On Being Fearless …

I just got back from a weekend meditation retreat. Yesterday I heard my teacher talk about fearlessness. I’ve used the word ‘fearless’ to refer to people I know who bravely venture forth into life undaunted by what lies ahead. Of course, my view implies that the fearless person knows no fear, has no fear.  It implies [...]

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Letting go …

A friend called me yesterday and asked, if you were in my shoes, what would you do? The question had to do with her daughter who is flunking from school. The daughter is smart and there is no reason she should be flunking all her classes. They’ve tried private school, counseling, tutoring, strict rules, lax [...]

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Life in the Woods

My Dream Cottage

I’ve always wanted a cottage in the woods ever since I can remember. I grew up in the rain forests of the Philippines and it was paradise to me. The only other dwelling on the 40 hectares of land my family owned was half a mile away where a family who worked for [...]

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A Moderator’s Role

The dictionary defines moderator as someone who presides or arbitrates issues; a leader of a group meeting, one who mediates disputes and avoids violence, someone who makes less extreme or uncompromising; a negotiator who provides a link between parties. Given that, clearly the role of the moderator is not about making a stand on [...]

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What’s in your Surround?

I live in the city. It is a small city, but not really. It is a small city next to other cities that make one fairly large metropolitan area.  My small second floor apartment in an old building overlooks a busy street. Cars go by at all hours of the day and night. When I [...]

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