The Last Post in the Lenten Series 2026

I have described religion and religious beliefs as an attempt by us humans to make sense out of the world and our experience in it. Philosophy could also be described this way. We have been at this for some 300,000 years; and as our species has evolved, religious beliefs have become more nuanced and more complex. The fundamental fact that we humans are stuck with is that all life has a beginning and an end. What is that all about? Is there life after death? What is the meaning of the vast universe and our place in it? Why do bad things happen to good people? Are we human beings fundamentally good or bad creatures?

There are more questions than there are answers. The first question is this: if there is a God or a Divine Being, how can this Being be all powerful and all good. Considering the pain and suffering humans endure from time to time, there is a disconnect. What about wars, famine, floods, storms, sickness and the bad things we humans do to one another that happen routinely on this troubled planet? Conclusion: God can’t be all powerful and all good. We have no choice but to live our lives the best we can and to die not knowing the answer.

Various religions have developed over the centuries to try to make sense of understanding and connecting with a spiritual reality. There are a half dozen or so major religions–Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, and Taoism plus Christianity and Islam, the last two of which now account for the religion of about half the population on the planet. But is Christianity Absolute Truth as many Christians argue? What about the other religions?

I was raised an Episcopalian, received a Master of Divinity degree from Union Seminary in New York City in 1968, and for a time was in line to become a priest in the Episcopal church, though never got ordained (for reasons that are obvious as you read this post). But despite my doubts Embry and I have not given up on church and from the mid 1980s have attended a smallish Episcopal church in Washington near where we used to live. There is something good about being part of a loving and diverse community focused on spiritual concerns that is appealing, and despite its faults, the Episcopal Church worships under a pretty big tent. As the saying goes, Episcopalians tend to check their hat at the door before entering church, not their brain.

The fundamental belief of Christianity is that the Divine became human in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, a devout Jew, who lived 2,000 years ago and performed miracles, healed the sick and preached a message of love of God and neighbor. For His beliefs and His message, he was considered a threat to the Roman rule of law in Palestine and executed when he was in his early thirties by the leaders of the Roman Empire responsible for governing that area. What made Jesus “God” was that after being crucified, His disciples believed He rose again from the dead to be with God. His disciples and others testified they witnessed the several appearances of Jesus after his death and two or three years later the Apostle Paul, after seeing a vision of the Risen Christ, became an early convert, wrote numerous letters to other early converts in the Roman Empire focusing on the meaning of the resurrection, and made three long missionary journeys to countries in the region to spread the word as to what the resurrection meant and how followers of Jesus, initially called Nazarenes, and later “Christians,” were supposed to live their lives. Paul’s central interpretation of the resurrection was that Jesus was God’s “Son” and his death was a sacrifice by God to “save” the human race, though salvation would be available only to those who accepted the Chrisitan message. A generation later the four Gospels were written over a period of half a century telling the story of the life, crucifixion and resurrection of “Christ,” the name given to Jesus after his resurrection and which is the Greek term for the Hebrew “Messiah.”

From AI:
The original meaning of “Messiah” comes from the Hebrew word Mashiach, meaning “the anointed one,” referring to someone ritually consecrated with oil for a special purpose, like a king, priest, or prophet, as seen in the Old Testament. In Judaism, the Messiah is a future human leader from David’s line who will bring redemption, while in Christianity, Jesus is the promised Messiah, the ultimate anointed one who fulfills these roles and brings spiritual salvation, a concept echoed in the Greek Christos (Christ).

Key components of Paul’s message included:

Humanity is made right with God through faith in Jesus Christ, not by works.
Salvation is a free gift (grace), liberating believers from sin and the curse of the law.
The resurrection of Jesus is the cornerstone of Christian faith and proof of victory over death.
Believers are transferred from a state of being “in Adam” (sin) to being “in Christ,” making them new creations.
The church is the body of Christ, bringing together all believers regardless of background.

The message took hold and the fledging religion started to grow, though not as quickly as is often thought but a couple of centuries later when Constantine converted to Christianity and Christianity became the defacto religion of the Roman Empire.

And the rest is history. I have posted about this in the Advent series so if you have read those this will sound familiar. However, questions remain. Is the Christian story true? Did Jesus really rise from the dead? And why has the Christian Church had such a rocky past and why are there so many views within Christianity about what the religion means? I would argue that there is not one Christianity but many, often at war with each other. The Thirty Years War in central Europe, for example, from 1618-1648 between Catholics and Protestants, resulted in some five million deaths though historians point out that there were many other political and social causes of the conflict besides religion. And think about the different types of Christianity–Roman Catholic, Eastern and Russian Orthodox, Mainline Protestants, Evangelicals, Pentecostal and “praise churches.” And what about the MAGA movement among evangelical, fundamentalist Protestants in the United States today where Donald J Tump has been heralded by some as the new Jesus Christ?

But despite its mixed history, according to the Pew Research Center today the number of Christians in the world account for about 25 percent of the world’s population though Muslims are expected to overtake Christians soon.

Why is Christianity so popular on the planet Earth?

There must be something here, right? Certainly, religious belief and faith have meant a lot to the human race in getting us through tough times. But is Christianity the only “true religion”? Certainly not in my thinking. And in terms of values, I feel much closer to people of other faiths than I do to some fundamentalist and evangelical in-your-face Christians. More times than I want to remember, I have been reminded by “true believers” that I and people like me are going to burn in hell. At the same time, I can’t deny that Christianity has had a profound impact on believers and on me. So, I agree that there is a legitimacy to spirituality for the human race.

And there is no question that many human beings in all religions have glimpses of what they believe is the Divine. In my own life I have been touched by what I perceive is a Divine Power, admittedly not all that frequently, but nevertheless experiences that I believe are genuine and real. I can also point to some very close calls that I survived and that I now describe as a miracle that I am still alive and kicking at the ripe old age of 84 (almost). And finally, do not count on human reason or science to figure out the answers to the questions of the meaning of the universe and of life on Earth. Above our pay grade, as they say. And as to an afterlife I have no idea as to what life in eternity would be like or if I would be happy there, having to associate with all the “true believers” and holier-than-thou types. Eternity, after all, is a very long time to spend with company you do not like.

For me, I will latch on to “love your neighbor as yourself” as the major takeaway from the Christian faith and let it go at that. Everyone has to figure this out for themselves.
And that is it for the Lenten Series. Happy Easter (in six weeks)!

From AI: Major Global Religions

• Christianity: The largest religion, based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, with significant followers in Europe, the Americas, and Africa.
• Islam: The second-largest, focusing on the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad, with a vast global community, particularly in the Middle East, Asia, and Africa.
• Hinduism: Often considered the oldest active religion, it is a diverse tradition primarily practiced in India with followers worldwide.
• Buddhism: Originated in India 2,500 years ago, focusing on achieving enlightenment through the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama.
• Judaism: A monotheistic religion with deep historical roots as the foundational, parent religion for Christianity and Islam.
Other Significant Religious Traditions
While the top four/five are largest, several other traditions are significant globally or regionally:
• Sikhism: Founded in the Punjab region, focusing on devotion and equality.
• Shinto: The indigenous, nature-focused spirituality of Japan.
• Taoism (Daoism): A Chinese philosophy/religion emphasizing living in harmony with the Tao (the way).
• Confucianism: A Chinese ethical system focusing on social harmony, family, and morality.
• Baha’i Faith: A modern, monotheistic religion promoting the unity of all humanity and faiths.
• Jainism: An ancient Indian religion emphasizing non-violence (ahimsa) and asceticism.
• Zoroastrianism: One of the world’s oldest monotheistic faiths, originating in ancient Persia.

 

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The Third post in the Lenten Series

If the existence of human life is a blip on the screen of the two billion year history of the planet, the existence of religion on this delicate planet is a tiny fraction of a second. It began about three hundred thousand years ago, although the major religions in the world today began only a few thousand years ago. Yet we humans still tend to think that what we believe is Absolute Truth and what others might believe is rubbish if it differs from what we believe.

Anything wrong with this picture?

Here is what AI has to say when asked about the origins of religious belief:

1. Evolutionary Roots (Pre-History)

Before organized religion, there were the biological and social building blocks of faith.
• Agency Detection: Humans evolved to assume “agency” (the idea that something is acting with intent). If a bush rustles, it’s safer to assume it’s a predator than just the wind. This “Hyperactive Agency Detection Device” likely led humans to attribute natural events (thunder, rain) to invisible spirits.
• Social Cohesion: As human groups grew larger, religion acted as a “social glue.” Shared myths and rituals created trust among strangers, allowing for larger, more stable tribes.

2. The Paleolithic Era: Animism and Ritual
The earliest evidence of religious thought dates back to the Middle Paleolithic (approx. 100,000 to 50,000 years ago).
• Burial Practices: Sites like Qafzeh in Israel show intentional burials with grave goods (beads, ochre, animal bones). This suggests a concept of an afterlife or a respect for the dead that transcends biology.
• Animism: Most scholars believe the earliest form of religion was Animism—the belief that animals, plants, and even rocks possess a spiritual essence.
• Cave Art: The paintings at Lascaux and Altamira (c. 30,000 years ago) often depict “Therianthropes” (half-human, half-animal figures), suggesting shamanic practices and a connection to a spirit world.

3. The Neolithic Revolution: From Spirits to Gods
Around 10,000 BCE, humans shifted from hunting and gathering to agriculture. This changed religion fundamentally.
Göbekli Tepe: Located in modern-day Turkey, this 11,000-year-old site is considered the “world’s first temple.” It was built before settled agriculture, suggesting that the desire to worship actually drove people to settle down, rather than the other way around.
The Rise of Hierarchies: As societies became more complex, so did their gods. Local spirits were replaced by powerful Deities who controlled the weather and harvests. This mirrored the new social structures of kings and subjects.

4. The Bronze Age: Organized Mythology
By 3,000 BCE, the invention of writing allowed myths to be standardized.
• Polytheism: In Mesopotamia, Egypt, and the Indus Valley, complex pantheons emerged. Gods became personified (like Ra or Enlil) with specific “jobs” and human-like personalities.
• State Religion: Religion became tied to the state. Pharaohs and Kings claimed they were either gods themselves or the primary intermediaries between the heavens and Earth.

5. The Axial Age (800–200 BCE)
This was a pivotal turning point in human history where “modern” religious thought began to emerge simultaneously across the globe. In India, the Upanishads and the rise of Buddhism and Jainism focusing on karma and the enlightenment. In China, Confucianism and Taoism, focusing on social ethics and the natural order. In the Middle East the shift toward Monotheism (Zoroastrianism and Second Temple Judaism.) And in Greece a more rational philosophy, which questioned traditional myth, leading to a more abstract view of the “Divine.”

I find it particularly interesting that AI does not have anything to say about the origins of the two major faiths that now comprise the belief of about half of the population in the world–Christianity and Islam. Perhaps this has to do with AI’s ego. I remember the story told by a friend when AI answered his question “Is there a God?” with the answer “Now there is.”

The question is where we are headed. What is the next chapter going to be? Christianity in the United States is in a state of turmoil with the decline of the Mainline Protestant churches, the growth of the “spiritual but not religious,” and the rise of the MAGA Movement politicizing many fundamentalist denominations into right wing supporters of Trump. The Catholic Church has been able to hold its own but only because of the growth of the immigrant Catholic population. Will the next chapter to be written decades from now be about the demise of traditional religions or about a spiritual revival?

My hope is that there will be less emphasis on orthodoxy or “correct belief” and more on the values that religions share along with more humility, more love, and more human kindness and the recognition of the Great Mystery that we humans on the planet experience, recognizing that we will never know all the answers.

 

 

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The Second Post in the 2026 Lenten Series

The Bible says that humans were created by God in His likeness on the sixth day of creation. We now know more about how we humans actually came into being.

Here is the description from AI:

Human evolution is a complex process spanning approximately six to seven million years, beginning when the human lineage split from a common ancestor shared with modern chimpanzees in Africa. Rather than a straight line, our history is viewed as a “braided stream” or a tree with many side branches, where multiple human species lived, intermingled, and sometimes interbred.

Major Stages of Evolution

Scientific evidence generally organizes human evolution into four primary stages:

Proto-hominins 7–4 million years ago Earliest evidence of bipedalism (walking on two legs) and smaller canine teeth.

Australopithecines 4–2 million years ago Habitual bipedalism; small brains (similar to chimps); lived in Savannah environments.

Early Homo 2.5–1.4 million years ago First frequent use of stone tools; initial increase in brain size.

Advanced Homo 1.9 million years ago – Present Migration out of Africa; use of fire; significant brain expansion; development of language and art.

Key Evolutionary Milestones

• Bipedalism (c. 6–4 million years ago): Walking upright was one of the earliest defining human traits, freeing the hands for other tasks.

• Tool Use (c. 3.3–2.5 million years ago): The earliest stone tools appear in the record, with Homo habilis being one of the first species to modify stones into tools for tasks like cutting meat.

• Migration Out of Africa (c. 2–1.8 million years ago): Homo erectus was the first human ancestor to migrate in large numbers out of Africa, spreading into Eurasia.

• Brain Expansion & Fire (c. 2 million–400,000 years ago): Increased meat consumption and the invention of cooking provided the energy needed to fuel dramatic brain growth.

• Symbolic Culture (c. 100,000–50,000 years ago): Modern humans began creating art (cave paintings), using complex language, and developing elaborate cultural diversity.

The Rise of Homo sapiens

Anatomically modern humans emerged in Africa approximately 300,000 years ago. While earlier theories suggested we evolved from a single population in East Africa, current evidence suggests we descended from several different populations across the continent that occasionally mixed and swapped genes.

• Interbreeding: As Homo sapiens migrated out of Africa roughly 60,000 to 70,000 years ago, they encountered and interbred with other archaic human species, such as Neanderthals in Europe and Denisovans in Asia.

• Sole Survivors: By roughly 17,000 years ago, Homo sapiens became the only surviving species of the once-diverse human evolutionary tree after other lineages, like H. neanderthalensis and H. floresiensis, became extinct.

• Biological Variation: Modern human physical variations, such as skin color and body structure, are the result of long-range adaptations to differing environments worldwide

Hey, anything worth doing often takes a while, right?

What stands out most for me is how we Homo sapiens are a mere blip on the screen. Does anyone really think that our time in the sun will last forever? Also keep in mind that our planet has been in existence for about two billion years and has a billion more to go before our sun becomes a red giant and eliminates all life on Earth. And also remember that there have already been five mass extinctions in our history. The last one occurred 66 million years ago when the dinosaurs (except for the birds) all got wiped out making the way for us mammals to evolve and flourish.

And finally keep in mind that with nuclear weapons we now have the capacity to wipe out life on the planet as we know it and to facilitate the Sixth Great Mass Extinction. What are the chances that there will be more extinctions before the Earth is wiped out by an expanding sun a billion years from now? I would say 100%. Of course.

And the nukes will probably be the cause of the next one.

Why am I reminding readers of this history as part of the Lenten series?

Because this is where science and religion intersect, rather than collide. It is beyond our ability to comprehend. This dilemma is one of the primary reasons that religion appeared on the planet Earth and religious thought and faith have evolved over thousands of years. True understanding of the absolute meaning, however, remains a mystery. We grasp at straws. Religious faith is one straw.

We Homo sapiens are fundamentally a religious species. We ask questions. We look for answers. And the myths of creation (part of most religious traditions) are one straw we hold onto for answers. But absolute Truth? Who is to say?

A little humility is in order, if you ask me.

Along with thanksgiving that we humans are still here on this magnificent planet and have not done ourselves in yet.

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The First Installment in the Lenten Series

I have been obsessed with the idea of a vast universe in which we on Earth are only a tiny part ever since my 12 year old neighbor in Nashville said he witnessed aliens descending from a flying saucer in his back yard. That was in 1950 when I was eight.

But what are we to make of this vast universe and where does God fit into the picture?

As I described in the Advent series, the Bible tells us that the universe was created in six days, followed by a day of rest, and that we humans are created “in the image of God.” But post Copernicus, Galileo, Darwin, Eistein and now the powerful new telescopes, the creation myths are viewed–accurately in my view–as noble though feeble attempts on the part of us humans to describe the indescribable. As they say in Washington, sorry, above our pay grade.

But questions remain. Where does the idea of God fit into the picture? What or who is God? What is the Divine?

Most scientists now believe that the universe was created in a fraction of a second 13.8 billion years ago, spewing off cosmic dust, which over billions of years formed stars, solar systems and galaxies. Did God do this? And the universe is still expanding and governed by gravity and forces we do not fully understand like black holes, dark energy, and dark matter. Our solar system was formed about two billion years ago around a run of the mill star, which we call our sun. We are about halfway through the life of our sun, and in another billion years all life on the planet will be eviscerated when it expands into a red giant before becoming a white dwarf.

What are we to make of this? Atheists would point to these questions about the universe as Exhibit A proving that there is no “God,” defined as a supreme being responsible for initiating all of life. But even if one were to concede that “God” could be described as the creative force which started the universe, atheists would argue that God is distant and removed from everyday life as we humans experience it and therefore irrelevant.

Other questions also remain unanswered. Where might heaven be? Or where is hell? And what is the meaning of “eternal life”? Is living an eternal life really a desirable thing anyway? Frankly, I think that knowing that everything we experience in our lives on the planet Earth has a beginning and an end is reassuring. Life is hard enough as it is, but to think of an eternity of anything remotely like what we experience on our short time here? Not a happy thought.

Scientists also tell us that in several trillion years the entire universe is likely to run out of hydrogen and perish. How can anything–even the universe– exist for eternity?

And what really is the point of such a vast universe? Why does it exist–especially if there is no life anywhere else except on our tiny blue planet? But how could this be? The new telescopes have identified many rocky planets roughly the size of Earth circling stars and they are about the same distance from their star as we are from our sun, in the goldilocks zone, not too hot and not too cold for life to happen. So far, nothing. There has got to be life out there, right? Why can’t we find it? And could some aliens have already visited us? And what does it mean if the planet Earth is the only celestial body where advanced life–or really any life–exists?

How do we humans on the planet Earth make sense of all that we do not know? We think we humans are smart–and indeed we are–but the ultimate answer regarding meaning and purpose is beyond our ability to fully comprehend. This is where faith enters the picture. In my thinking we humans have to live with this uncertainty and not try to force round answers into square holes.

Faith–at least the way I understand it–is not whether you believe a certain theology or a creed as devised by humans or whether you follow religious rules established by people who maintain they have all the answers, but whether you acknowledge the uncertainty of Absolute Truth and rejoice in simply being alive, with all the good and bad that goes with it. Life itself is the miracle. I also believe that selfless love is the closest thing we experience to a Divine presence in our lives. The Greeks had a word for this, “agape,” to distinguish this from romantic love. Most of us humans have experienced this–certainly from our parents when we were infants but also from time to time from unexpected people and in unexpected places. You know this when it happens. This is our best glimpse of the Divine. For Christians Jesus of Nazareth represents the Divine presence on the planet Earth, but the Divine has a way of showing up in all faiths and, I might add, in all aspects of life as we humans experience it. All we need to do is pay attention.

Rejoice that you are alive. Life itself on this lonely planet is the greatest miracle of all.

 

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Today is Ash Wednesday. This is the day that marks the beginning of Lent. All across the planet, Orthodox Christians, Roman Catholics, Episcopalians, and some Protestants will attend services and receive ashes marked by a priest on one’s forehead or cheek.

AI describes as Lent as follows:

Lent is a 40-day, solemn Christian season of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, beginning with Ash Wednesday (Feb 18, 2026) and leading up to Easter, dedicated to self-reflection, repentance, and preparation for the resurrection. It mirrors Jesus’ 40 days in the wilderness, focusing on spiritual discipline and charity.

Just as I did an Advent Series last fall, I will post my reflections on Lent from a human perspective and its meaning for a secular world. Here is what you can expect:
• Part 1. The Universe
• Part 2. The Evolutionary Process on the Planet Earth
• Part 3. The Role of Religion among us Homo sapiens
• Part 4. The Judeo Christian Tradition
• Part 5. The Secular Meaning of the Crucifixion and Resurrection
• Part 6. Where to Go From Here

Thanks for following my posts. Your comments are welcomed!

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Did you see Ilia Malinin’s figure skating competition for the Olympic gold medal on Friday? The “QuadgOd,” as he calls himself, was a sure bet to win the gold. His other performances were spectacular, and he was the odds-on favorite.

I watched WETA’s evening news before turning to NBC to watch the evening Olympic coverage and in the “spoiler warning” learned of his several falls in the final event and his dismal, fifteenth place finish in that event, resulting in an eighth place finish overall, denying him the gold medal that the whole world thought was his for the asking. I was shocked. I had watched most of the figure skating competition and had become a big fan. He is probably one of the greatest figure skaters ever. My initial reaction was sadness. In fact, knowing the outcome I did not stay up to watch the replay of the event. Too painful. Poor guy, I thought, he will carry this with him for the rest of his life. Blowing the opportunity that was supposed to be his. He will always be remembered for this.

Now I know nothing about this guy or his personality. Anyone who gives himself the name “Quadgod” certainly must have a streak of arrogance. Perhaps his comeuppance could bring that down a notch or two. Or maybe he is mature enough to take this in stride, and to realize that he was never a god but only a mere human who was having a bad day and that the guy who did win the gold deserved it. Still, his meltdown in the 2026 Winter Olympics will surely be in his obituary if it appears in The New York Times 50 or 60 years from now.

But isn’t this what makes sports so addictive, and isn’t this a window into the life we all experience, one day at a time? You never know for sure what is going to happen or when you will get your comeuppance. This is the human condition. Also, life is hard. We humans stumble at times and then we dust off and keep trying. We make mistakes. We blow opportunities. We are brought down to size and then pick ourselves up and start over. What other options do we have? If this experience is a learning moment for Ilia resulting in more humility and wisdom, then it has served its purpose.

Those who learn from their mistakes and failures are the better off for it. Those who do not are doomed to repeat them again.

 

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So what is it about us Home sapiens? Embry and I have been adoptive parents to seven cats and one dog, two hamsters, two paraquets, and an untold number of goldfish and white mice and have not once observed the kind of outrageous behavior that the Tech Bros and other multi-billionaires have exhibited in amassing wealth–and protecting it– beyond anyone’s wildest dreams. When a dog or a cat–or for that matter practically any animal except for us humans–has gotten enough to eat, they step aside or move on. Sharing is not a problem. They do not hoard the food in a corner for themselves to eat at a later time like too many of us humans do. What is wrong with us?

Why do Tech Bros and other multi billionaires– including one whose net worth is now approaching $1 trillion dollars–need all this money? Does it make them happy to know that if they have countless billions stashed away that they have a rainy day fund to put food on the table during hard times? And are they happy? Certainly, Trump isn’t. Occasionally he manages a faint smile, but the dude is not a happy camper. Has anyone heard him laugh? His net worth has increased more than $1.5 billion since becoming president during his second term, but he seems angrier, meaner, nastier, and unhappier than ever.

So, of course, it is not about money per se but about power and self-worth and what money symbolizes. Beneath the veneer of power is often a deep seated insecurity. Perhaps we can fantasize what Trump would have been like if only he had had a better father.

The other mystery is why Trump’s MAGA base sticks with him. A lot of these people are working class people who have had to struggle from paycheck to paycheck. What do they see in a billionaire who boasts of his wealth and power? And what about the Christian Right, many of whom belong to evangelical churches? The fundamental message of Christianity is love and forgiveness and helping fellow human beings in need. How do they reconcile their religious convictions with the angry messages and actions of Trump, who is responsible for cutting off aid to poor countries, and tormenting, jailing and deporting immigrants, most of whom do not have a criminal record?

The question of the day therefore is this: Does greed “trump” love?

Here is what AI has to say about greed:

Self-Greed is an intense and selfish desire to acquire or possess more than one needs or deserves. It is characterized by an insatiable longing for wealth, power, food, or status, often at the expense of others. 

• Acquisitiveness. An overwhelming urge to continuously gain more.
• Self-Interest. A focus on personal accumulation that ignores the needs of others.
• Inordinate Desire. Wanting things to a degree that is unnecessary or unfair. In Christian theology, greed (or avarice) is one of the seven deadly sins, seen as a “spiritual disease” that leads to further immoral behavior. In psychology it is often described as a “bottomless pit,” where the individual is never satisfied regardless of how much they acquire. While modern thought sometimes distinguishes it from healthy self-interest, excessive greed is viewed as a social inhibitor that can lead to financial scandals and unethical business practices. 

So it appears that greed is part of the human condition. Our species appears stuck with it as a strange corollary of the evolutionary process. But are there ways for dealing with this problem now?
Here is the advice from AI as to how to deal with greed:

To counter greed, psychological and philosophical experts suggest shifting from an “accumulation” mindset to one of generosity and contentment. Counteracting greed involves identifying the root causes of your desires and actively practicing behaviors that prioritize community and self-awareness over material gain. 
1. Cultivate Radical Generosity. 
Generosity is the primary “antidote” to greed. 
• Give Regularly: Habitual giving—whether it is a small weekly donation or volunteering time—creates “habitual karma” for letting go.
• Give Spontaneously: Practice “spontaneous dana” (donations) to break the rigid attachment to your resources.
• Share Credit: Greed isn’t just about money; practice giving away non-material things like credit for a success or a sincere compliment. 
2. Practice Psychological Contentment. 
Shifting your internal focus can silence the “never enough” impulse. 
• Gratitude Practice: Actively thank God or life for what you already have to refocus on abundance rather than lack.
• Mindfulness: Use mindfulness to create space between a greedy impulse and your action. Observing the craving without acting on it allows you to see if it is filling a true need or an emotional void.
• Internal Goals: Replace external rewards (like wealth or status) with intrinsic values such as personal growth and community involvement, which lead to higher long-term well-being. 
3. Work on self-Reflection.
• Understand Your roots: Introspect to identify what triggers your greed. Is it fueled by insecurity, a need for status, or early life deprivation?
• Define “Enough”: Pre-determine your lifestyle standards instead of letting social comparison dictate them.

• Seek Help: If greed feels overwhelming or causes significant life distress, therapists can provide cognitive behavioral techniques like “coach talk” to challenge and restate greedy thoughts.

Thanks, AI! (You are one smart dude.)

So maybe there is hope for changing some people who succumb to greed, but it is probably a long shot for the predicament we find ourselves in now, given the cast of characters running our government and influencing policy makers. Yet we can’t just throw in the towel. We have to resist with all we have and work hard to get the bums thrown out. The starting point is the 2026 mid-term election. Give generously to Democratic candidates and speak out. Love your neighbor. Practice random acts of kindness. The stakes have never been higher.

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Finally! The ice and snow are starting to melt at Collington. I am almost 84 years old and am a born and bred Southerner. I was raised in Nashville, Tennessee, attended college and graduate school in North Carolina and spent 50 years living and working in Washington, DC. I remember one very cold snap growing up in Nashville but nothing like the deep freeze which has engulfed us and millions of others in the eastern United States this winter. It seems like it has been months, but I know it has not been much longer than a couple of weeks of frigid temperatures, but with all the bitter ice and snow, we are ready for a break. Hey, it is mid February in Maryland. Signs of spring are supposed to start happening around this time.

So what is the story? The Trump climate change deniers will cite the bitter cold, snow, and ice as evidence that climate change and global warming are a hoax. The Trump haters like me will cite this as punishment by a Divine Deity for our reckless and evil ways.

The forecast is for temperatures rising into the low 50s by the weekend, perhaps accompanied by some rain, but hey, anything is better than the ice we have had and which still blankets the ground as I look out my window. I am hopeful it will all soon be washed away, opening the door for a crocus or two to peep up out of the dirt, followed soon by forsythia, dogwoods, daffodils and azaleas.

I am also hopeful for signs of renewal in our troubled country. This can only be described as an act of faith. There are no guarantees that we will come out of this Dark Night of the Soul and become a kinder and gentler nation. Just as the tiny crocuses will soon start to pop up, I am hopeful and believe that we will see popping up more acts of kindness and resistance. These will grow and ultimately triumph over hate. We are fundamentally a decent people. Immigrants have made us great, and the good people here outnumber the bad. I would argue that it is not even close.

What signs do I see of renewal? There are many. Trump’s popularity has plummeted. He is the least popular President in history at this stage in his presidency. The courage and resistance of thousands of ordinary people in the Twin Cities is awesome and inspiring. Organizations across the country are forming to help immigrants. Given my somewhat fragile health, I have not been very active yet, but I belong to several resistance and immigrant support groups in the county where we now live. They are accompanying immigrants as they face the authorities and possible deportation. They are capturing the ICE brutality on film. Their numbers are growing. And they aren’t giving up. And establishment churches are stepping up. Catholic churches here in suburban Maryland are playing a big role, and mainline Protestant churches are joining in the fight as well. I was especially impressed with the bishops in the Episcopal church speaking out against the ICE onslaught. Good for them! The rector of the small Episcopal church Embry and I attend in DC is a strong supporter of the effort to honor and accept all people.

