow work as we identify with the behaviors and attitudes of the four characters. Interfaith minister John Mabry reminds us: "We must not despise the rough, the dark, the empty, the cowardly, the flawed or the crooked. It is a package deal." We can be grateful to rare movies like Carnage which enable us to confront and make peace with those parts of ourselves that we find unappealing, despicable, unworthy, and embarrassing. By owning our shadow, we can embrace our full humanity, flaws and all. Special features on the DVD include: actors' notes; an evening with John C. Reilly and Christoph Waltz; and on the red carpet.

Diane Ackerman, bestselling author of A Natural History of Love and other books, married Paul West, a professor at Penn State who was 18 years older than she was. They both loved language and writing. One could say it was a true marriage of the minds as they did puzzles and dreamed up crazy and adorable pet names for each other (the title's meaning). In addition, Paul wrote her love notes for decades. Ackerman relished his talent for phrasemaking whereas she more often used imagery to define her experiences. She describes their household as being "saturated in wordplay." When West suffered a stroke after kidney surgery at the age of 74, his brain was badly damaged. Doctors diagnosed him as having severe global aphasia — a near total loss of language and memory — and were not sure of his chances for recovery. Ackerman is stunned by the fragile and vulnerable condition of her husband but dedicates herself to being the best ally and caregiver that she can be in this crisis situation. "He'd joined the ranks of over 1 million Americans living with aphasia — a void of language, a frustrating perpetual tip-of-the-tongue memory loss, a mute torturer of words, a jumbler of lives." Suddenly Paul has nothing to say except "mem," which serves as his greeting, his expression of anger or frustration, and his curse. Ackerman has no access to his thoughts or feelings and feels shut out and alone. Speech therapy begins and she finds after a while that it is not working all that well. Knowing a bit about the brain's complex workings and especially the nature of her husband's consciousness, she designs a language therapy program suitable to his character and needs. One Hundred Names for Love is a brilliantly written and deeply touching account of the five-year ordeal Ackerman and her husband endure together. By the end of the book, he is able to write again, work on a book review and, for the first time since his stroke, make puns. Ackerman shares some notes for other caregivers for aphasics and recommends appreciation and humor, constraint-induced therapy, ignoring timetables, encouraging creativity, exercising the brain, and living more in the present.

Joseph Telushkin is a spiritual leader and scholar, the author of 15 books including Jewish Literacy. He is convinced that one of the most important contributions Judaism can make to the world is its emphasis upon ethics as being of supreme importance for individuals, communities, and nations. A Code of Jewish Ethics is the first book of a three-volume set. It covers Jewish laws and suggestions on "how to improve our character and become more honest, decent and just people." A tall order you say? Well Rabbi Telushkin has plenty of help from the Torah, the Prophets and the later books of the Bible; the Talmud and Midrash; the medieval codes of Jewish law; the teachings of the Mussar and Chasidic movements; and the writings of contemporary Jewish scholars. The ambitious author covers a lot of territory with chapters on judging others fairly, gratitude, repentance, forgiveness, humility, anger, envy, hatred, fair speech, leading a holy life, and much more. Telushkin points out that Judaism has always been defined in ethical terms and that "loving our neighbor as ourselves" is the major principle of the Torah. In addition, the Prophets emphasize that being good to others takes precedence over rituals devoted to God. The Talmud states that compassion is the defining characteristic of being a Jew. The rabbis define heroism as controlling our selfish urges. How many children do you know who define heroism in this spiritual sense? According to the Midrash, improving character is the goal of life. That is why it is good to take a hard look at whether we are growing in honesty, kindness, and compassion as we age. Rabbi Shlomo Wolbe suggests that one way to start the process of improving ourselves is to keep a journal focusing on the area in which we wish to improve. For example, if we have a tendency to speak negatively about other people, we can practice not saying anything bad about anyone this week and look for things to praise in others. Rabbi Jack Riemer is quoted on the common tendency to judge others quickly and without mercy: "We can use [this capacity] to distinguish between good and evil, but so often we misuse it by making judgments without knowing enough facts, or without the sympathy and the empathy that we ought to show other human beings." Telushkin recalls a time when he and his son had to go back to a hospital to retrieve a jacket: "It took us about a half-hour to return to the hospital, and several times I pointed out to my son how much time his carelessness had cost us. Finally, when we reached the hospital, and the nurse returned his coat, she also gave me back my watch, which, until that moment, I had not realized I had left. My son had hardly been the only one who was careless." We liked the suggestion that people leave tips for the unseen individuals who clean hotel and motel rooms. Most people tip the bellhop who helps them with their bags but then leave nothing for the chambermaid. Telushkin concludes: "It is good for your character (and obviously good for the maid) to acknowledge the good someone has done you, even if you don't meet the person." Many other practices make it possible for us to demonstrate responsibility in this world based on the spiritual imperatives of love, compassion, humility, and gratitude.