Most of us talk a great deal about freedom. And regard it as an ideal. Living that ideal though – and the sense of choice and inner authority that it implies – is something else altogether. In my own life I struggle not to use the “slave” words: “have to”, “must”, “can’t”. And I try […]
Thomas Merton: “If you want a spiritual life, you must unify your life. A life is either all spiritual or not at all. No man [or woman] can serve two masters. Your life is shaped by the end you live for. You are made in the image of what you desire.” Desiring,seeking: this means giving […]
If the day feels impossible and it’s hardly begun, take charge. Make a list! Invest a few minutes to identify and write down those “countless” demands. Look hard at them. Strike out any that are not 100% necessary. Consider what you could pass on to other people. Think creatively about how you could do something differently […]
Your physical health as well as your emotional wellbeing is dramatically affected by the quality of your relationships. As we approach Valentine’s Day 2012, it’s worth thinking hard about the people on whom we most depend, and that may be your partner. An intimate relationship can so easily be overloaded with a mountain of expectations […]
1. Come into the present moment. When you panic, your thoughts break time barriers. You imagine, “This will go on forever.” Or, “Nothing will ever change.” Take as much time as is needed to move your awareness around your body, noting where you are in time and space at this very moment. Breathe slowly into […]
There’ve been lots of questions in the twitter and Facebook spheres in recent weeks about why writers write. My own shortest answer would be: to know more. For me, there’s no better way to understand humankind as well as ideas in greater depth – and to use the gifts of mind and spirit that are […]
What is the universal message for “all humankind” – regardless of religious labels? Surely the greatest challenge we face today is learning what the call to love asks of us, inwardly and outwardly. Learning what it might mean to love universally, regardless of “liking” or “agreeing with”. It’s the call that’s at the heart of […]
Dear Mr Abbott Barely a week ago, as most of us were preparing for this precious Christmas break, the media brought us news of the fate of yet more people seeking safety in Australia. This time the numbers of the dead were more startling. More disturbing. And it’s not just the numbers. The agony of the […]
Dr Stephanie Dowrick’s new book, Everyday Kindness: Short cuts to a happier and more confident life, offers short, wise and often very entertaining chapters on the great variety of experiences that we call “everyday life”. Adding kindness to the mix – or greater care, appreciation, good humour, respect – life itself takes a turn for […]
Invest in the writers you care about. Buy their books. Don’t borrow or boast of buying 2nd-hand. (Live authors need royalties.) Don’t assume that just because authors “love” writing, they can survive on inspiration alone. Step outside your comfort zone: read adventurously. Read and buy locally, especially if you live in a country with a […]
This portrait of 20th-century European poet Rainer Maria Rilke is by his friend the Expressionist painter, Paula Modersohn-Becker, painted when both were adventurous idealists in their 20s. I have a particular fondness for it because it was when I working at The Women’s Press in London in the early 1980s that we published the first-ever monograph on Modersohn-Becker. Through that […]
(This review first appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald, October 2011) What kind of people dare to dream of a better world than the one in which they find themselves? Ruth – one of this immensely fine novel’s two narrators – names empathic imagination and the actions that arise from it as critical: “Imagining the […]