Purpose

I see sleeplessness and worry; she is, by her admission, weary under the weight of questions and fear around her decision to close down her business.

Most ancient religious traditions offer rituals that can help you imagine death before you have your turn. I also believe that some of the current psychedelic fascinations may be partly due to this desire to experience "el otro lado" (the other side).

Rene Descartes once opined, "I think, therefore I am." Four hundred years later, we’re awash in thinking and knowledge, but often missing some other foundational human qualities. While there are all kinds of other words Descartes could have used beyond "think" (breathe, feel, make love), "think" is still the king of the hill.

Your soulmate might not be your best friend or your spouse. For that matter, you may have multiple soulmates. You ought to feel blessed, not disloyal, for that gift.

The word “consumerism” is 67 years old and helped Americans see that a certain prevalent society message unconsciously influenced our behaviors around “keeping up with the Jones.” While the word continues to serve us well, I think it’s time we welcomed a new word (and concept) into the American lexicon: “successism.”

“The problem in most situations is not a lack of calling; but a fear of responding to the call. Besides the issue of leaving everything behind, there is also the fear of being inadequate and the terror of being overwhelmed."

“How do we know when to speak up and when to withdraw? As a privileged person, how do I not turn a blind eye to the cause of justice but also not lose myself in a fog of screens, noise and distraction?

I wrote the first book for a general audience about what we then called “the greenhouse effect,” way back in 1989, and so I’ve been involved with tackling the climate crisis pretty much from the start.

I’m waiting for a feeling. I can’t start without it.

My friend Ken Dychtwald has been one of the leading thinkers on aging and retirement. His company AgeWave has published all kinds of insightful studies that are well worth your time.