Around the time that Trayvon Martin was killed by George Zimmerman in Sanford, Florida, there was quite a bit of talk about so-called “stand-your-ground” laws. Those laws, along with so-called “Castle” laws have contributed to the killing of scores of young people over property violations, poor judgement, and long-standing ill will toward anyone who is…
In response to my friend James’ recent post on Facebook about yet another unarmed black teen being killed by a home owner, I commented that while I am sure no one wants a burglary in their home, I own nothing that is worth a human life. Nothing. Don’t get me wrong, I have some nice…
When I was a little boy, I heard a recording of the story of Peter Rabbit and the terrible Mr. McGregor who was determined to rid his garden of rabbits, even if it meant killing the little terrified hero of the story. After being chased round and round, Peter escapes the clutches of the villain,…
This week I have been writing about wanting, the stuff of desire, demand, and longing. As I have been thinking about what I want, about what we want, I have observed that many of us show our disappointment when we get what we get instead of what we want. We also show our discouragement about…
In the mid-1980s, during an experiential therapy workshop, I participated in an activity in which I was assigned the task of doing whatever it took (short of outright violence) to get out of a doorway being blocked by six strong men. Several times during the struggle which lasted well over an hour, I paused to…
I think of disappointment as the feeling I get when I get what I want — sort of. The image for me that looms large is being in eighth grade and winning a raffle first prize. The second prize was a stereo record player. The third and fourth prizes were something like tools or school…
A group of us were recently told that there is nothing quite so unappealing to young adults as a bunch of discouraged-looking old people. To which I replied in sotto voce, “There is nothing quite so discouraging as a group of young adults dependent on how we look to them.” Still, I get the point.…
An old friend of mine and I used to joke about levels of discouragement like they were circles in Dante’s Inferno. The absolute lowest level, we decided, was resignation, not despair. With despair, one still looks back at what is lost to us. Resignation even quits looking back. We will never have what we want,…
“Does one actually need to convert to secular Judaism?” That, from my friend Bonnie after I asked her if I should convert, having discovered I am part Jewish, but was raised Catholic. The funny part is that her question was sincere. She suggested that we make a series of dinner reservations instead. Still, at the…
When I left the friary at age 17, I had completed all of the required credits to graduate from high school, but I lacked a course in U.S. History. I decided to go to a public high school for two semesters while working part time at nights. This would give me an opportunity to acclimate…
Creating Community for Everyone 