What would I do if I were in the same position as...?

I'm exploring humility and growth with this illustrated poem by Jarod K. Anderson.

Am I a secret to myself?

How do I raise my son if our lives are already predestined?

From where does one derive power?

What is our personal work actually for?

Albert Camus said, "Man is the only creature who refuses to be what he is." There is always something else to do, some other way to act or talk or dress or think, that we struggle with in order to be "better." So isn't it funny that we have such impossible standards for ourselves and a completely different standard for animals -- like dogs, for instance -- a standard that is based on universal generosity?

I've noticed in my son a strong development of conscience over the last two years. I recognize in him many feelings of anguish that I felt as a kid -- and now as an adult -- when I recognized I did wrong and hurt another, especially in moments in which I lacked emotional regulation. The disappointment in myself, the feeling that I had let my loved ones down, or fear of losing their' trust and esteem, all brought me low to the point of tears. Tears that resulted not from anger

I've been re-reading some of Pema Chödrön's book, When Things Fall Apart, and so much is still so relevant in today's chaotic and unpredictable atmosphere. One of the most salient themes is the importance of staying with our sense of groundlessness, of staying alert and settling in with discomfort with ourselves, of being completely attuned to our surroundings and ourselves when we don't know what to do.

Peaceful living feels like a one giant paradox to me most of the time. I read koans, or some of the little snippets of conversations between masters and disciples, and to be honest, I identify more often with the clueless students making neither heads nor tails of the enigmatic language used by their teachers than with the teachers themselves. One of the most common concepts presented by the Tao that I struggle with, is the idea that living fearlessly and passionately is achi

Collaboration with therapist and mediation teacher Koret Munguldar: Many of us struggle with having a sense of being strangers to...

"The frog in a well cannot conceive of the ocean" is one of the most famous proverbs from Chinese literature. The fable comes from "The...

What do you think, is it pain or joy that makes us bloom? 🌺

Michael Meade writes in "Fate and Destiny" that we all experience pain, which emerges when our smaller, egoic selves obscure the greater...

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Time doesn't heal all wounds, at least not on it own. Time can numb our pain by putting distance between us and our trauma. But, by...