Warrior spirit

In between the first and second years at West Point, cadets head to Camp Buckner for field training — “the best summer of your life.” Recondo (RECONnaissance commanDO) was a multi-day limits-testing experience with bivouacking, patrolling, maneuvering in the dark, and survival lessons. Not to mention mountaineering, digging foxholes, defending positions, poncho rafts, chicken-killing, and…

Calling the circle — redux

Having a gym membership doesn’t make you fit.Going to a garage doesn’t make you a car.Attending church doesn’t make you religious. For many people, religion is a significant aspect of their identity, representing the group with which they feel kinship and the people with whom they spend time. Religion can provide a path that helps us…

Meditation: it’s not what you think

A man was teaching his grandson about life. The grandfather said: “A fight goes on inside people. It’s a terrible fight between two wolves. One is evil – he is anger, envy, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, lies, ego. The other is good – he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, generosity, truth,…

Giving up for Lent

When I was a child, I remember Lent as a time for “giving up,” which generally meant refraining from consuming something tangible like candy or soda. Since we didn’t have everyday access to such treats, giving them up was not much of a sacrifice. The forty days of Lenten preparation are like New Year’s resolutions…