Insight comes by catching sight of the link between things already in sight
Whenever we encounter some especially insightful people, we may wonder, “How do they get such insights?” Insightfulness may be an inborn gift in some, but [...]
The environment is not ours to take or leave, it is ours to make
We are living in an age of considerable climate change. For the past several centuries, the mainstream cultural ethos was that the environment is ours [...]
To believe whatever we see is to live like an animal
Some people assert, “Seeing is believing.” Their intent in making this assertion may be good – they don’t want to unintelligently, gullibly believe anything and [...]
Materialism reduces organism to mechanism
Materialism is the ideology that matter is all that exists. Mechanism is a material system that works according to material laws, with certain causes producing [...]
We are in illusion, but we are not an illusion
Suppose someone we trusted implicitly betrays us totally. Being devastated, we may ask ourselves: “What is real? How do I differentiate reality from illusion?” Faced [...]
Our longing for equality points to our spirituality
In today’s world, equality is among the most cherished values. Few things provoke as much indignation as incidents of discrimination or even allegations of discrimination. [...]
What we see depends on what we want to see
Suppose an alcoholic visits a new city. Though the city may have many attractive sights, the alcoholic will look for bars. Similarly, when we function [...]
Spirituality stills the mind and fills the soul
When starting spiritual life, we may expect different things. Some people expect to levitate; some, to see a mystical light, some, to acquire an aura. [...]
The search for security is ultimately the search for spirituality
Some people say, “I am not interested in any spiritual stuff.” They feel uninterested because often they don’t understand what spirituality is. In today’s culture, [...]
Fate is not a matter of faith, but our faith matters in determining our fate
The word fate connotes a trans-human shaper of results (Why is fate against me?) as well as the future that will result (Who knows what [...]
To see the big picture, ask the big questions
When life’s problems start overwhelming us, seeing the big picture can help us put first things first. However, we can’t even seek the big picture [...]
Information doesn’t have to be new to be helpful – it just has to be timely
We live in a culture where the new is incessantly glamorized – new gadgets, new fashions, new data, new news. But we don’t always need new information – what we need is timely access to the known. If students have prepared for an exam, they don’t need any new information at the time of the exam – they just need to recollect what they already know.