spiritual insights on religion, social justice and comparative theology
I learned a few years back that wonder is stifled in extraordinary ways. During Covid I was talking with a student and asked him, “Are you able to get outside and move around to get some exercise?” He said, “You kidding, Klein, I live in the ghetto. I can’t go outside.” He sounded disappointed that … Continue reading Wonder Day by William Klein
My nephew Dan ran a 100 mile marathon in less than 24 hours a few weeks back. It’s his Everest, I guess. They say when asking people who climb Mt. Everest, the highest mountain in the world, why they would undertake such a harrowing, dangerous task they often respond, “Because it’s there.” We all have … Continue reading Everyone Has An Everest by William Klein
My friend suffered a terrible spill, losing consciousness and crashing to the ground only to be found by his university colleagues; he was shaking and trapped in the confusion of violent fits as the shimmering fluorescent office light shone on him and his helpless colleagues looked on – he was stuck inside a moment while … Continue reading The Charge of Life by William Klein
Vincent Harding, the former speechwriter for MLK, talks about “human signposts.” A human signpost is those people in our lives who direct us to where we need to go on our journeys. They are the light that show us the way. Harding was on to something significant. I thought about this concept and thought about … Continue reading Human Signposts by William Klein
Peace is a radical proposition because we’ve been conditioned to fear and learned to accept violence in our lives. We follow our animal instincts in order to survive and when our gut tells us we are in danger we are naturally prepared to respond. As we grow through life, we acquire certain sensibilities that can … Continue reading The Radical Nature of Peace by William Klein
Basketball offers an opportunity to escape the wretched realities of life and offers hope for a ticket to a better world for some in the inner city, but, more often than not, that dream is rarely fulfilled. One of the greatest moments in the 2024 NBA draft came with the 50th pick when Enrique Freeman was … Continue reading Hoop Dreams by William Klein
The forms of separation we experience in life are many and manifest literally and figuratively. I’ve seen the power of divorce rip apart individuals and tear into families and wreak havoc on the psyche of a unit’s dimension leaving sadness in its wake. I’ve seen the terror of aloneness stifle people to the point where they … Continue reading Separation by William Klein
“What gives life?” My friend Jeff posed the question, “What is the most important thing in the room right now?” I thought about it for a minute and I said, “Us.” My answer was wrong. The correct answer was “air – oxygen.” Without air we’re not here. “No one ever gets that question right,” he demurred. … Continue reading Life on the Vine by William Klein
Fortuna, a blind goddess, has spun her wheel of fortune again and our luck was apparently on a “downward cycle.” In other words, “the gods of chaos, lunacy and bad taste gained ascendency.” I’ve just returned from a service trip to New Orleans. We spent five days in the city working our way between service, … Continue reading The Big Difficulty by William Klein
I took a group of students to a service immersion trip in Nashville, Tennessee. It was quite an experience and these trips always open my eyes to the world in new ways. Being in the heart of the South and a place I don’t really know was especially daunting. We stayed in classroom converted “dorms” … Continue reading Claiming Dignity by William Klein
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