Author Archives: jimwdollar

01 Companions of The Way understand that the way back to Eden winds through the heart of Gethsemane and across the face of Golgotha, and requires them to die to their idea of how their life should be in order to be born into the realization of how their life is to be. Companions ofContinue reading “June 25, 2021”

01 Edna St. Vincent Millay’s “Lament” is a poem for all times throughout time. “Life must go on though good men die. Anne, eat your breakfast. Dan, take your medicine. Life must go on. I forget just why.” Poets are truth-bearers, and the burden is heavy– too heavy, and good poets die under the weightContinue reading “June 24, 2021”

01 We can organize our life mathematically, logically, reasonably, rationally, inorganically, imposing order from the top down and from the outside in. And, we can organize our life inorganically, irrationally, unreasonably, naturally, following the order from the bottom up and from the inside out. We can lay out our life by the book. Setting goalsContinue reading “June 22, 2021”

01 When have you heard anything from the church–any church– that you haven’t heard before? The old Taoists knew 4,000 years ago that playing favorites and holding grudges is no way to be godly. Why would anyone think it would be heavenly to hang out with a god like that? Why does God have toContinue reading “June 21, 2021”

01 It is all useless, pointless, hopeless, meaningless, futile, stupid and absurd– and coming to a very bad end: We all are going to die! And. How we live in the meantime makes all the difference. Our place is to shoulder the burden of the truth of our situation and bear it in the strengthContinue reading “June 20, 2021”

01 “Judge not” doesn’t mean “Don’t know what’s what.” It means “Don’t find fault.” “Don’t demean, condemn, belittle, dismiss, reject, abhor…” Distinguishing, recognizing, discerning… are necessary aspects of finding our way. If one house is as good as another who knows where they would sleep at night, or take shelter, or shut out the world?Continue reading “June 19, 2021”

01 The Josh Hawley, Ted Cruz, Donald Trump crowd cannot tolerate anyone who doesn’t see/think the way they do. They have only contempt, ridicule and disdain for those not like them. And that is the one characteristic preventing the realization and implementation of mutually beneficial ways of living together. They cannot enjoy life thinking thatContinue reading “June 18, 2021”

01 Each of us has our own talents, interests, specialties, daemon (sounds like “diamond”), gifts, genius, knacks, shtick, proclivities, nature, virtues, trajectory, path, etc. and our adventure is finding and being who we are. The culture and social order are allied against us with their “Thou Shalts” and “Thou Shalt Nots,” and we have toContinue reading “June 17, 2021”

01 Henri Bergson talked about “élan vital” (in 1907) being the vital force moving us through our life to what matters most, to what means the most, to us. It is a magnetic force that pulls our heart past 10,000 “not its” to IT. It is like falling in love, though it might be aContinue reading “June 16, 2021”

01 Imbalance and disharmony are the signs of the times. When it is all useless, pointless, hopeless, meaningless, futile and absurd, what do you do? The next thing! As it needs to be done! When it needs to be done! And then, the thing after that! And, care about the things you care about– anyway,Continue reading “June 15, 2021”