Category: Culture

A Contrarian View of Suicide

I was severely depressed and decided that my depression would help me understand and show compassion for others. So I volunteered to answer the phones at the Northern Virginia Hotline.

Confession of a Former Newsman

I worked in the newsrooms of Philadelphia and New York City tabloid newspapers from 1966 to 1976. Although U.S. tabloids were not as outrageous then as they are today, they did have their faults, including an emphasis on the sensational. It’s popular to despise the media now, to blame the media for much of what’s…

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From 1965 to Today

I came as close as a young white man could to understanding the black experience in the United States.

The Fifth Precept

…more than half of all adults have a family history of alcoholism. Do we really want to nurture our children with a family tradition of wine with every dinner?

American Capitalism Ain’t All Bad

Buddhism teaches that there is no this without that. There’s a bright side to American capitalism that might not exist without the dark side.

On Wearing Malas

I’m as eclectic and contrarian about Buddhism as I am about Western religions. I’d like to say that I come from a long line of eclectic contrarians, but thanks to the Holocaust I’ll never know much about my ancestors’ personalities. My meditation practice is primarily what you might call Zen light, or mindfulness, or insight/vipassana,…

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Ode and Owed to Singer-Songwriters

I’ve developed a deep respect for, and appreciation of, people who devote their lives to creating music that helps heal this ailing world and its suffering citizens.

Anti-Racism Part 2

We’re stuck in Christian original sin, according to Thandeka, and groping for Salvation. But confessing our supposed sins will not get us anywhere helpful.

Why I Flunked Anti-Racism 101

…racism damages the entire culture. As Martin Luther King Jr. said: “We may have all come on different ships, but we’re in the same boat now.”

Smiling and Living Fully

Even the present is filtered through a Rube Goldberg mechanism we call a brain. Which is why we do the best we can to accomplish what sounds like a paradox — quieting our mind in order to be mindful.