jwattles

Mencius, William James, and positive attitude in daily life

What a cliché! But I used to think that I was a teacher of positive attitude in class. Wonder why I found myself this afternoon, about to leave for a four-day trip, consumed with worries. Then I recognized: What’s this? Then I turned to you-know-Whom. Then I found a different attitude, a sense of …

Continue Reading about Mencius, William James, and positive attitude in daily life

Living the truth, and the Apostle Paul in prison, thinking

Living the truth

Approached intellectually, the task is impossible. There are truths of fact, meaning, and value. At the high end, we can speak of truths of science, philosophy, and spiritual experience. But the intellect of itself cannot integrate and unify those truths in a human life precisely because the …

Continue Reading about Living the truth, and the Apostle Paul in prison, thinking

Can a great blessing attend the death of a guy who is cutting down a tree in your backyard?

Character, Spiritual experience

Every now and then a great blessing lands, and you know it’s not only for you—it’s for others. Mike Vavras became a hero to me in three meetings. On the first, I learned that he cut down trees for free so long as he could take the timber home as logs to burn to heat his home in the winter. …

Continue Reading about Can a great blessing attend the death of a guy who is cutting down a tree in your backyard?

How growing up near the beach can set up the rest of your life

Beauty in nature, Walking in beauty

Michael Hill wrote this beautiful comment to the previous post on walking (juggling) in beauty, and I wanted it to be my first guest blog. While I retired from the “hectic” life not yet five years ago, when I look back on it, it is but a tiny speck in the far-away distance of the …

Continue Reading about How growing up near the beach can set up the rest of your life

This morning, joyously, wholeheartedly, spontaneously, I nailed my old self to the cross.

Philosophy, Philosophy of living general, Science, Spiritual experience

The headline says it all. But how can such sharing find a place in a weblog dedicated to the emerging philosophy of living—a philosophy which is to remain accessible to persons of every faith? Such a blogpost fits here if it is accompanied by an interpretation accessible to my Jewish brothers, …

Continue Reading about This morning, joyously, wholeheartedly, spontaneously, I nailed my old self to the cross.

Too many things to juggle? Walk in beauty, and learn to juggle for fun.

Arts, Walking in beauty

When things get hectic and we’re juggling too many things, artistic living—walking in beauty—gets harder. We need to take breaks, perhaps breaks with a friend with whom we enjoy juggling. Often simply remembering to take breaks is enough to motivate us to restore rhythm and balance. But sometimes …

Continue Reading about Too many things to juggle? Walk in beauty, and learn to juggle for fun.

« Previous Page

Receive notifications of new posts