Another World Is Probable

As we enter this new year, I notice I feel pressure to be hopeful and optimistic. Because vaccines are here! And a new president is on his way! And 2020 is officially done! All of that is true, and yet neither the past nor reality change just because we flipped the calendar. We still carry with us everything that came before and much remains unknown. I’m reminded here of the quote by Rilke about living our way into answers. More in this week's post. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/another-world-is-probable/support

Right now I’m reminded exactly 13 years ago I was in Europe for a New Year’s retreat. I haven’t thought about that trip in years. I think it’s coming up now not only because of the date, but also due to my emotional landscape. I’m in a liminal space where I’ve left something behind, but I’m not yet fully in the something new, which if you think about it encapsulates this year. This is the last week of 2020, which we’re all ready to put behind us, but we’re not yet in 2021. How does this relate to my trip to Europe in 2007? Keep listening. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/another-world-is-probable/support

The monotony of life has been getting to me lately. I know for the most part what each day will bring: work, a walk, and a Zoom call. If variety is the spice of life, my life is pretty bland at the moment. There’s a pinch of variety in terms of decorating my apartment for the holidays, and FaceTiming with my family for Hanukkah, but otherwise it’s pretty monotonous over here. The question becomes what can I do now, in this present moment, to bring variety? More in this week's post.  --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/another-world-is-probable/support

We each have a light within us that is longing to burn ever brighter, to radiate within ourselves and those around us. In this holiday season, may you also remember the light being that you are. May you remember you are more than the sum of your parts, and may you also endeavor to shine a light on all parts of yourself. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/another-world-is-probable/support

As California enters its second lockdown, I keep thinking about freedom. What does it mean to be free? Some people would say it’s doing whatever you want, whenever you want. But is that really true? As you can likely guess based on the title of this post, I don't think it is.  --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/another-world-is-probable/support

All week I’ve been thinking about the starfish story. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, keep listening. I've been thinking about that story and what it means for my life, for the writing I do. How making a difference doesn't have to be something grandiose in order to be meaningful.  --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/another-world-is-probable/support

I had a conversation with a friend this weekend and was reminded that believing in materialism is a choice. We in the West take it for granted that materialism is the most scientific, rational way of being and that conversely, spirituality is unscientific and irrational. But is that really true? More in this week's post. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/another-world-is-probable/support

Instead of feeling sad about the pandemic, now I'm PISSED. And at the same time I'm also grateful for things that have happened as a result. Life is complicated. Or in other words, nuanced. More in this week's post.  --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/another-world-is-probable/support

There are people in the U.S. who only identify with people who look like them, act like them, think like them. And for those who don’t, they’re demonized and denigrated. They are not a part of the “in” group. No one, myself included, is immune from groupism and it takes commitment to keep expanding the boundary of your identity. However, whenever I think about the world I want to live in, it always hinges on universalism and cooperation. It always hinges on seeing myself in others. So how do we do that? For the first time I've recorded an audio meditation that I hope will help you to expand the radius of your love.  --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/another-world-is-probable/support

I’m freaked out by the upcoming election and I know I’m not the only one. Democrats are worried Republicans will win. Republicans are worried Democrats will win. We are all watching this election closely. I don’t have any advice about that but what I can say is regardless of what happens, I feel soothed thinking about something I learned recently. It's called the 3.5% rule. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/another-world-is-probable/support

This week I’ve seethed with envy multiple times. That’s nothing new and if you’ve been listening this blog for a while you know I semi-regularly feel envy, especially regarding my career. When I see someone who has what I want, I don’t view it as a sign that I, too, can achieve what they achieved. I know I’m supposed to, but what can I say? I’m a flawed human being. As I’ve wrestled with the feeling of envy this week, a story kept coming to mind that I shared with numerous friends about traveling to Italy. More in this week's post. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/another-world-is-probable/support

You know that phrase, "Hitch your wagon to a star?" It's come to mean attach yourself to someone who is successful or famous in the hopes you'll become the same. I usually think of myself as the wagon and never the star. However, I'm coming to realize I don't need to hitch my wagon to anyone else because I'm my own star! More in this week's post.  --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/another-world-is-probable/support

This past week I canceled a trip to Washington, D.C. I had planned for later this month. It was somehow the watershed moment for me as I’ve realized how much this year has taken from all of us. I’ve cried so many times this week. And at the same time this period is highlighting for me how precious time is. More in this week's post. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/another-world-is-probable/support

We don’t know what’s true anymore. And what’s so chilling is the inability to distinguish truth from untruth is by design as I learned recently from watching the documentary/drama The Social Dilemma. This week's post addresses that film so if you'd rather be surprised, don't listen! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/another-world-is-probable/support

I want to see people punished for their crimes but my spiritual teacher also says we don’t have the right to punish someone we do not love, and furthermore, the amount of punishment meted out must not exceed the amount of love we feel. Yikes. Why is that? More in this week's post.  --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/another-world-is-probable/support

I feel a little discombobulated. On the one hand, it’s Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, and a time for celebrating. On the other hand, I’m deeply troubled by what’s happening in the world: the rise in fascism, environmental catastrophes, and oh yeah, a global pandemic, which has not only killed numerous people, but has also led to unemployment and food insecurity. Is there room to feel both joy and sorrow? More in this week's post.  --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/another-world-is-probable/support

My spiritual teacher says “God” is an acronym that stands for Generator, Operator, and Destroyer. That means God is not only the beauty in the world but also the ugly. That means God is here, too, in hellish circumstances. More in this week's post. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/another-world-is-probable/support

I've been thinking about boundaries a lot both because it's coming up in my personal life, but also in the world. I have a tendency to be very "all or nothing," but the truth is boundaries aren't like that. Boundary setting happens in degrees, like a faucet, not a switch. More in this week's post. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/another-world-is-probable/support

This year has been absolutely gut-wrenching for numerous reasons. NUMEROUS. I’m over this year. I want something new, and yet wanting isn’t enough. As they say, faith without works is dead. I’ve also heard that pain is the price of admission into a new life. Ouch. Say it ain’t so, but it is. When I think about creating something new – art, a business, a life even – there’s often an element of pain, or at least hardship. Rarely is the creation process smooth sailing from start to finish. There are usually obstacles to overcome, hurdles to clear. Maybe this period we’re in, maybe this year, is the admission price we’re paying for a new way of life. More in this week's post. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/another-world-is-probable/support

Things are pretty bleak in the Bay Area right now. You'd think I'd be freaked out constantly, but I'm not. (I spend a lot of time freaking out, but sometimes I feel better.) I mention all this because seeing my mood oscillate reminds me not only are emotions like that, but also life in general. Change can happen rapidly. A day can make a huge difference. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/another-world-is-probable/support