Seek people who love and give generously, who have the strength to suffer without causing damage. (Only strong people are safe people, the measure of strength being not the absence of vulnerability — and “weakness” is just a judgment term for vulnerability — but the ability to carry one’s vulnerability with such self-awareness and valor so as not t... See more
Special Edition: 18 Life-Learnings from 18 Years of The Marginalian
The Talmud suggests a model of gentle masculinity that ministers to young children without violence, reacting with a gentle touch to a blow struck in the classroom, offering closeness in place of censure. This is an open form of masculinity, one that unlocks the heavens. This is the kind of man who is able to cause the wind to blow and the rain to
... See moreRuth Calderon • A Bride for One Night: Talmud Tales
Contemplation and compassion are finally coming together. This is my second gaze.
It is well worth waiting for because only the second gaze sees fully and truthfully. It sees itself, the other, and even God with God’s own eyes, which are always eyes of compassion. It is from this place that true action must spring. Otherwise, most of our action
... See moreThinking of others is the heart of Christlikeness and the best evidence of spiritual growth. This kind of thinking is unnatural, counter-cultural, rare, and difficult. Fortunately we have help: “God has given us his Spirit. That’s why we don’t think the same way that the people of this world think.”