Category Archives: Love

Marriage & the Marriage Vows

Posted on January 8, 2024 by John

We all know marriage (Christian marriage, Catholic Marriage, any religiously sanctioned marriage) involves making sacred promises to another. But do we really get what those promises involve? Do we really understand — meaning grasp, deeply comprehend — that we are … Continue reading →

Posted in Love, Love is a Choice, Love is a Commitment, Love is a Decision, Love Is a Verb, Love is an Act of Will, Love is Not a Feeling, Marital Vows, Marriage, Marriage Vows, Personal Growth, Perspective, Spiritual Growth | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

“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

Genuine Love & Conscience: Truth v Lies

Posted on November 4, 2023 by John

My writings on this blog thus far have largely focused on differentiating Genuine Love — willing and acting towards the best and deepest and highest interests of the other person as an actual distinct and unique human being in their … Continue reading →

Posted in Gospel of John, Gospel of Matthew, Love, Love is a Choice, Love is a Commitment, Love is a Decision, Love is an Act of Will, Love is Not a Feeling, M. Scott Peck, Personal Growth, Real Love, Self-Awareness, Spiritual Growth, The Examined Life | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

In the Gap Between Stimulus and Response is Where Real Love Occurs

Posted on March 12, 2016 by John

I’ll meet you there (to riff on Rumi). Or better yet: Start meeting your partner there. Choice is sexy. When partners choose when and where and how they want to have sex, that is sexy. When they make a choice to engage … Continue reading →

Posted in Character, Conscious Love, Intimacy, Intimate Relationships, Love, Love is a Choice, Love is a Decision, Love is Not a Feeling, Mature Love, Mental Health, Mindfulness, Personal Growth, Perspective, Real Love, Self-Awareness, The Examined Life, Truth, Waking Up, What is Love? | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

What Does “I Love You” Mean to You?

Posted on February 17, 2016 by John

What does it really mean when you say “I love you” to your partner/spouse? Does it ultimately mean— “I like/love/am addicted to how you make me feel, I like/love/am addicted to what you do for me because it makes me feel warm, … Continue reading →

Posted in Love, Mindfulness, Personal Growth, Perspective, The Examined Life, What is Love? | Tagged , , | 11 Comments

Is it Possible to Lie & Deceive Someone We Love?

Posted on January 27, 2015 by John

Is it possible to lie and deceive someone we love? One of the blogs I read on occasion (http://relationshipremedy.com/2015/01/28/sex-lies-and-the-truth/) asked a question similar to that asked above. And the short answer is: No, of course not. And the longer answer … Continue reading →

Posted in Antilove, Commitment, Immature Love, Intimacy, Kindness, Love, Love Is a Verb, Mature Love, Mental Health, Perspective, Real Love, What is Love? | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Bernie Siegel, M.D., on Finding Your True Path

Posted on October 15, 2013 by John

  . . (The following post is abridged, adapted, and modified from Bernie Siegel’s essay “Love: The Work of The Soul“ in “Handbook for the Soul,” compiled by Richard Carlson, Benjamin Shield, pp. 39-44.) . In my work as a … Continue reading →

Posted in Bernie Siegel M.D., Death, Love, Personal Growth, Perspective, Spiritual Growth, The Examined Life, Truth, What is Love? | Tagged , , | 3 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

Love & Boredom — “We were bored and didn’t have anything to do,

Posted on August 28, 2013 by John

so we decided to kill somebody.” From a week and a half ago— . . No doubt about it, we’re living in troubled times.  When boredom leads three teens (three likely already troubled teens) to randomly shoot another young human … Continue reading →

Posted in Boredom, Chris Lane, Erich Fromm, Love, Mature Love, Pascal, Personal Growth, Perspective | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments