August 2023 – Paul's Blog

Mood Follows Action

I do not believe that I have ever felt unequivocally positive prior to a session of exercise. Even if I am mostly looking forward to it, there is always an underlying dread of pain.

If I had to wait for the unequivocal feeling of wanting to run (or lift or whatever), I would never do it.

And so it is a good thing that mood follows action. Once the running shoes are on and the warm-up is over, my feeling always improves.

I think the same can be true of showing up to a habit of prayer, meditation, any interior practice… or anything representing generosity, really… Even that stack of dishes, paper work, or emails…

Beginning is the first step toward a breakthrough.

Slack in the System

It can be tempting to maximize every system to its limit.

To squeeze as much productivity out of our minds and bodies selves as possible…

To be satisfied only with the best (whatever it might be)…

To overanalyze every moment to make sure it is producing maximum pleasure…

To take from the earth without regard for ecological limits…

At some point, this is going to break down and we will bear the cost.

And this maximization mindset actually makes us unhappy, pounding our interior lives dangerously thin.

Keeping the slack in life’s systems is a worthy and indispensable discipline.

Yesterday, for an hour or so, I tossed a plastic stingray, lobster, and octopus onto the floor of the community pool for our 6 year old to swim down and return triumphantly. He loves this game, and so does his younger brother who also took turns throwing the “sinkies” while splashing around in his floaties. Continue reading “The Infinite Game”

Religion DTR

In college, we used to jokingly talk about “the DTR”… where two people, with unspoken interest in a romantic relationship need to take time to “define the relationship.”

It’s a great turn of phrase and a useful tool.

It is worth it, too, to periodically have a DTR with one’s practice of religion.

That is, does my practice of religion:

Pad my ego and sense of superiority?

Narrow what I am willing to see?

Or does it represent a humbling preparation to enter a mystery of love, to engage a life more abundant than we could have imagined or engineered?

1984 or Brave New World

In school, we were introduced to two classic dystopian visions of the future: 1984 and Brave New World.

In 1984, the tyranny of a fearsome dictator reduces humans to submissive beings.

In Brave New World, humans are so preoccupied with pleasure and trivialities, they subdue themselves into submissive beings.

In your world, which one is coming true?