The awakening of middle class Christian churches and Jewish synagogues reminds me of the role many religious institutions played during the civil rights movement. This had a big impact on me when I was a seminary student in 1966. That summer Embry and I worked with SNCC, the most radical civil rights organization, in Southwest Georgia. It was an experience of a lifetime. Then there is the “No Kings Movement” with massive marches and demonstrations planned for the spring. Colleges and universities are starting to show some backbone. The press remains free. Trump has not been able to rig the next election, at least not yet. And more and more ordinary people are speaking out, writing letters to their representatives, demonstrating, and saying enough is enough. These are all signs of hope, just like the tiny crocus starting to peep up from a long winter’s sleep. Do not despair and become cynical: the crocuses will be followed by forsythia, daffodils and azaleas.

I know. Some are saying “pipe dream.” Those who have been following my posts know that I tend to move from despair to hope, then back to despair, and the cycle repeats itself. I have been around long enough to have my share of cynicism and negativity. But we can’t let this get the best of us. The stakes are too high. History will be the judge. The question for people of good will who find ourselves in the middle of dog fight we would rather not join is this: what did we do to make a difference. We don’t have a choice on this one. We can’t just watch it from the sidelines.

As I look out my window on the beautiful Collington grounds, I still see mostly snow, but I think I also see some green patches that are starting to form. I know soon I will see crocuses popping up.

 

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The big event at Collington last week was the observation of a masked man armed with a pistol, wandering near the Clock Tower at the center of the community center. What? ICE on the campus? How did he get past security? How would some of the Collington staff with dark skin and foreign accents react? Those looking into the event noted that he appeared to be providing security to a delivery at Collington. Nothing more to report at this time.

We are continuing to enjoy our time here despite the bitter cold and blankets of ice. What makes Collington special in our thinking are two things–the extraordinary beauty of the campus and surrounding forest and the warmth and the friendliness of the residents. The past week has involved some minor health-related incidents for me. (Staff at Kaiser do not yet greet me in Urgent Care by saying, “Oh, Mr. Howell, how are you today,” but still….) But these incidents pale in comparison to the love and affirmation expressed by so many residents greeting me, seeing me back participating in Collington activities after more than a month of absence. There is a true community here and for this we I am deeply grateful. Thank you, fellow Collingtonians!

Lurking in the shadows for us residents, of course, is the question of what it will be like starting next year when the new construction gets underway to carry out the Collington 2030 vision, which involves the addition of 55 new residential units and the demolition of the existing assisted living building to be replaced with a state of the art health care building, expansion of common areas like dining, the auditorium, and the bar, and a new swimming pool and fitness center. The redevelopment process will take two to three years and involve a heroic effort to maintain anything remotely close to a business-as-usual campus life. We understand that the redevelopment effort will involve oversight by Kendal and a development manager added to the Collington staff to coordinate the redevelopment effort. So far residents are somewhat apprehensive but inclined to support the phased redevelopment of the property, not that we have a choice. Collington received very high marks from residents during the covid crisis for food delivery and coping with the pandemic. Some are contemplating that this will present a similar if not more compelling challenge.

The hope here is that the frigid cold, ice and salted walkways will soon be a thing of the past when temperatures start to rise again as is expected to happen this week. But it has been quite a month with the ICE assaults in the Twin Cities and also, though more limited, in Prince Georges County where Collington is located outside of Washington. As far as I can tell, Collington residents are overwhelmingly outraged by what we see happening due to Trump’s assault on immigrants and people of good will. I am told there may be MAGA enthusiasts here at Collington, but if so they are laying low. Friends, on a national level we are in the middle of a fight that will determine the fate of democracy here in the US and perhaps the fate of the world.

But do not despair. Join the resistance effort in ways that you feel are appropriate and keep up the good fight. We as a nation will come through this dark night of the soul.

 

 

