Jeff

Hope vs. radiant assurance

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Hope occupies a place on the spectrum of confidence ranging from despair to radiant assurance.  Despair implies that hope has vanished.  Radiant assurance is beyond hope, which implies a degree of uncertainty.[1] This reflection on our attitudes toward the future begins with a look at our consciousness of the past.  Edmund Husserl distinguished (1) explicit … Read more

My germinating podcast, Toastmasters, and the drama of public speaking

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During recent weeks, I have been too involved with other projects to sustain my previous pattern of blogging roughly every week. I have accepted a new teaching opportunity, joined Toastmasters to learn about their program in public speaking, and began working to create a podcast. This combination of new activities has been challenging and growth-stimulating; … Read more

Jesus made the world friendlier

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Jesus made the world friendlier. He revealed how to live as a child of God, and following in this way, we discover that our Father in heaven is also a friend within. And divine friendship is equally open to women as well as men. Jesus showed us how to transform our consciousness of duty. In … Read more

An experiment in growth that you can join

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Think of starting out from early childhood to grow in ways that are well-developed and well-balanced. Some people do this, others don’t, but we can all build on strengths and overcome deficiencies. I propose an informal philosopher’s experiment, and I invite you to join in, if you would like to do so. You can briefly … Read more

Immigrants, Muslims, neighbors

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What should we do if it becomes intolerable to stay in our homeland? In recent decades, the increasingly common answer is to emigrate. People have learned that despite the risks and miseries of immigration, support from various sources frequently arrives to enable people to survive and eventually to make a better life. The political crisis … Read more

Kay Lindahl’s The Sacred Art of Listening

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This blog post is one of quotes and comments. With fascinating bits of scientific research results, combined with illustrations by Amy Schnapper that gently lead the mind beyond the verbal realm, Kay Lindahl, founder of The Listening Center, distills the wisdom of long experience of study, practice, and leadership in her The Sacred Art of … Read more