Ancient Wisdom for a Modern World
I went to my second Mass today. Well, I tried to, but it was canceled due to President’s Day. The four of us who were at the chapel felt we should get credit for trying. Because Mass was canceled today, I did the next best thing, I read the liturgical reading for today and Googled
In one of my English classes in high school, we read a story that took place in India and drew heavily on Indian culture and customs. I don’t remember what the story was about, but I do remember that the class had a spirited discussion about arranged marriage. When I say spirited discussion, I mean
After my ice bath yesterday I took a nap, dropped my girlfriend off at the airport, came back and ate dinner, watched Skyfall on Netflix while having a few beers, and then went to sleep. Spending Friday night alone relaxing felt good, but it only felt good because I accomplished what I wanted to with
Stoicism taught that you should only desire things within your control. To do this, you must first understand what is within your control and what is not within your control. You can’t control how others treat you, but you can control your reaction to them. You can’t control whether or not you get a promotion
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
“Nothing is more wonderful than the art of being free, but nothing is harder to learn how to use than freedom.” – Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America The Trade: Freedom in exchange for clarity If you feel like you don’t know what to do with your life and feel that existential ambiguity that makes you
Work and career are areas of my life I’ve struggled with for quite a while. My first big career idea didn’t work out, and then I just kept bouncing around to random jobs and ventures. It’s comforting to know that Saint Ignatius, (founder of the Jesuits), also had a non-linear career path. He was a
A few weeks ago I went with my family to visit my grandmother in Okinawa. She is 89, and has been recently hospitalized after having a stroke. I haven’t seen her since 2003 when I last visited, so it was quite the trip. I never learned Japanese growing up so there has always been a
On September 2nd in Portland, Oregon, I finally married that girlfriend and later, fiancee, I keep mentioning. I will probably do an ancient wisdom post about marriage in not too long, but for now I wanted to share our program with you. We had a heartfelt Jewish wedding and it was important to us that
Yesterday’s spiritual exercise asked us to read Romans 8:18-25 and asked us to consider the following: What are the particular highlights or milestones of my life, including my life of faith? Note both the highs and the lows, the times of great hope and of challenge or “groaning.” Getting into a college with a NROTC