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midlife crisis

Lessons Learned

July 13, 2012

It’s been roughly three years since the launch of this blog and if I had to sum up everything I’ve learned over that stretch of time it would boil down to something like this: 1. Let go Suffering cannot be healed so long as we work so hard to protect the source of that suffering. If you chafe at criticism, consider for a moment what it is you’re clinging to. 2. Stop bullshitting yourself Early in life you were given…

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Overcoming Suffering (Part 2): Who is Suffering?

When my daughter was 18 months old a never-ending series of ear infections prompted her pediatrician to recommend temporarily implanting tubes in her ears. As the date of the procedure neared I grew increasingly frustrated with that prescription, particularly after hearing of so many…

October 19, 2011

Overcoming Suffering (Part 1): What is the Nature of Suffering?

Over the past few years I have somewhat regularly been asked for help or guidance from someone struggling through divorce, depression, or loss of some kind. This is an uncomfortable proposition for anyone but especially for someone like me who, quite candidly, is wholly…

August 11, 2011

Standing Naked Before God

Suffering. Google says it’s the number one search term people use to find this blog. Next up are ayahuasca and vision quest, suggesting – appropriately enough – that this website is a destination for people seeking a way out of their pain. If you’re…

July 1, 2011

Avoiding the Holes

Chatting not so long ago with a friend who is struggling to overcome the twin addictions of self-loathing and alcoholism, she announced that she had resigned herself to never being able to fully recover. To which I blurted, “But why would you wish to…

May 9, 2011

In the Shadow of the Podium

There are many thoughts that haunt the average human, and one of the most prevalent goes something like this: What do I have to show for my life? Did I make a difference? What will my life have meant? This mindset is summed up…

August 4, 2009