Meditation
-
Doubt Beyond Certainty
My hunch that our religious instinct is best realized when we are exploring, and when we occupy places that permit exploration. Continue reading
-
The Gift of Knowledge: Absorbed by Truth
Why do I say ex-philosopher? Because, since Descartes and perhaps before, modern Western thought has turned knowledge into a problem to be solved. Rationalism, empiricism, idealism, phenomenology, utilitarianism: all these systems tend to make knowledge into a mechanism of control, a means of prediction, a form of power. Descartes and Locke both used the word… Continue reading
-
Canada’s Mindful Approach to Managing Trump’s Influence
“Canada’s long-term relationship with the United States is more significant than any one leader’s policies, and recognizing the impermanence of Trump’s influence helps in moving forward without dwelling on past conflicts.” Continue reading
-
Prayer and Meditation
The spiritual without being religious people, these new practitioners of meditation, claim a connection to the spiritual life by doing nothing, least of all, praying. But, meditation without prayer is not actually meditative. Continue reading
-
Authenticity: Being Yourself in a World Designed to Make You Someone Else
Can we know ourselves from moment to moment, every day, not with words or descriptions, but with an actual perception of our inner selves being intact and authentically ours? In other words, we do not have to live out a story, but instead, we experience a reality. Continue reading
-
Bring Your Whole Self to the World
I recently shut off the flow of the news, and became intentional about what “events” I looked at. I got on to this strategy recently because I had realized I spent too much time on LinkedIn. I knew that I was suffering from information overload, because I was feeling burnt out by the constant stream Continue reading
-
The Burning Breath
But deep within the breath is burning; my breathing is burning. And that which I watch in meditation, part voluntary and part involuntary, burns in the smoky air. And alone in universal greed and desire, I breathe. Continue reading
-
A Cold Winter Day
“…while you may isolate at home for a while, Thou belongs to Me, and I to Thou. And this is no longer a trial.” Continue reading
-
God’s Will and Vocation
“…a job is a way of fulfilling a vocation, and particular jobs – if we are reflectively learning through them, may generate an evolution in our vocation. A key to making this important point real is being aware of God working in you through a particular job.” 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 