On the Blog
No matter what decade of your life you're in, your journey to find a fulfilling work life is one often clouded with worry and self-doubt. Parker Palmer writes this helpful story about finding the way — not by what opens in front of you but by what closes behind you.
Mary Oliver with some 140-character gems teams up with guidelines on designing ritual for the "Nones" and an essay on the distance to suffering. Also, sharing some quotations from our new iPad app and a humanizing speech from MLK.
How can we recover virtue and integrity in a world of insult and violence? And how do we respond? A commentary from a man searching for models of illumination and compassion who bring light into the world — and finding them in Dr. Du Bois and the Prophet Muhammad.
When one grows up without a faith tradition, where does one turn? An Argentinian children's book writer maps her journeys in faith, the lack of conviction, and the surprising path to devotion — all in her own backyard.
In a day where more and more wedding ceremonies are not presided over by an official religious figure, there's much to figure out when it comes to designing a ritual. Some practices to consider for modern nuptials.
Watch this interview between our columnist Omid Safi and MSNBC's Chris Hayes about the imbroglio over the call to prayer at Duke University.
Our conversation on the inner life rebellion inspires a 23-year-old singer-songwriter to write a song that embodies the rebellious energy she senses within herself and her generation. Take a listen; it's a treat.
The joys and sorrows of your life are sure to come and go. A commitment to learning at any age will sustain you and help you weather the peaks and troughs of life.
This past week has been one of extreme darkness and anxiety. But how do we, individually and collectively, think through and deal with these moments of our lives? A survey of writers on finding our way and building the beloved community we aspire to.
We rarely know the pain and suffering that envelops the people closest to us. In this loving tribute, the poetic structure of an Auden poem serves as a frame to remember a neighbor who loved dogs but couldn't hang onto life.
Making connections can be "life-giving" but they can also reinforce "damaging divides." Courtney Martin is reminded of the vitality of human bonds — and the chasms that remain in this hypernetworked world.
In response to Duke University's decision to not allow the Muslim call to prayer from the chapel, Omid Safi offers an open hand invitation to see a Duke (and an America) that has room for all of us.
What do Muslims do or say in response to the murders of a dozen people who were killed in the name of Islam? Omid Safi explores the catch 22 Muslims find themselves in, and how we must hold each other all accountable.
When we succumb to the distractions of this life and the will of others, we must hold onto something. But what? Some questions to turn over and explore to guide you.
In a somber week, Omid Safi offers a powerful reminder to remember the humanity at stake in world news, Reza Aslan provides needed context, Parker Palmer reflects on the illuminating power of Thomas Merton's words, a writer muses on our discomfort with death, and Courtney Martin pens a love letter to the shared silences that join us together.
Watch this cross-generational conversation at PopTech in which Courtney Martin and Parker Palmer contemplate the meaning of rebellion, and finding a balance between inner and outer lives and the simplicity that lies on the other side of complexity.
So often it's the quiet moments with someone that cements and deepens a relationship. An acknowledgement (and a bit of a love letter) to the silence that joins us together.
As streams of breaking news about the shootings in Paris surge into all our media, Omid Safi invites us to step forward and consider the broader context of what's at stake and how to process this horiffic news.
There are few more influential writers than the Trappist monk Thomas Merton. His writings continue to inspire, mentor, and impact new generations of readers. Our columnist Parker Palmer remembers when he first met Merton's words and how they continue to shape him today.
Our executive editor's weekly look into our most interesting worlds of curiosity and hope — including a bit of Papal/physicist humor, questions for the new year, praise for sacred inefficiencies, an introduction to the Muslim festival of Mawlid, and a meditation on the gifts of winter.
Have our funeral rituals disengaged us from the embodied act of physically burying the dead? A grandson on the our discomfort about death — and we can reconnect with the lives we lost.
Tonight, all around the world, many Muslims celebrate the birth of the Prophet Muhammad with festive decorations, devotional songs, and sweet candies. Omid Safi explains the annual ritual in more detail and the debate among Muslims about celebrating it.
As the siren song of productivity in the new year beckons, our weekly columnist Courtney Martin finds presence and peace of mind in the habits of a less productive but more awesome life.
On this New Year's Eve, our weekly columnist wrestles with the uncertainty of the year to come. Rather than making resolutions, he poses five questions to ask yourself to carry into the New Year.
Our executive editor looks into our most interesting worlds of curiosity and hope, including an elegy for light, the lessons of hardship, and a piece in praise of chosen family.