Childhood education
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In Good Faith: A Palestinian-American’s Story
She described her hometown as a place where people slept with their doors unlocked, where theft was unheard of, and where there were no random acts of violence. Everyone knew each other by name, and assistance to other members of the community was a matter of course, and nothing exceptional. Continue reading
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Parenting for Protesters and Counter-Protesters
I vow to remember: I am not creating myself; Instead, I am offering space for you to co-create yourself. Continue reading
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Cravings and So-called Desires
The substance of the addiction is thus a way to imitate a certain semblance of well-being and thriving. The problem is, of course, that sustainable sources of thriving are absent, and they must therefore be imitated by artificial substitution. Sustainable sources of thriving are still absent. Continue reading
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Changing Language; Changing Identity
If common sense and superstition are two extremes on a knowledge spectrum, then a hard distinction contained in the folkish idea of speakers and doers is cozying up to superstition. Continue reading
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My Three Religious Conversions
Now I sometimes say that I’m religiously bisexual because when I found Buddhist meditation, I felt more Christian than ever. Continue reading
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Writing in the Active and Passive Voice
I am a fan of good writing. Good writing communicates ideas to the minds of your readers. When people read your writing, they don’t just interpret its meaning through the words you chose. They also interpret it through your writing’s tone. This tone, just like your tone of voice when you’re speaking, is largely shaped Continue reading
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A Ritual Nurturing of Freedom
“…with the surprising eradication of relatively unconscious structures that housed and empowered a certain inspiring model of human flourishing, we may want to reconsider how we have housed and empowered human flourishing.” Continue reading
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Relationship
You (Thou) and I belong to the Kingdom of God. Thou and I are very different. Thou and I share much that is the same, Thou and I may be friends, acquaintances, or even enemies. I submit myself to you, especially Thou within you. I vow to live with Thou in peace, as Christ crucified. Continue reading
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Your Guide to Better Essays
Do you feel passionate about something and want to share it? Write an essay! Do you disagree with a popular opinion and wish to convince others to join you? Write an essay! Need to write something because the college you dream of attending is making you? Write an essay! “Essay” is a form of writing Continue reading
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Afghanistan and Authenticity in the Context of War: A Response to Malala Yousafzi
In [educated Afghan women], we all see our own striving for authentic lives. We want to claim an authentic life that contributes to not only our own well-being but also to the well-being of our homes. Continue reading
About me: I am a career educator and traveler at heart. My written work includes academic writing in philosophy and linguistics, English acquisition, and most intently in the areas of spiritual engagement with reality and what that means for our public lives.
My education is a mixture of formal study in philosophy, political theory, Biblical studies, and history, along with professional teaching certification in TESOL and in cognitive testing, and international teaching.
My travel experiences include a range of countries in Asia, Europe, Africa and North America. I have lived in Canada, the United States, Germany, Saudi Arabia, South Korea and Thailand. From those places I have traveled to many others besides.
I am a child of the 70’s and a “family man.” That means I have two wonderful kids who have been round the world with me.
Lastly, I am married to a wonderful woman since 2004. She is my partner, my friend, and my muse.
Thanks again for stopping by,
Raymond Klassen - Ideals and Identities 