The Culture of Heart

[Written on November 7, 2007.
2013 Update: A photo of the painting with more accurate color has been included, and a more readable font has been used for the "Note to White Americans".]

“What would "I", the Reader, have done?” If "I" could have directed and controlled the movement of white Europeans to the American continents, over five hundred years ago, what would "I" have done? more

The magnificent divinity of men is not a popular topic. It has, however, an enthusiastic ally. Women, who are meant to be magnificently divine themselves, yearn for men to reclaim their divinity. Women want their men to be strong, but to be strong in more than musculature. Being rescued by a knight is most rewarding when the knight's armor is actually shining with the spiritual nobility of the man inside. more

How dreadful and painful are the words, "I do not feel loved." With these words, our breath seems to stop. Our life implodes, and hope dies. Some people feel that way all the time, and have felt unloved for so long that they have become brittle and old, in spirit and in heart. more

For me, life has been a long process of finding out who I am and what I love. I feel rather like a man who was covered in honey and rolled in flour, across the years of my life, collecting bits and baubles and dabs of dirt all the while, and then dumped in the desert completely naked with the decree to "figure it all out" in my own good time. more

Religious freedom allows mysticism to bloom. When a person is granted complete religious freedom, he or she can explore the inner world of love and faith with impunity. That exploration might lead them to practice Buddhism even though they were raised Christian. It might lead them down many paths, some of them unexpected and different. Yet, each person must go their own way, for mysticism recognizes that each person is following the blueprint that God has expressed in them, and has expressed as them. more

One beautiful spring morning in Virginia, as I walked across our yard, I stopped, and stared at a truly lovely sight. There were three blue and purple and yellow irises waving at me, as if to say, “We’re here. Have you noticed us yet?” In truth, I had not. I had seen them, but I had not regarded them. They were magnificent, and as I gazed at them, they became the center of my world. more

Why do flowers have this effect on human beings? Why is it that we can also completely lose touch with the beauty of nature, caught up as we sometimes are with the pain and grind of daily life? more

On a recent Saturday afternoon, I found myself sitting in our bedroom, staring through the window at the world outside, overcome with gloom. The threat of nuclear suitcase bombs and other terrors weighed heavily on my heart. ... Then I got mad. Mad at despair and hopelessness. Mad at the lie contained in the spirit of defeat. more

Her answer truly surprised me. She said that she thought that Albania was much better under communism. We didn’t chat for very long, but she referred to corruption and human trafficking, which she implied didn’t happen under communism. I wished her well, with the hope that Albania could find a better alternative. more

It’s probably a safe bet that today’s teenagers and young men and women never give a moment’s thought to the words “courtship” and “courting”. Young ladies that have seen Keira Knightley in her role as Elizabeth Bennet, in the movie Pride and Prejudice, might recognize the term, but only as a quaint tradition that has absolutely nothing to do with the 21st century. more

How we view other humans is closely tied to how we view ourselves. Who are we? What is our identity? To me, this question is one of the central questions of life on earth. I believe that the answer goes far beyond opinions and belongs instead to the realm of scientific truth. As much as we can all finally agree that the world is round, I believe that one day we’ll all agree on a clear definition of the true identity of humans. The science that proves this will undoubtedly boggle our minds. Until then, I believe that the proof rests in our hearts. more

Listening to new ideas is surprisingly difficult for both leaders and followers. Members of a group may scorn an idea when it is presented by a fellow member, but enthusiastically endorse the same idea if it is presented by one of the leaders of the group whom they hold in high respect. Other ideas may get shot down until they are successful. Then, proverbially, people say that they supported the idea all along. more

I believe that one of the great disorders of the world is a misunderstanding of the value and role of women. This misunderstanding has been propagated by men and accepted by far too many women. In a history dominated by violence, men found it easy to oppress women, and thought of all sorts of clever justifications for the relegation of women to the status of second class citizens. more

On September 10th, 2007, we arrived at our winter rental, in Windham, on Little Sebago Lake. It was raining and getting dark, but luckily some good friends arrived and emptied our twenty-six foot Penske truck in an hour and a half. It was quite astonishing, since it had taken two very tortuous days to fill it. more

It is in this environment of a looming global catastrophe that the peaceful nations of the world must rise up and adopt universal foreign policies of unselfish love. While we continue to stand strong, with total commitment and absolute military vigilance against violent and dangerous tyrants like Ahmadinejad, we must also adopt a much more comprehensive and far-reaching foreign policy that deals with the breeding ground of violence: the human heart. more

What is it that we love, in ourselves and in others? At first, our answers might include a variety of personality traits, such as humor and wit and charm. We are drawn to others for many reasons, both noble and ignoble. Even though we may be temporarily fascinated by glitter or power or celebrity, is it not common to us all that we recognize that a person’s true value is found in their internal world? more

The Mowgli Factor is the strange phenomenon that occurs when a child is partially or completely denied access to the thousands of years of culture, civilization, knowledge, ethics and spiritual teachings that have brought humankind forward to its relatively enlightened state. more

I propose that schools everywhere adopt a very comprehensive program of creativity and imagination, from the earliest grades, that will provide every student with a Basic Tool Kit for a Renaissance Life. With training like this, I believe that children will leave behind the phenomenon of being stuck in cultural deserts with no vision, and instead gain a magnificent view of their own potential and capability to benefit the world. more

One of the questions facing the world today is how to mesh the moral imperatives of religion with the rights of all individuals to pursue happiness in a free and democratic society. more

Is there any reason to hope that we, as individuals, can impact the world by walking the path of love? Can one person make a difference? more