Some people view contemplation and action as opposites: “If we are contemplative, we can’t be active.” To substantiate their view, they point to the classification [...]
Suppose someone who had a longstanding disagreement with us finally comes over to our viewpoint. If we welcome them gracefully, we can work together effectively. [...]
Some people ask, “Why doesn't God love us as we are? Why does he prescribe so many rules?” To understand God’s love for us, let’s [...]
Few things stimulate human sympathy as much as the sight of someone being persecuted. We naturally want to do what we can to stop the [...]
Suppose we hear about an acquaintance getting a heart attack. We may become fearful: “What if I get a heart attack when I am alone [...]
Suppose a truck is moving rapidly on a road on which a tree has fallen. If the truck is large and has high momentum, it [...]
When we are in a position of guiding others, we sometimes find that people don’t listen to us. If our inputs are repeatedly neglected or [...]
Suppose we feel tempted by someone who wears revealing clothes. Or we feel irritated by someone who behaves in an annoying way. We may blame [...]
Suppose we are in physical pain. We will naturally do whatever we can to free ourselves from that pain as soon as possible. While such [...]
Suppose a child doesn’t want to study a particular subject, say, math. He may protest to his mother, “I can’t do this.” If the mother [...]
What makes some people resilient and some people weak? It’s primarily their vision when things go wrong. Life is tough. Everyone faces adversities. At such [...]
In today’s social justice ethos, if someone makes a racist or sexist statement, they are called out immediately. Prejudices of any kind are frowned upon. [...]
Suppose a mildly sick patient has to take a bitter medicine. If they reject that medicine, their sickness will worsen. When they become unbearably sick, [...]
Suppose a deadly quake has hit a place, leaving it in ruins. If we gaze at all the debris, the sight can be depressing, even [...]
Suppose we are seeking something that requires effort and involves risk. When we start stretching ourselves, others may caution us, “You are going too far [...]
If we want to eat food, we need to earn it. If we want to eat sweet food, we need to pay more, that is, [...]
Suppose we are guiding someone, as when we are parents guiding our children. Guiding involves both correcting and appreciating: correcting them when they do something [...]
Suppose we have to carry a huge bag. We may struggle to carry it, but if that bag became bigger and bigger, the struggle would [...]
Religious nuts are those people who in the name of religion become fanatical, irrational, disagreeable. In contrast, spiritual fruits are those religious practitioners who manifest [...]
When things start going wrong, we often feel resentful: ‘Why is this happening to me? Why do things always go wrong with me? Why is [...]
Whenever life subjects us to terrible situations, we often obsess over how bad things are. Such obsession makes us feel frustrated, burdened and drained – [...]
