Monthly Archives: July 2010

Today in Goodness: Celebration

Posted on July 30, 2010 by dianesilver

I’m nearly two months into my search for goodness. If there is one thing I’ve already learned about this confusing topic, it’s that the act of celebration is good. Today I see that Good magazine agrees with me. They’re holding … Continue reading →

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Roitman & Lombardo Pt 5: No One Ever Finishes

Posted on July 30, 2010 by dianesilver

JUDY: It’s a total misunderstanding of how that really operates. DIANE: So, it was a matter of only looking for short-term benefits for themselves, and misunderstanding that we’re really all fingers on the same hand. JUDY: Yes, and also a … Continue reading →

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Roitman & Lombardo Pt 4: Compassion and Wisdom

Posted on July 29, 2010 by dianesilver

STAN: But ultimately you return to the group, you return to the world. JUDY: Don’t leave off walking meditation. STAN: And (we also do) walking meditation, which many people see as a form of relief between the periods of sitting … Continue reading →

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Roitman & Lombardo Pt 3: The Cruelty of Moral Codes

Posted on July 28, 2010 by dianesilver

JUDY: You have to be careful because it’s not that there’s an I and a you. DIANE: Explain that. JUDY: So, here’s my hand. DIANE: Five fingers up. JUDY: Right. So this finger is angry at that finger. Isn’t that … Continue reading →

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Roitman & Lombardo Pt 2: Confronting Suffering

Posted on July 27, 2010 by dianesilver

STAN: I’m not as reluctant as Judy to use abstractions such as good, but I share her wariness about these abstractions. What really matters is what we do in any given situation. The Buddha always said: I teach the truth … Continue reading →

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Goodness and Choice

Posted on July 26, 2010 by dianesilver

If goodness is about anything at all, it’s about the choices we make. Columbia Business School Professor Sheena Iyengar provided a startling perspective on choice in her talk at this year’s TED conference.

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Roitman & Lombardo Pt 1: Goodness Doesn’t Exist

Posted on July 26, 2010 by dianesilver

I’m not interested in what goodness is because I don’t think there is such a thing. What I am interested in, for example in your situation, you want to write about your childhood. In writing about your childhood, you are … Continue reading →

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Thank You to My Family

Posted on July 26, 2010 by dianesilver

I wouldn’t be able to post the full interview with Stanley Lombardo and Judy Roitman today without the support of my mother and brother. Without their OK, I also wouldn’t be able to fulfill this quest for goodness in the … Continue reading →

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Fish Hooks, Shenpa and Stumbling Down the Goodness Trail

Posted on July 23, 2010 by dianesilver

I should have known when I interviewed two Zen practitioners that the first thing they would do is question me. In my meeting with Zen Master Stanley Lombardo and Dharma Master Judy Roitman, they questioned everything: This project’s goal. My … Continue reading →

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Days 40 – 52: The Log

Posted on July 22, 2010 by dianesilver

These days I seem to be swimming in a sea of baited fish hooks, and oh my, all those wiggling, fat worms look juicy. I want to chomp down on each and every one of them, getting “hooked” emotionally as … Continue reading →

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Love, Truth and Motherhood

Posted on July 19, 2010 by dianesilver

This is the most beautiful — and devastating — post I’ve ever read. It’s about mothering a seriously ill child who is facing yet another surgery and yet another chance at death. It’s written by my good friend, Jennifer, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Becoming Good, empathy | Tagged , | 2 Comments

The Continuing Irrelevance of Philosophy

Posted on July 19, 2010 by dianesilver

I’ve always thought I should love the discipline of philosophy. After all, it studies (my Apple dictionary tells me) “the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality and existence” — topics that are at the heart of my quest for goodness. Once … Continue reading →

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Today in Goodness

Posted on July 14, 2010 by dianesilver

Today’s quick hits from the goodness trail. Visions of suger plums and all kinds of goodness danced through the heads of those attending the first day of TedGlobal. This is seriously worth reading for it’s perspective, happy news, jaw-dropping news … Continue reading →

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Today in Goodness

Posted on July 13, 2010 by dianesilver

Today’s quick hits from the goodness trail. A lethal cocktail of religion, a failure of imagination, and market worship has boxed us into the Neverending Recession. TED Global 2010 brings some hope with its theme And Now the Good News, … Continue reading →

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Done In by the Facts

Posted on July 13, 2010 by dianesilver

I’ve long suspected that the path to goodness can only be paved by fact. If  you don’t have a strong sense of what’s real, what’s accurate and what isn’t, how the heck can you do what’s right? For example, a … Continue reading →

Posted in Becoming Good, good vs. evil, psychology | Tagged , , , , | 9 Comments