fear
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My Fear of Words
Sometimes I'm afraid to use words, for fear they will most certainly fail, and that what I'm trying to express–the thing I'm experiencing–will be diminished. Like this. Have I captured this experience, the fear of failing to honor the experience… Continue reading
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Fearful Questions
The trick, in uncertain times, is not to let your decisions be ruled by questions that arise from fear. As Thomas Merton points out, "A huge network of anxious questions surrounds us and begins to guide many, if not most… Continue reading
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Halloween: Facing Fears
What scares you? Halloween invites us to identify and sit with our fears. What are yours? Here's a checklist, drawn from my life, past or present: Do you fear death? the afterlife? a big empty nothingness the other side of… Continue reading
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All Anger Comes from Fear
A long time ago, someone I trust and love said to me "All anger comes from fear." That made me angry. Or rather, my response to what she said was to feel angry and defensive: "But my anger is justified.… Continue reading
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You Are Them, They Are You
Gays, Republicans, illegal immigrants, Jews, Muslims, Baptists, the mentally ill, the homeless…anyone you mistrust or dismiss or find foreign, strange or threatening, you are them and they are you, in a very real, absolute, spiritual sense. Whatever distinctions you've invented… Continue reading