Service, Writing

Does Writing Fiction Contribute to Personal and Community Development? (I hope so…)

As some of you have gently reminded me over the last few weeks, I have not posted anything here since 20 November 2013.  That’s a 24 week absence, a portion of which has been spent reflecting on writing in the context of the advancement of the individual and the community. As long time readers of… Read More Does Writing Fiction Contribute to Personal and Community Development? (I hope so…)

General

Out of Our Silos: Becoming a Community

As a self-professed, proud nerd, I find it thrilling how understanding constantly evolves.  This means that there is always something more to learn! A friend and I had a wonderful moment last week when we felt our brains expand a little bit more around our newfound understanding of the meaning of community. We were discussing… Read More Out of Our Silos: Becoming a Community

Community Building

Reaching Over the Anger: Building on a Common Desire

As a blogger, I have gone through many phases. A recent one was defined by anger at the various and unfortunately numerous forms of injustice that exist. Long-time readers have commented on it before, and it has led to many an interesting, if not heated, discussion. While anger might light a fire in someone’s heart… Read More Reaching Over the Anger: Building on a Common Desire

General

Of What Use Art Thou, Anger, in Contributing to the Fight against Injustice?

Engendering Equality wrote a post last year about the sustainability of anger as the force behind social mouvements. Anger, it reads, is a very interesting emotion. (…) In one regard, if you take a look at the current state of the world today, how can you not become angry? (…) Yet at the same time… Read More Of What Use Art Thou, Anger, in Contributing to the Fight against Injustice?

General

You Can Row All You Want: Reaching the Goal of Global Peace Requires Unity

Let’s face it: most people in the world are kind, loving and caring people whose voices are not heard over the sometimes deafening roar of the prejudiced, the materialistic, the greedy, etc. And even these people are not inherently evil; it’s just that because of a lack of moral education, they fell into some pretty… Read More You Can Row All You Want: Reaching the Goal of Global Peace Requires Unity

General

Small Things Lead to Big Changes: Counting to a Million Begins by One

We are living in a very interesting time in history. On the one hand, humanity has come very far in a matter of years; we are achieving things we could not even dream of, and have the tools and instruments to create a harmonious world. And yet on the other hand, we cling to old… Read More Small Things Lead to Big Changes: Counting to a Million Begins by One

General

Refusing to Undermine One’s Integrity: The Role of Dwelling and Self-Doubt

The culture of backbiting and gossip is clearly an unhealthy one, and while it is (relatively) easy to stop talking about people, it often does not mean that we are not thinking about other people in a negative light. I have seen, in the last couple of months, how poisonous these thoughts has been to… Read More Refusing to Undermine One’s Integrity: The Role of Dwelling and Self-Doubt

General

There is No Such Thing as a Stupid Question, only Stupid Reasons for Asking Questions

The title of this post pretty much sums up this week’s thought. There is no such thing as a stupid question, because we are all trying to figure out what life is about, and we are all at different places in our understanding, and we should all help each other advance on the path of… Read More There is No Such Thing as a Stupid Question, only Stupid Reasons for Asking Questions

General

Personal Boundaries and Selfless Participation in Community-Building: Not A Dichotomy

An increasing number of my friends have been focusing on learning more about creating harmonious communities in which each individual can fulfill the purpose of his/her existence, that is, to know and to worship God. As the number of people involved in the process of community building increases, so do the various point of views… Read More Personal Boundaries and Selfless Participation in Community-Building: Not A Dichotomy

General

Living Our Life to the Fullest: Choosing What to Focus our Thoughts On

It feels like an increasing number of my friends are battling the blues. Having the privilege of being a confidant to many of them, I have had many occasions to reflect on what causes said blues. Reflecting with my friends, we realized that often, they become blue because they dwell on unpleasant things. We know… Read More Living Our Life to the Fullest: Choosing What to Focus our Thoughts On