spiritual insights on religion, social justice and comparative theology
It’s that time of year in school where students are getting short with teachers and vice versa. I’ve been patient, but it’s always good to let your emotions out and own your feelings. Therefore, I’m venting. Random Ramblings on things that irk me: You don’t need an IQ test to see if you’re smart. Just go … Continue reading Think Silly, Be Silly by William Klein
“Their Eyes Were Watching God” by Zora Neal Hurston has a passage that gives the book its title. Janie, her husband Tea Cake and his friend Motorboat are trying to outrun a storm. The raging waters of the lake are rising and the tremulous fear of death has climbed into their skin. She writes: “The wind came … Continue reading Reveling in Life by William Klein
Can a person function in this world without being a hypocrite? Thomas Merton says, “We never see the one truth that would help us begin to solve our ethical and political problems: that we are all more or less wrong, that we are all at fault, all limited and obstructed by our mixed motives, our … Continue reading Hypocrisy by William Klein
Joan Didion’s “The Year of Magical Thinking” is a masterpiece in the canon of grief literature. It details the death of her husband and the grieving process. Her husband, John Dunne, died unexpectedly of a heart attack a day before New Year’s Eve, 2003. Didion mentions an experience in the grieving process that many can identify … Continue reading The Magic Spiral by William Klein
We can never underestimate the healing power of art. Great art stays with you. Great art manifests the presence of possibility and a dalliance with a holy spirit; an immortal dance of death with the beholder’s imagination that invites us to participate in life’s sacred movement. In a letter to Martha Graham, Agnes deMille writes … Continue reading A Shawoman At The Capitol by William Klein
Tumultuous times create visionary leaders. I will be curious to see how great leaders emerge from these times. They are out there. There are many similarities of what’s happening today to the 60s. Great leaders emerged like Martin Luther King, Jr., Ceasar Chavez and the Kennedys. Like the 60s, race relations are problematic and people of … Continue reading What Would MLK Say Now? by William Klein
Hunger for power can inspire megalomaniacs to commit insidious acts of injustice. Those who relinquish their will to such narcissists and blindly exercise that of their leader’s, will rock the foundations of justice. After a speech given in front of the White House, President Donald Trump encouraged the disruption of Congress in the certification of … Continue reading Coup In The Capitol (A Social Justice Perspective)
Cue Rod Serling: “Submitted for your approval. A young man is addicted to being on his phone. He cannot bring himself to separate himself from it. He is on it day and night. He sits in class and tries to catch a look. His teacher attempts to take it away, but he refuses to give it up. He abruptly leaves the … Continue reading Revolution and The Social Dilemma by William Klein
Nobility is found in the smallest and most simple kinds of gestures. A no questions asked smile and nod to another saying “hello,” a selfless act of concern for the good of another. Opening a door and allowing someone in the door first, giving your seat up for another, wearing a mask. Although our opportunities to … Continue reading A Noble Resolution by William Klein
“All Souls Day” It’s the time of change. The eve of a presidential election. Halloween on Saturday had a blue moon. It was the kind of moon that gives pause. The halo around it, the brightest spot in the sky shining crystal clear like a clean silver dollar illumined in the dark. Robert Frost’s “Nothing Gold … Continue reading All Souls Day by William Klein
spirit beat 