spiritual insights on religion, social justice and comparative theology
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
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
One of the greatest scenes in film history, in my opinion, comes from the movie “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.” Jack Nicholson’s character R.P. McMurphy, who is a patient in an insane asylum, makes a bet he can take a large sink in the center of the room, break it from its moorings, lift it … Continue reading The Heavy Lift by William Klein
There’s an ancient myth where when one is in the deepest dark of the forest, a hermit, a wounded healer, comes along to impart wisdom to help a troubled soul get out of the forest. It just goes to show you that you cannot escape the world. The world will meet you where you are … Continue reading The Wounded Healer by William Klein
Talking about quantum physics, David Bohm said, “It’s not only stranger than you think, it’s stranger than you can think.” Every now and then we glimpse a part of the universe that reveals something that is beyond comprehension. Such an experience is a reminder that the feeling of awe is alive and well, beating like a heart … Continue reading The Power of Eclipse by William Klein
It always amazes me how art imitates life. There’s a great story by Flannery O’Connor, “Good Country People.” The story is about an atheist, Joy, who has a phd in philosophy, falls for a bible salesman, Manly Pointer. Manly seduces Joy, and while he’s making moves on her in a loft of a barn, he asks … Continue reading Art Imitates Life by William Klein
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