Category Archives: Conscience

“Only the Best in Us Can Talk About the Worst in Us; What’s Worst in Us Lies About Itself and its Own Existence.

Posted on November 26, 2023 by John

“Only the best in us can talk about the worst in us; what’s worst in us lies about itself and its own existence.” — David Schnarch, author of “Passionate Marriage” and “Intimacy & Desire“ Also from David Schnarch, Ph.D. — … Continue reading →

Posted in "The Scarlet Letter", C.S. Lewis, Conscience, Critical Thinking, David Schnarch, Dostoyevsky, Intimacy, Intimate Relationships, Lies, Love, Maurice Nicoll, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Nietzsche, Truth | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

M. Scott Peck on Dedication to the Truth

Posted on November 12, 2023 by John

What follows is my abridgment from pp. 44-62 of “The Road Less Traveled.” The third tool of discipline or technique of dealing with the pain of problem-solving, which must continually be employed if our lives are to be healthy and … Continue reading →

Posted in Conscience, Courage, Honesty, Lies, Love, M. Scott Peck, Self-Awareness, Spiritual Growth, The Road Less Traveled, Truth | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Ego (Ego, Self-Love, Lies, Darkness v Truth, Love, Light, Conscience)

Posted on November 11, 2023 by John

Some thoughts on the ego. First, defining the term. The ego as used herein is not used in the sense that Freud used the term ego (rational principle, reality factor, slave of the Id). Instead, the term ego is being … Continue reading →

Posted in Conscience, Ego, Einstein, First Epistle of John, Honesty, Lies, Maurice Nicoll, Self-Awareness, Truth | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

May God Bless Us All . . . with Discomfort, Anger, Tears, and Foolishness

Posted on December 5, 2013 by John

. . . This is not by any means what we normally think of when asking God to bless us.  Maybe when asking God to “bless” our enemies or oppressors, but not when asking him to bless our family and … Continue reading →

Posted in Community, Conscience, Courage, Critical Thinking, Mother Teresa, Personal Growth, Ruth Fox, Saint Teresa of Avila, Spiritual Growth, The Examined Life, Truth, Waking Up, What is Love? | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

May Your Choices Reflect What’s Best in You….

Posted on October 17, 2013 by John

When our choices reflect what’s best in us, when our choices reflect the better angels of our nature, when our choices reflect our deepest values and highest hopes, our virtues–courage, patience, wisdom, discernment, perspective–and principles such as a reverence for … Continue reading →

Posted in Conscience, Critical Thinking, Emotional Maturity, Love is a Choice, Nelson Mandela, Personal Growth, Perspective, The Examined Life, Truth, What is Love? | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

C.S. Lewis on Why to Be Moral

Posted on September 4, 2013 by John

  . . The sort of idea that the word Morality raises in a good many people’s minds is that it’s something that interferes—Morality is something that stops you from having a good time. In reality, moral rules are directions … Continue reading →

Posted in C.S. Lewis, Conscience, Critical Thinking, Love, Morality, Perspective, The Examined Life, Truth, Waking Up | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

C.S. Lewis & Ken Wilber on My Truth, Your Truth, and Morality

Posted on September 3, 2013 by John

. “The moment you say that one set of moral ideas can be better, you are in fact, measuring them both by a standard, saying that one of them conforms to that standard more nearly than the other.  But the … Continue reading →

Posted in C.S. Lewis, Conscience, Critical Thinking, Ken Wilber, The Examined Life, Truth, Waking Up | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

The Serenity Prayer, Self-Acceptance & Self-Care, and Discernment

Posted on July 2, 2013 by John

. DISCERNMENT.  (Noun.)  A core component of wisdom.  The ability to make fine yet profound/crucial distinctions; the ability to see (comprehend) more clearly what is unclear and obscure. The Serenity Prayer (as it applies to ourselves) God, grant me the … Continue reading →

Posted in Conscience, Courage, Critical Thinking, Czeslaw Milosz, Denial, Differentiation, Difficulty, Goethe, John Kenneth Galbraith, Love, Mental Health, Mindfulness, Personal Growth, Perspective, Self-Love, Spiritual Growth, The Examined Life, Waking Up, What is Love? | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

There Are *No* Ordinary People!

Posted on February 6, 2013 by John

“It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest and most uninteresting person you can talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, … Continue reading →

Posted in C.S. Lewis, Conscience, Mature Love, Real Love, Spiritual Growth, The Examined Life, Truth, Waking Up, What is Love? | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Only Proactive People Can Genuinely Love Others, Reactive People Can’t (updated)

Posted on January 17, 2013 by John

(The following is abridged and adapted and modified from Stephen R. Covey’s “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change”) Between stimulus and response, human beings have the freedom to choose—but only *if* we develop and … Continue reading →

Posted in "Man's Search for Meaning", "Siddhartha", Conscience, Conscious Love, Courage, Critical Thinking, Differentiation, Emotional Maturity, Hermann Hesse, Immature Love, Intimate Relationships, Love is a Choice, Love is a Decision, Love is Not a Feeling, Luke 6:32-35, M. Scott Peck, Mature Love, Mental Health, Perspective, Proactivity, Reactive, Real Love, Responsibility, Spiritual Growth, Stephen Covey, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, The Examined Life, The Road Less Traveled, Truth, Viktor Frankl, Waking Up, What is Love? | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments