Author Archives: John

About John

I am a married, 45-year old, Midwesterner. My primary interest is in leading a very examined and loving life; my interests that are related to this and that feed into this include (and are not limited to) -- psychology, philosophy, poetry, critical thinking, photography, soccer, tennis, chess, bridge.

When It Comes to Love & Your Relationships Are You Committed or Just Interested?

Posted on March 13, 2013

. . There’s a difference between being interested in something and being committed to something.  When you’re interested in doing something, you do it only when it’s convenient.  When you’re committed to something, you make the time to do it. … Continue reading →

Posted in Kenneth Blanchard, Love is a Commitment, Love is Not a Feeling, Mature Love, Mental Health, Personal Growth, Real Love, Spiritual Growth, The Examined Life, Truth, Waking Up, What is Love? | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Only He Who Takes Off His Shoes Truly Loves (On Noticing — & Noticing What We’re Normally Not Noticing)

Posted on March 8, 2013

. Earth’s crammed with heaven, And every common bush afire with God, But only he who sees takes off his shoes; The rest sit round and pluck blackberries. ― Elizabeth Barrett Browning . This poem by Barrett Browning was inspired … Continue reading →

Posted in "When Death Comes", Albert Camus, Amazement, Attention, Beauty, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Exodus, Goethe, Josh Bell, Love, Marcel Proust, Mary Oliver, Mindfulness, Noticing, Photography, Thomas Merton, Truth, Waking Up, What is Love? | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Distraction & Love

Posted on February 28, 2013

David Kanigan, over at Lead.Learn.Live, this morning posted this excerpt from a book by Tony Schwartz .  I read it and commented.  I’m reposting my commenting here as well, because it goes to the heart of what I write about on … Continue reading →

Posted in David Kanigan, Tony Schwartz, Truth, Uncategorized, Waking Up, What is Love? | Tagged , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

For the Class of 2013 (& People Everywhere) — Four Brief Pieces of Advice

Posted on February 27, 2013

Reblogged from Full Catastrophe Living and Loving: 1. If I had one piece of advice for people everywhere, it would be this: think critically more often.  Try to spend some time every day thinking critically, examining yourself, your life, your … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Vase or Faces: Is Life Fundamentally Easy; Difficult; or Both?

Posted on February 26, 2013

. How do you view life—as something that fundamentally is supposed to be easy (which means that difficulty and hardship are aberrations)?  Or is life something that is essentially / fundamentally difficult and painful, a struggle (“life is suffering” said … Continue reading →

Posted in Buddha, Critical Thinking, Difficulty, Jose Ortega y Gasset, M. Scott Peck, Pema Chodron, Personal Growth, Perspective, The Examined Life, The Road Less Traveled, Truth, Waking Up | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Fulton J. Sheen: Lent

Posted on February 23, 2013

Reblogged from Rubber Tyres –> Smooth Rides: “We can think of Lent as a time to eradicate evil or cultivate virtue, a time to pull up weeds or to plant good seeds. Which is better is clear, for the Christian … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Martin Luther King on Love (and Loving the Enemy)

Posted on February 23, 2013

The meaning of love is not to be confused with some sentimental outpouring. Love is much deeper than emotional bosh. Jesus said, “Love your enemies.” We should be happy that he did not say, “Like your enemies.” It is almost … Continue reading →

Posted in Agape, Difficulty, Martin Luther King Jr., Real Love, Spiritual Growth, The Examined Life, Truth, Waking Up, What is Love? | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

The Pursuit of Happiness Doesn’t Always Make You Feel Happy—and, in Fact, it Shouldn’t; and Here’s Why

Posted on February 18, 2013

Reblogged from Full Catastrophe Living and Loving: . Becoming a “better” person—becoming more centered, emotionally mature and stable, principled, conscientious, (yes, all of these nice adjectives and virtues I like to list), pensive, reflective, composed, affable, joyful, (you’re almost at … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Passion & Reason: Following Your Head & Following Your Heart (or Tuning Both & Following Both)

Posted on February 17, 2013

. . We’re all at the helm of something with an impressive amount of horsepower—this body, with its heart, ego, and genitalia, each full of their own passions, motivations, preferences, desires, aversions.  The ego wants fame, attention, power, immortality, runs … Continue reading →

Posted in Emotional Maturity, Gibran, M. Scott Peck, Mental Health, The Examined Life, Truth, Waking Up, What is Love? | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Love (& a Whitman’s Sampler)

Posted on February 14, 2013

. “For children love is a feeling; for adults, it is a decision. Children wait to learn if their love is true by seeing how long it lasts; adults make their love true by never wavering from their commitment.” ― … Continue reading →

Posted in M. Scott Peck, Mature Love, Mental Health, Orson Scott Card, Real Love, Spiritual Growth, The Examined Life, Truth, Waking Up, What is Love? | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 20 Comments