Doing the right thing is easy when someone is watching. The real test comes when no one is.   Suppose your town announced an unusual experiment.   For

An ordinary Wednesday with family, a walk through a labyrinth, and an unexpected visitor outside my office window became a meditation on attention, gratitude,

Why Empty Time Matters More Than We Realize   “There is more to life than increasing its speed.” — Mahatma Gandhi   There was a time when waiting was

A few days ago, thousands of people gathered in Chicago for the official opening of the Obama Presidential Center. Organizers described it as a

“The best balm for the soul is friendship.” — Eddie Jaku   Imagine losing your wallet.   Not a hypothetical wallet. Your wallet. Driver’s license, credit cards, perhaps a

What Thomas Merton Learned at Fourth and Walnut   On March 18, 1958, Thomas Merton was standing at the intersection of Fourth and Walnut in downtown

A collection of reflections on isolation, meaning, friendship, solitude, aging, and human connection.   Loneliness in later life can arrive suddenly and disrupt our sense of

What artificial intelligence can do—and what it can never decide for us   Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, once described his company’s ambition as creating