Does Religion Help Spiritual Growth? A blind man left his village and followed the winding path through the forest. He was on his way to see his friend in the neighboring hamlet. After his arrival, the two friends spent many happy hours together. At last, it was time for the blind man to return to
As soon as we leave our little neighborhood and enter the world at large, we are bound to meet people that have different religious, political, and cultural beliefs. During those encounters, do we see the common threads that unite humanity, or do we just see the differences? If we seek the truth, wish to grow,
There’s nothing new about complaining how miserable life is. Ancient Romans complained about suffering and pain. The philosophers of that time responded to complaints humorously. For example, Seneca said, “Remember that pain has this most excellent quality: If prolonged it cannot be severe, and if severe it cannot be prolonged (because you will soon die).”
Why do people do what they do? Because they have reasons, that’s why. But when their reasons are misunderstood or not understood, problems can arise. And often the problems are serious. Relationships may be torn apart, family members may squabble, violence may break out, and countries may go to war – all because of misunderstandings.
Imagine being a prisoner of your own mind, vainly struggling against the despair, anguish, and hopelessness that assails you; imagine suffering from clinical depression. Imagine trying to walk down the street, board the subway, or get into an elevator aware that at any moment you may be struck by a seizure; imagine suffering from epilepsy.
What is it that you want? That’s easy to answer because we all want the same thing: happiness. Since that’s the case, anything we willingly do that robs us of what we want (happiness) is stupid. ‘Irrational’ is just a polite term for ‘stupid.’ How often do we act against our own best interests? How
