March 2010
8 posts
“Listen, when you love somebody, you’re always in trouble. There’s...”
– Col. Potter, M*A*S*H
“And then it came to me. That we were wonderful traveling companions but in the...”
– Haruki Murakami, Sputnik Sweetheart
Be the ______
The Gandhi quote has become a cliché: “You must be the change you want to see in the world.”
But let’s try it a different way:
You must be the ______ you want to see in the world.
Words that fit: Kindness. Courage. Stability. Beauty. Leadership. Acceptance. Devotion. Sacrifice. Honesty.
Love.
Yes, you must even be the love you want to see in the world.
Whatever you want to...
Meditation
Everybody has a secret history and secret struggles.
Nobody is really glamorous, upstanding, or has reason to be completely confident in their own abilities.
Everybody has moments of loneliness and self-doubt, everybody smells when they don’t shower, and everybody gets cranky if their rituals are interrupted.
Nobody is credible, qualified, or self-sufficient.
Everybody gets sick of life...
Hoc est Enim Corpus Meum
On pp. 123-124 of the civil liberties book, I discuss transgender identity. As part of the discussion, I write: “Many people could be described as at least very mildly transgender. I, for example, do not enjoy beer, sports, or most action films, and most of my friends are women. Men who live fully into their assigned gender role do not tend to identify as well with me as they do with most...
Why I Didn't Become a Religion/Spirituality Writer
Back when I first started out as a writer, my dream was to become a spiritual teacher of sorts. I figured if I studied religion at the graduate level long enough, it’d make me wise. It didn’t. It just made me skeptical of spiritual teachers.
So I don’t really aspire to be a spiritual teacher anymore; I think you should be your own, and try to listen to the people in your life...
