A year on the Alberta Oil Sands — When I first stepped off the plane it was minus fifty degrees. The words “cold” or “freezing” don’t do justice: a new word needs to be invented, maybe combining excruciating and frozen. (exfroziating?) I broke out into a strange red rash over my whole body that lasted my entire first…

Money doesn’t love you either — Money doesn’t care about left versus right. It doesn’t care about gay rights or abortion or legalizing marijuana. Money is completely indifferent to the suffering of the poor, the depressed and the downtrodden. It doesn’t care about your teenage angst, suicidal tendencies or addiction issues. Money travels around the world…

Spiritual teachers often teach very similar things — There are probably no greater spiritual teachers in human history than Joshua ben Joseph, (aka Jesus of Nazareth) and Siddhartha Gautama, (aka Buddha.) Both had life-transforming experiences around the age of thirty. Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness before beginning his public career. …

Racists don’t think they are racists — Maybe you’ve never noticed this but racists don’t think they are racists. They think they are protecting and guarding their culture against everyone who they view as a threat to their institutions and traditions. …

Or: How to Live the Real Spiritual Life — You know one thing I really struggle with is religious or spiritual people who copy-and-paste verses from their holy book and use it as a weapon against others. Holy Books, by definition, ought to help you in becoming a better person, more holy in other words. …

It’s Easier to be a Human Doing — The truth is that some people don’t know how to be a human being. Most people know how to be a doctor or a lawyer, soldier, sailor or candlestick maker but so many of us were never taught or just don’t want to be a human being. It’s much easier…

Things often look bleak but despair is an illusion created by fear. — In the sea of negativity we are confronted with every day in the media it’s sometimes difficult to see much light or hope. Like many of us, I’m guilty of focusing on the negative: the darkness is often more compelling — what Joseph Conrad called ‘the fascination of the abomination.’…