I got some great comments on my last post that reminded me of something William Zinsser says in On Writing Well: Who am I writing for? It’s a fundamental question, and it has a fundamental answer: You are writing for yourself. Don’t try to visualize the great mass audience. There is no such audience – […]
What Are You Waiting For?
This paragraph was tucked away at the very end of Do The Work. We are now faced with the fact, my friends, that tomorrow is today. We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now. In this unfolding conundrum of life and history, there is such a thing as being too late. Procrastination is still […]
April 26, 2011 by 2 Comments
The Divine Potter
A couple of days ago I finished Absolute Truths by Susan Howatch. It’s the final book in her Church of England series. It was a beautiful ending to one of my favorite series of novels not involving explosions and espionage. Near the end of the book, Howatch has her main character thumb through an Austin […]
March 2, 2011 by Leave a Comment
Better Stories
“Whoever can give his people better stories than the ones they live is like the priest in whose hands common bread and wine become capable of feeding the very soul.” Hugh Kenner
March 3, 2009 by Leave a Comment
Another Quote from Godin
Think for a second about the people you know who are engaged, satisfied, eager to get to work. Most of them, I’ll bet, make change. They challenge the status quo and push something forward–something they believe in. They lead. “Life’s too short” is repeated often enough to be a cliche, but this time it’s true. […]
October 31, 2008 by 1 Comment
Quote from Godin
A fundamentalist is a person who considers whether a fact is acceptable to his religion before he explores it. As opposed to a curious person who explores first and then considers whether or not he wants to accept the ramifications. A curious person embraces the tension between his religion and something new, wrestles with it […]
October 20, 2008 by 1 Comment
A Quote from Pascal
When we wish to correct with advantage, and to show another that he errs, we must notice from what side he views the matter, for on that side it is usually true, and admit that truth to him, but reveal to him the side on which it is false. He is satisfied with that, for […]
October 17, 2008 by 2 Comments
How to Build a Healthy Community
Here is an interesting snippet from Pete Rollins. I think he is on to something here. What do you think?Indeed often the most destructive element in the development of a community arises from the very statement that one is attempting to build a community. For what can so often happen is that those who need […]
August 18, 2008 by 3 Comments
On Evil
“How can we oppose evil without creating new evils and being made evil ourselves?”–Walter Wink
February 1, 2008 by 6 Comments
The Tyranny of Choice
This is from The Paradox of Choice. When people have no choice, life is almost unbearable. As the number of available choices increases, as it has in our consumer culture, the autonomy, control, and liberation this variety brings are powerful and positive. But as the number of choices keeps growing, negative aspects of having a […]
July 26, 2007 by 9 Comments
Telling Stories, Asking Questions, Learning Lessons