Speaking of Faith

Beautiful.

Awe Inspiring!

I am thankful for Krista's reintroduction of civil dialogue in the American social landscape.

Braestrup and Vanier are great teachers for me of the importance of the ministry of active presence. Expressions of compassion and tenderness, of simply plunging in and caring with courage .. we are full in our humanity in such moments. Our hearts yearn for such moments and need them like life giving water.

As a fan of SOF and a Unitarian Universalist, I'll be tuning in.

What a joy to view!
A persistent reflection on my part is of justice, although I can't sayhow it arises. Genius it is, certainly.

Wonderful story! The courage of compassion.

Thanks, Al. What an interesting way in to discussing animal rights and a religious perspective we haven't been able to explore yet. We heard from a number of fans requesting a show on this topic after we released our show with Barbara Kingsolver (http://bit.ly/4OL1od).

I will definitely give it a listen. Also, if you do end up doing a show on animal issues, I'm more than willing to give possible directions and avenues to take the show down (this is something I think about and read about quite a bit).

One thought: If we feel that animals are deserving of the right to not be property; to have their intrinsic value... See More come before the extrinsic value we place upon them, then how far do we take our activism? If we honestly feel that it's immoral to use animals for our own purposes then how does that bleed into our personal lives and how we talk to people who don't feel the same way? It's very much analogous to having an inter-faith dialogue. It can get even more contentious, actually.

Animal discussion can be particularly difficult because it's easy to project ourselves and our deepest voiceless fears onto animals; most will never verbally contradict us. (Exceptions: primates with sign language and to some degree some linguistically communicative birds)

Spiritualityandpractice.org offers an interesting short course on ... See Morepracticing spirituality with animals. (If you're tempted to check it out, it's non-denominational and not preachy.)

http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/ecourses/ecourses.php?id=6

What a wonderful story. I think one has to have a heart of compassion to listen, as did the doctor in the oak lined room, to the list of ills described as the girls and see in them the gifts of talent and possibility.'

Adele Diamond speaks a lot of truth that has been dying to get out. I wrote about many of the same things - minus the neuroscience - in 1988. At the time, I was witnessing a move away from the learning that mattered most. I've watched a long backwards slide since then.

Neuroscience has a louder voice than education, the arts, and therapy do, so this brings hope.

We here appreciated the rigor with which Adele Diamond and colleagues substantiate and extend what, in an earlier era, was sometimes termed "well rounded." When the interview lead from healthy children to a healthy, just, and compassionate society, we applauded and cheered, alarming the cat and risking a coffee spill. Thanks, Krista and colleagues!

Another incredibly good show. Thank you.

I long for schools where our kids could learn how to live happy and flourishing lives rather than how to pass tests. Much of what should be learned in school is instead learned in the process of mental health counseling and the like (if parents can afford it).

One of my daughters is adopted from a Russian orphanage. Her executive function and working memory both suffer as a result of early deprivation. She has benefited greatly from tap dancing, occupational therapy, and psychological counseling. But none of this is available in the course of the school day. ... See More

I was fascinated by the mention of mindfulness training being offered to school kids with ADHD. I am convinced this would help a lot with my daughter and many like her.

I was so touched by the end--the sounds of the bamboo school children playing with the kites made me tear up.