In the Jewish tradition, we say “Blessed is the righteous judge” upon hearing of a death.
That’s pretty much the opposite of how we may feel at that moment. We’d rather lash out at the unfairness of it, rather than praising the deity that ordained the death.
So that incantation gives us the space to choose a response, rather than be jerked around by our default reactions.
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Meditation apps have become a huge market. Headspace, Calm, 10% Happier, Insight Timer, and others promise stress relief, better health, and even spiritual contentment to users.
Gregory Price Grieve, professor of religion at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, studies the nexus of spirituality and digital media. He recently published an article with Beverly Maguire, professor of East Asian religions at UNC Wilmington, titled, “Meditation apps might calm you – but miss the point of Buddhist mindfulness.”
In the article, the authors argue that the for-profit app industry has packaged Buddhist technology in a way that totally flips the underlying goal of Buddhism on its head.
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Michael Schwarz is the founder of Treeline Cheese, a plant-based cheese company dedicated to ending the suffering caused by the animal-based dairy industry.
He’s also the child of one of the great heroes of the South African anti-apartheid struggle, Harry Schwarz.
In our conversation, we try to connect the dots between political activism and vegan cheesemaking, between standing up for human rights and creating a company to reduce demand for the products of animal abuse.
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One of the factors that weakens any system – a garden, a community, a nation – is lack of diversity.
Monocultures provide economies of scale, but also opportunities for scaled disaster. A messy, diverse ecosystem is far healthier and more resilient.
Today I talk about how we support diversity in our garden, and why the messiness and inefficiency is more than compensated for in terms of yield and risk management.
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Today I talk about one element of my gardening practice and philosophy: working with, rather than against nature.
This includes growing perennials, mulching with wood chips, and refraining from unnecessary tilling.
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Those of us in one kind or another of “limbo” – life, career, relationship – are all facing the same question: what do we do with our time and energy right now to support our future?
When the future is so uncertain, our old “default” answers can feel insufficient.
Today I talk about my own “investment philosophy” with regard to time and energy.
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Some of us have had more time for self-care over the past few weeks than we even know what to do with. And we’re loving it.
How can we take advantage of this time to make ourselves, our families, our communities, and our societies healthier and more compassionate?
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How we got home from South Africa.
Returning tomorrow with a clear and rested head, for all new daily episodes.
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We may be going home tomorrow. There are dozens of unknowns, and we have little to no control over any of them.
I’ll stay in touch as I can!
In tough times, you might expect people to hunker down and hoard what’s theirs.
We see some of that these days, for sure.
But we also see incredible displays of generosity. I personally am benefiting from the generosity of my listeners as I broadcast from lockdown in South Africa.
Today I talk about how generosity benefits us as givers and receivers.
