Ancient Wisdom for a Modern World
The other evening I went to my girlfriend’s Toastmasters Club happy hour event at a downtown bar. Normally, I would have declined the invitation as making small talk with a bunch of strangers is usually pretty painful. However, in the spirit of Epicurean month, I decided to go and be social and maybe make a
There is a quote the origin of which I can’t remember, but it goes something like this: “people come to the monastery to find out why they came.” Many turn to spiritual traditions, personal development systems, and other sources of counsel to look for answers. But before we start looking for answers, maybe one of
Yesterday was the first day of Passover, which is celebration of the ancient Jews’ liberation by God from slavery in ancient Egypt. Even if you’re not Jewish, you are probably familiar with some elements of the story. Moses, a fugitive at the time for killing an Egyptian who was beating a Jew, returned to Egypt
Friday night I hosted my very first Shabbat dinner. My girlfriend and I invited seven of our friends over to welcome the Sabbath and spend a pleasant evening drinking wine and eating the questionable brisket I prepared. Preparing for Shabbat dinner was actually quite stressful. We stressed over the invite list, the food, cleaning, etc.
I watched the first few minutes of the State of the Union the day before yesterday, and I read some of the day-after commentary on the State of the Union. Of course, some of the commentary irritated me, so during my ice bath, I thought about all those times I’ve participated in asinine political conversations
Yesterday was my first day of attempting to be “Taoist” in my daily routine. I had to work at my company’s client site for a few hours, but due to some contracting issues, I didn’t have anything to do after that. So at around 2 PM I decided to just go home and take a
On Saturday night, I attended a 10-year reunion dinner for my college’s ballet club, Balance. Little did you know, I am actually an aspiring ballerina. Before I wanted to be a Navy SEAL, I wanted to dance like no one has danced before. Just kidding. My girlfriend was a member of the group while we
Whatever you do, make it an offering to me – the food you eat, the sacrifices you make, the help you give, even your suffering. In this way you will be freed from the bondage of karma, and from its results both pleasant and painful. Then, firm in renunciation and yoga, with your heart free,
Henri Nouwen was a Dutch Catholic priest who built a reputation as spiritual leader, teacher, and writer during his lifetime. During his time as a professor at Yale Divinity School in the 1970s, he spent seven months at a Trappist Monastery, The Abbey of the Genesee, in upstate New York living as a monk. He
This week of Passover brought up an interesting question: “Why do you observe Judaism when you could do nothing at all?” Doing nothing is a relatively simple option. You don’t have to go to a 4 + hour Seder or prepare for one. You don’t have to go to Minyan or Shabbat services. You could