As subset of the “Contemplation” archive, this category is also a place for thought, meditation, and the fruits of contemplation — but in short form, with very little elaboration.
The idea is to give you a kind of “thought prompt” to elaborate and meditate upon, yourself. (After all, many deep things in our lives need to be lived, rather than explained, in order to be learned.)
Feel free to share your thoughts and questions in the comments. They might help other people!
It’s a common belief — or at least a very common, unquestioned association — that goodness is boring, and evil is fun. This is especially the case when we think about fictional characters, but it also extends to life. I’d rather go to hell because people in hell are more interesting, I’ve heard. This has always … Read more
However well-meant it is, please do not tell a heartbroken person that someone who hurt them, someone they loved, is “not worth their tears.” First of all, you are in effect disrespecting their depth of feeling.* Their tears say more about their heart than anyone else’s, and your perceived “worthiness” of the person who hurt them is … Read more
Fall seems to be the time of speeding up — but also of slowing down. The academic year begins; schools and families launch into a flurry of activity; summer sleepiness rouses into the frenzy of harvest and winterization (and I don’t just mean the fields and tractors). On the other hand, something in the soul … Read more
Something I really love about the Russian language is that states of silence and color can be verbs. For instance, if something is white, you could express it as a static description — it is white — or, more poetically, as an action: it whites. It’s the same with silence. Someone can be silent, or, on the other hand, … Read more
Ignore, for a minute, the tremendous irony of the title. Some time ago, a friend of mine who is a Benedictine monk (and priest) shared with me a remark made by his novice master: “Every now and then, try to have an unpublished thought.” That small remark has stuck with me in the back of … Read more