Recovery. Sobriety. Living Wise.
There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there always has been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that “my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.” ~ Isaac Asimov Ring true? Ignorance is dangerous, and can be, as history suggests … Continue reading Choosing Wisdom Over Ignorance
“Happiness is not in another place but this place…not for another hour, but this hour.” ― Walt Whitman It seems I can be stunningly distracted at moments when I need to be fully and completely present. I find myself easily preoccupied with anywhere but here. I’ve been slowly learning — you can’t board your next train when you haven’t gotten off your last. When my … Continue reading Stop, Look and Listen
I recently turned 74 and to celebrate the event Marsha took me out to breakfast. It’s customary for us to mark the passing of each year with a reflective question. This year Marsha asked me, “Pat, how have you grown?” Hmmmm — nothing came to mind, nothing at all. It seems with the passage of time life has become a game of subtractions, not additions. Where … Continue reading A Time for Pruning
And it was always said of him that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge. May that be truly said of us, and all of us! And so, as Tiny Tim observed, “God bless Us, Every One!” ― From A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens Hmm. So how do you keep Christmas — well? Dickens shared his notion … Continue reading What Does It Mean To “Keep Christmas?”
Friend Paul Schrijnen sent me an extraordinary poem written by Dietrich Bonhoeffer while he was in Flossenburg Prison. Bonhoeffer wrote the poem shortly after he was sentenced to be hanged for his role in the conspiracy to assassinate Adolph Hitler. The poem is entitled Who Am I? Who am I? They often tell meI stepped from my cell’s confinementCalmly, cheerfully, firmly,Like a Squire from his … Continue reading At The End, Who Are We?