🖌️ The Prodigal Son, Losing Ourselves, Forgiveness, and Living to 100
Monday Muse (September 11th, 2023)
Greetings Readers!
Are you interested in learning about the art (and science) of living well? If so, I encourage you to sign up for Happiness & the Meaning of Life starting this week. The course is free for Perennial Meditations members and includes email meditations (every Tuesday and Saturday) along with an end-of-course meetup on Saturday (14 Oct at Noon EST).
Here is the latest Monday Muse with a morning meditation, perennial reminder, question, and recommendation(s) to consider.
Be wise and be well this week!
📿 Morning Meditation
This week’s morning meditation is courtesy of The Wisdom School podcast (Apple or Spotify). Today’s meditation is a short selected reading (delivered in a Lectio Divina style) inspired by the parables of Jesus.
📌 Perennial Reminder(s)
We are not isolated individuals who happen to choose to live together; we are social animals who only become the individuals we do in social contexts that scaffold our flourishing. We can only make sense of our lives and see them as meaningful when we understand our personhood and when we give up the fantasy of independence encoded in the idea of a self.
Source: Losing Ourselves by Jay Garfield
💡 Perennial Question(s)
In the New Testament, Peter asks Jesus about the quantity of forgiveness: How many times should he forgive someone who had sinned against him? Is seven times enough? To which Jesus replies, from his full messianic height, “No, not seven times, but seventy times seven,” meaning that there is no quantity to forgiveness, just an infinite quality.
Source: Bald: 35 Philosophical Short Cuts by Simon Critchley (Listen to the conversation).
🔥 Recommendation(s)
This week’s recommendation is a new Netflix series, Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones. It is a fascinating exploration of the timeless principles and practices that lead to extraordinarily long and vibrant lives. The series is hosted by National Geographic Explorer and best-selling author Dan Buettner (author of The Blue Zones). If you decide to watch it, let me know what you think!
🎧 Recent Podcast(s)
Thank you for reading/listening; I hope you found something useful.
Until next time, be wise and be well,
J.W.
P.S. As always, if you’re interested in becoming a member but unable to afford it. Feel free to request a complimentary membership or use this discount link if you need a little help.