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You have seen the television coverage. Four or five masked and heavily armed paramilitary personnel stopping a car, removing the driver, smashing the windshield, and then throwing the driver on the ground beating him or her unconscious, two or three crying children in the back seat. This was happening every day last week in our country, mainly but not exclusively in the Twin Cities. Where we now live in a suburb of Washington the same thing is happening every day though not to the degree as in the Twin Cities. At the moment there seems to be a pause, but it could soon start up again depending on what the Democrats and Republicans agree on related to the ICE brutality and what Trump and his core of sycophants decide to do.
Do you disagree that this is happening right now in the United States? No, you say, I am overreacting. My reply is “Welcome to the Fascist Police State of the (formerly) United States of America.”
Will the skirmishes between protesters and immigration enforcers lead to more brutality, more violence and more incarcerations and deportations? Of course they will. And it is going to get worse, much worse. ICE now has about 25,000 personnel with the number projected to double every few months. They have a five year budget of over $72 billion– yes that is spelled with a “b,” and they offer $50,000 signing bonuses and good salaries. And who are these bullies who pound unarmed people seemingly at will? Where do they come from? It seems to many eerily similar to what happened in Nazi Germany during the 1930s as Hitler rose to power. Some observers have warned that ICE could morph into Trump’s own private police force taking revenge not only on undocumented workers but people who speak out against him. That means people like me and people like you. This is not a false alarm. This is a five alarm fire threatening to destroy communities and our country.
Others who follow Trump’s actions have pointed out that what we are witnessing now is merely a shot across the bow. Just wait until the concentration camps get built, run by private prison companies and allies of Trump. The construction of these tent camps has already begun mainly in remote areas where those who are arrested will never been seen again. Out of sight out of mind.
Part of my fear is that those who are offended by these actions of brutality will before too long get numb to the suffering. We will just wear out.
Here are the facts. According to the Pew Research Center there are approximately 14 million undocumented people living in the United States. What are Trump’s goals? To have them all thrown out and deported mostly to countries they did not come from or are locked up in concentration camps by the end of his term in a couple of years. At least at is what some of his advisers are saying. Seven million a year? That translates to over 19,000 people on average every day of the year. Friends, this is insanity. The only way this could happen would be to create a police state where basically no one is safe. Masked men carrying weapons, beating down doors without a valid warrant issued by a judge. Almost every community in the country would be affected as would almost every industry. Do you know how important immigrant labor is for farmers? Without them our food production system would be devasted. Ditto for the construction industry and home building. And what about the caregivers all across America? I just spent a week at Holy Cross Hospital and another week in assisted living at Collington and every caregiver I had in both locations spoke with a heavy accent and had names that mostly sounded African. Does anyone think that the health care system could function or that the economy could survive without immigrants? They do the necessary and important that many Americans do not want to do. To think that Trump could pull this off is a pipe dream. Plus, all of us who are not native Americans are descendants of immigrants. We are a nation of immigrants. This is what has made us great.
So if this is a pipe dream, you could argue that would mean that Trump will not be able to do what he wanted, so why bother? Besides, his business pals in health care, construction, and agriculture will not let him go too far, right? When their businesses are hurt, they will work something out.
Really?
Don’t count on it.
Folks, we are dealing with a person who is not playing with a full deck. No, he can’t pull this off, but what he can do is cause irreparable harm and suffering. We have no choice. We must resist. Let’s hear it for those brave people in the Twin Cities who braved temperatures near zero to stand in resistance. They are an inspiration.
For now, people of good will must speak out and stand with others providing help to people who are threatened by Trump’s inhumane crackdown on undocumented people. The place to start is the internet. Most communities have immigration support organizations in place. Find out who they are. Give them money. Volunteer to help. Tell your friends. And speak out! This also may be an area where there is some common ground between evangelical Christians and the mainline protestant churches and especially the Catholic Church, which at least in the Washington metro area is a leader in the effort to resist and push back against ICE.
So as to the question of civil war? What do you think the chances are? Everything I have read suggests that a full scale civil war like our country experienced in the 1860s is highly unlikely. The country is not divided according to geography as was the case then. Yes, we have solidly blue and red states but in each community there are sharp divisions. Plus, we Americans are not “bad people.” We are not “evil” though there may be evil people among us. But there are not as many as you would think. And just look at the political surveys. Trump’s support has tanked. A large majority of us are appalled at that they see happening.
Much of the division in our country can be explained by I would call the human condition. Friends, we humans are members of the animal kingdom. Human-like creatures did not appear as a species until about 3.5 million years ago and we Homo sapiens are newbies. We have only been around for a few hundred thousand years on a planet in a solar system that was created from cosmic dust about two billion years ago. Bottom line: we are animals. It was not until we discovered fire and the importance of banding together in family groups and villages that we were able to rise up the food chain. But animals we are and animals we will remain. Which means that self-preservation is a big motivator and that when feel threatened we fight back. Food is no longer a big issue, but security still is, and people who feel threatened or insecure are likely to fight back. This is part of our survival instinct. It got us where we are today. So, I look at the MAGA base and other Trump supporters who feel threatened by the modern world we find ourselves in and take sides when they feel threatened. I can understand this. Lord knows, there is much to feel threatened about in our time. This also does not mean that people who disagree with us are all “deplorables.” But it does mean that we have to stand our ground, try to win them over, and to fight peacefully for what we in our heart of hearts believe is right.
Embry and I participated in the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s and it was a profound experience for us. We have been bleeding hearts ever since. It seems we can’t help ourselves. (I have written a book about the experience, Civil Rights Journey. Available on Amazon. Cheap.) What this means in these troubling times is that we must stand up for what we believe is right and in this time in history join the effort to fight Trump’s crackdown on undocumented people. I hope you will join the cause.

 

 

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