Around Boston there are many neighborhoods where grand manses sit imposingly behind gates, surrounded by perfectly manicured lawns, with wildly expensive cars in their large garages. I can’t remember exactly when I realized that such a lifestyle was out of my reach, but I am grateful that it was around the same time that IContinue reading >>
My skin in the game: a post-election commitment
In the weeks leading up to the 2016 presidential election, I found myself seeking – and approaching – a sense of calm over whatever the outcome might be: Serenity to accept the things I cannot change and all that. With the rhetoric so heated I needed to cool myself off, and for a time IContinue reading >>
We must love one another or die
There is a poem by W. H. Auden I return to often when I am discouraged. After a political season characterized more than ever by hatred and division, I needed these words today more than ever. They refer to a particular moment in history, but explain a fundamental truth that guides my life: that weContinue reading >>
Peace and anger
“We are all children of God, and God is the God of peace”. – Pope Francis Join #PopeFrancis in prayer on this #internationaldayofpeace pic.twitter.com/V5i0mrawFx — Ignatian Solidarity (@IGsolidarityNET) September 21, 2016 Today is the International Day of Peace, and I am struggling to feel peaceful. I woke up this morning determined to write something (again)Continue reading >>
Little Sanctuaries and Lots of Noise: how this election could make teaching harder
Years ago a student asked me if I watched Grey’s Anatomy. I replied no, adding that I tried not to watch shows that constantly featured people committing adultery. The student, in his late teens, was taken aback, but after a moment admitted I was on to something. I didn’t say that to criticize his viewingContinue reading >>