What Makes Life Valuable?
I had an acquaintance who suffered from a particularly virulent form of cancer. He was only in his 50s, but the pain and indignity caused by his illness was too ...
The Problem with Religious Language
After I had been a writer at the Des Moines Register for several years, the editor came to my desk one day to ask me to become the medical/health-care reporter. ...
Wanting “the Best”
Rachel Connolly recently wrote a column in the New York Times called “The Tyranny of the Best.” “There is a kind of person who finds the idea of seeking out ...
Why Bad Things Happen
My brother-in-law, Jose Mario Botero, recently took a terrible fall down a spiraling, steel staircase in his home in Medellín, Colombia. It resulted in a massive head injury, and he ...
Spirituality Found in the Obvious?
An online ad for a book on spiritual practices reads: “We all have a spiritual side, but for many of us, it’s something we don’t quite understand. We may feel ...
Taking Another Look
First, a disclosure: this blog – as many of my blogs – uses the experience of a Catholic to illustrate its purpose. I believe, however, that people of any faith, ...