On being small and human in this messed-up world — It’s a bleak day in Burlington when you can’t see the mountains through the wildfire smoke. It rained so much the toxic algae bloomed again and the lake is poisonous to swim in. Central Vermont went underwater, the wells and river poisoned with toxic sludge of lives swept down the…

A short story — “Are you in position?” came the old man’s voice from over the phone. Ace wanted a cigarette, but he never smoked until the job was done. “Yes, boss,” Ace said. “No hiccups,” said the old man. “We can’t afford any.” “There won’t be any.” Ace hung up the phone and…

A primer on the spiritual, social and material meanings of the climate change era — Like many people around the world, I view climate change as having some kind of meaning in the spiritual development of humanity. There’s a lesson here, or rather, all this chaos is a reflection of what we’ve forgotten and what we’re learning again. It’s not so much that I’m an…

Spoiler alert: Human nature is just… nature — The most destructive philosophical problem with humanity today is our belief that we, humans, are not bound by the laws of nature. When we think of animals, we don’t think of homo sapiens on the list. When we think of ecosystems, we don’t think of cities and strip malls. We’ve…

On the deep psychological power of the “Golden Rule” — The line between spirituality and psychology is thin and hazy, perhaps even less-defined than the line between spirituality and religion. Since at least as far back as the time of the Buddha (directly, and indirectly far longer), spiritual wisdom traditions have sought to address psychological problems. …

How ‘Homo economicus’ forgot what species he really is — Last week, I got the joy of watching a dear friend defend his PhD dissertation. Now, like the mother of an honor’s student, I can proudly slap a bumper sticker on my van that reads, “My Old Roommate Is a Doctor of Philosophy in Ecological Economics.” You hear that? Doctor. …

A short story — Claire is a saint, no doubt about it. Not like she’s perfect or an angel or anything — she ain’t. Just that she was touched by God or chosen or whatever it is God gets up to. She knows it too, not the way you know your address or your…

When #NeverForget means Never Heal — A few years ago, I was buying dishes from a thrift store and the man behind the counter wrapped them up in a newspaper I think he’d meant to sell. The paper was an old copy of the New York Times, dated September 12, 2001. “U.S. ATTACKED,” the headline read…

A practical guide to letting go of pain — The first time I was able to consciously choose to release my pain began in the stupidest possible way. It began, as so many things do, with Tinder. Bear with me. It was a Sunday in the summer, three years ago. I’d been seeing this guy, and one day he’d…