The Greek word, Arate, represents a life well lived – one full of virtuous living, according to the ancient virtues of perseverance, justice, empathy, integrity, intellectual courage, confidence in reason, autonomy of thought, faith, hope, and charity/love. Early Christians, like St. Ambrose and Augustine, incorporated ancient philosophy into their understanding of the Christian journey because […]more…
The Reality of a Moment
The physical reality of a moment – a crisp apple, a fresh morning, or bicycling to Brooklyn – can turn us inside out, revealing the essence of who we once were, who we are, and who we seek to be.more…
Perseverance: Cultivating an Interior Life
Perseverance is steadfast determination. As we advance our knowledge in all areas of medicine and technology, our thoughts become increasingly focused on living better lives, as we are able. Jung said that, after the age of 35, all questions become spiritual ones. However, knowledge doesn’t always equate to practice, nor does quantity of information equal quality. […]more…
The Hardest Commandment
Love, as an abstract idea, is often hard to encapsulate. To love someone else, one must “value” his or her own worth before he or she can “value” the worth of someone else. This sounds like a cliché, until we take it one step further and say, for example, “in order to say I love […]more…
God of All People
Victorian writer George Bernard Shaw once said that all great truths begin as blasphemies. One’s personal search and desire for truth is often a lone venture, challenging the status quo and longing for others who desire to see the world more clearly. Change, of any kind, is often resisted, especially when ideas have become sacrosanct, […]more…