Category: Challenges
Being Teachable in Polarized Times
Shammai's error was to systematically give up on the teachability of his opponents...Hillel's practice suggests that we should delay as long as possible dismissing someone as a fool or foreclosing con... Read More
Dispatch from the Lifejacket Graveyard near Eftalou Beach in Lesvos Greece
There is a “lifejacket graveyard” on the island of Lesvos in Greece, where Syrian and Afghani refugees flee from wars, departing from the Turkish shores 4 kilometers away. This is where ad... Read More
How to Keep Your Cool When Engaging With Religious Zealots
My fingers hovered over the keyboard, ready to write a fighting response while my mind willed me that violence (even if only verbal) is never the answer. The blood steadily coursed through my veins ... Read More
Reflections on being a proud Jew in uncertain times
Mark Oppenheimer, in his article for the New York Times entitled “Reclaiming ‘Jew,’” states that Jews should be proud to call themselves Jews, rather than only state that they are “Jewish,... Read More
When a Humanist Is Asked to Pray
In Ghana it is customary to start and end every meeting with a prayer. What kind of meeting doesn’t matter: PTA meeting, building project meeting, NGO planning meeting–they all start and end w... Read More
The Power of Prayer and the Promise of Seven Generations
When you hear the terms ‘peaceful protest’ or ‘non-violent opposition’, if you know anything of our history, your mind thinks of two powerful leaders: Martin Luther King and Mahatma Gandhi. Wh... Read More
Speak Truth to Power: Pro-Refugee Protesting Experience
Recently, my wife and I attended a protest to express our opposition to President Trump’s executive order to ban refugees from the seven Muslim-majority countries on the list it contained. The prote... Read More
Some Biblical Reflections on Refugees
The Biblical story of salvation begins with a community of refugees. The book of Genesis recounts how Jacob and his family sought refuge in Egypt from a severe famine. The book of Exodus begins–... Read More