Reading Archive (Resilience)
We Were Made for These Times
My friends, do not lose heart. We were made for these times. I have heard from so many recently who are deeply and properly bewildered....
You Were Made For This
Ours is not the task of fixing the entire world all at once, but of stretching out to mend the part of the world that is within our...
Advice From A Tree
Dear Friend, Stand Tall and Proud Sink your roots deeply into the Earth Reflect the light of a greater source Think long term Go out...
To Be Worthy Of Our Suffering
Dostoevski said once, "There is only one thing that I dread: not to be worthy of my sufferings." These words frequently came to...
The Way of the Water
We have glamorized the way of the warrior for millennia. We have identified it as the supreme test and example of courage, strength,...
Trees are Sanctuaries
Nothing is holier, nothing is more exemplary than a beautiful, strong tree. When a tree is cut down and reveals its naked death-wound to...
Somehow I'm Always Held
In my short time on this planet, I have known great sorrow, plunged into the depths of oceanic despair, been thrown so deeply into my...
A Circle of Trust
Like a wild animal, the soul is tough, resilient, resourceful, savvy, and self-sufficient: it knows how to survive in hard places. I...
Don't Go Back to Sleep
To be human is to be lost in the woods. None of us arrives here with clear directions on how to get from point A to point B without...
Hard Times Require Furious Dancing
I am the youngest of eight siblings. Five of us have died. I share losses, health concerns, and other challenges common to the human...
Living In The Freshest Chamber Of The Heart
Our ability to find something to love, and to love again for the first time depends greatly on how we resolve and integrate where...
Who Do We Choose To Be?
The powerful always defend the status quo because it is the source of their power and privilege. Any change that benefits others would...
Become a Lake
An aging master grew tired of his apprentice complaining, and so, one morning, sent him for some salt. When the apprentice returned,...
Full Effort is Full Victory
Gandhi wanted so deeply to help the world that he dedicated his life to siphoning every trace of self-interest out of his heart and mind,...
My Stroke of Insight
One of the greatest lessons I learned was how to feel the physical component of emotion. Joy was a feeling in my body. Peace was a...
The Positivity Ratio
Imagine you’re a water lily. It’s early dawn and your petals are closed in around your face. If you can see anything at all,...
Touching the Earth
In the great myth of the Buddha’s journey, there came a point when he is completely overwhelmed. As he sits meditating under the...
What I Learned From Trees
For me, trees have always been the most penetrating preachers. I revere them when they live in tribes and families, in forests and...
Two Types Of Heartbreaks
A disciple asks the rebbe: “Why does Torah tell us to ‘place these words upon your hearts’? Why does it not tell us...
The Broken Piano In 1975
My favourite piece of music is Keith Jarrett’s Köln Concert, an hour-long piece improvised, as all of Jarrett’s concerts...