spiritual insights on religion, social justice and comparative theology
A porch serves as a natural barrier to the winds, the snows and the rains that batter a house, but in the old days, it also served as a central meeting place for a community to share intimacies and tricks of the trade for survival. There is something to be said for a place that … Continue reading Looking for a Place to Hang by William Klein
Every classroom I’ve had the honor to teach in has been a black hole for the Internet. I ask my colleagues if they’re having problems with the Internet? “Nope.” Look to the left of my classroom and to the right. “Problems?” “Problems?” “Nope.” “Nope.” My tech friend just scratches his head, befuddled by why this is … Continue reading Making Peace with My Personal Black Hole of Uncertainty: “That’s a Good One”
Every classroom I’ve had the honor to teach in has been a black hole for the Internet. I ask my colleagues if they’re having problems with the internet? “Nope.” Look to the left of my classroom and to the right. “Problems?” “Problems?” “Nope.” “Nope.” My tech friend just scratches his head, befuddled by why this is … Continue reading Making Peace with the Black Holes of Uncertainty: “That’s a Good One”
A major change is afoot – or should I say, a major change is literally a foot? I say this half joking and half serious. Every change begins with a step in the right direction and we step with presence of mind. I’ve met a few people who had dinner with legendary UCLA college basketball coach John Wooden. Wooden was … Continue reading A Major Change: A Foot
The great Sufi mystic Rumi was in the throes of a dervish ceremony called a sema; a ritual dance ceremony that he created. A fellow Muslim came to him, knocked on his door and told him it was “time for evening prayer.” Rumi without missing a beat or twirl said, “We are praying.” Every major religion has … Continue reading A Dervish of Prayer by William Klein
My 90 year old friend Phil recently passed away. He was as artful in making meaning of his life as Michelangelo was with brushes. His tools were his wits, smarts and willingness to transform heartache into substantive lessons to empower himself and others. He was buried with a pin that read, PMA, “Positive Mental Attitude.” … Continue reading PMA by William Klein
The great oral historian and author Studs Terkel captured the spirit of labor in his work. He committed his life’s work to documenting the experiences of everyday Americans getting up and going to work for a better life. An homage to work, his recordings are preserved in the Smithsonian Institute for posterity. Stories of adversity, working through … Continue reading Salute to Laborers
We all want to escape something. For some it’s the job; for others it’s school; still others it’s a relationship that troubles them; others it’s a nagging problem rooted in our malaise in life and others it’s responsibility. At the heart of each heartbeat of discontent is understanding waiting to take root and change us. … Continue reading Escapism by William Klein
Simone Biles, the most decorated gymnast in the history of the sport, recently pulled out of competitions choosing her mental well-being over Olympic gold. She is being praised for her choice and rightly so. A recent article in the New York Times opinion piece written by skiing world champion Zoe Ruhl noted that it was … Continue reading Winning At All Costs by William Klein
The act of birth itself is traumatic. We enter from a womb of comfort and security into a bold, daunting and dissonant, chaotic, hurried fluorescent lit world – bloodied and wet, sticky, being handed from one to another and relying on multiple sensibilities to hold a frantic awareness calmly, serenely with understanding and poignant culpability. … Continue reading Coping With Trauma by William Klein
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