In the face of all the bad news we have been getting lately, let’s get this out there, again and again: good people are the rule, not the exception. Which begs the question: why is the world so bad? I think it’s because good people are not organized and united. Strength in Unity Bad people… Read More Good People of the World, Unite! Why Greed, Corruption, and Other Nasties are Winning
{ This guest post was written by a dear friend of mine, Lorraine. } To paint a brief picture of my life prior to 25 May 2017, I was a young professional spending her free time supporting community building efforts and generally too busy or naïve (from my perspective now) to consider having to deal… Read More The Light That Never Ends: The Gift From Some Dark Times { Guest Post }
After what happened in February 2018 at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, I wrote a series of posts about school shootings. It came right before a pre-planned hiatus, just in time for the Bahá’í Fast. I had intended to start blogging again right after the Bahá’í New Year (21 March), but I… Read More The Interplay Between Hope and Despair: Helping Hope Win
{ This guest post was written by my friend and brother from another mother, Adeeb } I felt it appropriate to write about love since Valentine’s Day was just last week. This is the one holiday that I actually loathe. Yes, I am being “buh humbug” about it because lately, I feel like love has… Read More Some Thoughts on True Love: Guest Post by Adeeb Afshar
In the last few years, I have experienced four deaths that were very close to me. It has not been easy, but I have learned so much about this very sensitive yet private and delicate topic. I decided I would write out some of my thoughts about death, and maybe it might even help some… Read More The Powerful Experience of Death: Guest Post by Katie Danner
A few years after I started writing, encouraged by the overwhelmingly positive feedback, I submitted my work for publication. A quick Google search will demonstrate that my attempts have yielded, to date, one publishing deal. I took the publishers’ lack of interest as my writing being unworthy of being published. Of course, that is not… Read More Talented vs. Delusional: The Conundrum of an Indie Artist
I mentioned before that there are probably more good people in this world than bad ones. This is a completely unscientific statement, but I wouldn’t be surprise if a survey determined that, indeed, more people are prone to performing a kind deed rather than a bad one. How, then, can’t this majority of good people… Read More How the Selfish and the Selfless can Enter into an Unhealthy Relationship
The topic of building understanding has been touched upon a couple of times on this blog (here, here, and here). But while it’s easy to agree on the importance of building understanding, it’s not as easy to come up with ways to do it. Big Questions, Simple Answers, Complex Requirements Oftentimes, the answer to such… Read More Building Understanding in an Increasingly Multicultural World
A lot of people have problems with religion. It’s to the point that I often feel that, as a religious person, I can’t talk about what I really believe in for fear of being labelled. I have been called a fanatic. I have been told that I can’t think for myself and that’s why I… Read More Differences in Opinion: Let’s Stop Oppressing One Another
Learning is essential for both personal development and the building of a community. But it’s easier said than done. When, for example, one has spent a lot of time and poured a lot of energy into one’s education, it can be quite a blow to hear that one might be wrong. Similarly, when one identifies… Read More What’s Love Got To Do With It? The Importance Of Love In Community-Building