Articles

2005 | 2003/2004 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000

> Trickster's Time
(New York Times, November 30, 2000)

In his remarkable new book, "Trickster Makes This World," Lewis Hyde shows us that many cultures know - by different names - a rebellious, god-like figure that brings about fundamental change. He is called Hermes in ancient Greece, Coyote among the Indians of the American plains and Monkey in the Buddhist world. Trickster is providence's representative - a kind of savior sent when a society is in crisis and no longer serving the needs of its people.


> The Politics of Adulthood
(New York Times, August 9, 2000)

The politics of adulthood is resonant for more than one reason. The most obvious is the adolescent behavior of the Clinton administration. These eight years have seen undisciplined appetites, ceaseless experiments with looks and attitudes, and a desperation to please that sometimes reverses itself into towering arrogance. People learn to expect these irritations from their children, but not from their leaders.


> Dabru Emet - A Jewish Statement on Christians and Christianity

Jews and Christians worship the same God. Before the rise of Christianity, Jews were the only worshippers of the God of Israel. But Christians also worship the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; creator of heaven and earth. While Christian worship is not a viable religious choice for Jews, as Jewish theologians we rejoice that, through Christianity, hundreds of millions of people have entered into relationship with the God of Israel.


> Decapitalizing Political Campaigns
(Atlanta Journal-Constitution, July 6, 1997)

A candidate for the British House of Commons is limited to spending $12,800 in a campaign, and the total spent by all candidates in 1992 was less than $55 million. This was more than the Canadians spent, but less than 3 percent of what was spent in the 1996 U.S. election.


> Engaged Living

This "quality over quantity" ethic is showing up in the food people buy, the way they educate their children, how they manage their finances, their deep engagement with religious and spiritual values, the depth of their friendships, their unwillingness to be hurried and harried, what they want from politics and public life and the mindfulness they bring to dying. In short, we want a life, not just a job and all the trimmings.


> Political Protocol

People routinely trash the legislature and legislators, but they have little idea what either is all about. As Americans we have the right to change our system, but we also have the responsibility to know what we are changing.


> The Sam Nunn NationsBank Policy Forum, March 1999
Opening Address by Desmond Tutu

Forgiveness is utterly pragmatic. Without forgiveness there can be no future. In South Africa, where torture was long a routine part of life, genuine democracy first seemed impossible. In a nation where human rights leaders such as Stephen Biko were methodically eliminated, forgiveness and reconciliation seemed absurd. But in April 1994, South Africa surprised the world: its first democratic elections took place without a blood bath. The election was a miracle made possible by leaders willing to jeopardize their leadership positions by adopting stances unpopular with the constituency.


> The Separation of Church and State

"Air out the Church,/open the stained glass windows,/open the doors./Remove the barriers that separate faith and life, that separate Sunday from the world."

2005 | 2003/2004 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000