Frederic C. Craigie, PhD
SEPTEMBER, 2020
Welcome! You can scroll down to see the long-running welcome text below, with a brief introduction to the website and explanation of the “Goodness of Heart” theme.
With the coming of September, the world changes suddenly here in Maine. Crisp mornings, often warm and dry days, things a little quieter with our summer visitor friends heading back to their homes.
We are now up to 185,000 COVID deaths in the US. What an unspeakable loss for all those families. It is a tragedy, I believe, that we really have no frank and coherent national strategy to address this, leaving us (as Nick Kristoff recently pointed out) with 4% of the world’s population and 22% of the world’s deaths. We are so much in need of honest and careful listening and dialogue about this, as we are also about the long-looming issue of systemic racism.
I’ve been writing letters recently about voting rights, urging legislators to expand absentee voting, to guarantee the viability of postal service operations, and to commit money to election infrastructure. Everything I read is that there is no partisan advantage in these efforts; it’s just a matter of ensuring that every American, regardless of politics or party, is able to express their beliefs and register their votes.
The website this month… in addition to the reflection that is updated almost every week, you’ll see a commentary in the blog about my own experience in living with the COVID shadow.
Stay safe and well.
Fred
With the coming of September, the world changes suddenly here in Maine. Crisp mornings, often warm and dry days, things a little quieter with our summer visitor friends heading back to their homes.
We are now up to 185,000 COVID deaths in the US. What an unspeakable loss for all those families. It is a tragedy, I believe, that we really have no frank and coherent national strategy to address this, leaving us (as Nick Kristoff recently pointed out) with 4% of the world’s population and 22% of the world’s deaths. We are so much in need of honest and careful listening and dialogue about this, as we are also about the long-looming issue of systemic racism.
I’ve been writing letters recently about voting rights, urging legislators to expand absentee voting, to guarantee the viability of postal service operations, and to commit money to election infrastructure. Everything I read is that there is no partisan advantage in these efforts; it’s just a matter of ensuring that every American, regardless of politics or party, is able to express their beliefs and register their votes.
The website this month… in addition to the reflection that is updated almost every week, you’ll see a commentary in the blog about my own experience in living with the COVID shadow.
Stay safe and well.
Fred
WELCOME. Thanks for stopping by. I hope that this site offers you meaningful ideas, helpful resources, cool images and the opportunity to have some dialogue about spirituality and life-well-lived. It's also the portal for information about my book, Positive Spirituality in Health Care: Nine Practical Approaches to Pursuing Wholeness for Clinicians, Patients and Health Care Organizations, which is available here in paperback and e-book/pdf versions.
Why GOODNESS OF HEART?
In our culture and language, the word “heart” usually signifies depth and authenticity. We say, “What I know in my head is fine, but it’s what I know in my heart that really matters,” or “She’s not always consistent in what she does, but she has a good heart.” “Heart,” I think, has to do with the recognition of who we are… who we really are… and what is sacred in how we wish to be living our lives.
“Goodness” of heart signifies mindful awareness of who we really are. If you cherish kindness, or compassion, or understanding… if these qualities are sacred for you… then “goodness of heart” means to hold these qualities in front of you, to remember that this is who you really are, and to allow the energy of these qualities to direct and empower you as you move through your life.
In our culture and language, the word “heart” usually signifies depth and authenticity. We say, “What I know in my head is fine, but it’s what I know in my heart that really matters,” or “She’s not always consistent in what she does, but she has a good heart.” “Heart,” I think, has to do with the recognition of who we are… who we really are… and what is sacred in how we wish to be living our lives.
“Goodness” of heart signifies mindful awareness of who we really are. If you cherish kindness, or compassion, or understanding… if these qualities are sacred for you… then “goodness of heart” means to hold these qualities in front of you, to remember that this is who you really are, and to allow the energy of these qualities to direct and empower you as you move through your life.