Posts by Paul Dunion
Misled Into Leadership
We have come to believe that leadership is ultimately and mostly something that happens between people. It is a way we manage people. Beginning with such an exterior focus of leadership may be misleading. It may be that what we witness as leadership is implemented as an outcome of something more hidden and more interior.…
Read MoreWhat Is This Thing Called the Present?
Living in the present or the here and now has been an extremely popular axiom from nearly every spiritual tradition. Said this way, the present is a noun, a measure of time that we are better off living in. However, since each moment is so easily eclipsed by the next, it leaves us with some…
Read MoreTranquilized by Trivia
The above quote by the 19th century Danish Philosopher, Soren Kierkegaard, was a reaction to his own times, likely, unaware of how prophetic the statement was. We are all aware of the popularity of a myriad of sedative substances, including alcohol, street drugs and pharmaceuticals. We may not have realized how fashionable it is to…
Read MoreRevisiting Vulnerability
Those of us interested in meaningfully supporting our personal growth seem to be increasingly aware of the importance of vulnerability. What exactly should the role of vulnerability be in our emotional and spiritual lives? How does it become so challenging to feel vulnerable, even in the absence of any danger? How can we become more…
Read MoreTo Be Known and Loved
For Aristotle, Philia was the most virtuous of the loves. Unlike Agape, which offers loving kindness simply because a person partakes in the human condition, Philia honors the uniqueness of the beloved in deep friendship. It is the love that comes to us because our uniqueness is cherished. However, we may have placed Philia in…
Read MoreThe Dangerous Pursuit of Happiness
We may have wandered away from an ancient definition of the word ‘Happy’, which is ‘good fortune’ or ‘good luck’. We can easily see that the ancients attributed the occurrence of happiness to the gods. To suggest happiness can be pursued by us yanks the power and responsibility out of the hands of the gods…
Read MoreProcrastination
An ancient meaning of the word procrastination is belonging to tomorrow. When we describe others or ourselves as procrastinating, we typically are making a disparaging remark. We do not as a rule advocate for procrastination. However, there may be times when some action or decision is better belonging to tomorrow. We can define some discerning guidelines for deciding about…
Read More7 Steps to Effective Fathering
The role of father became marginalized as men moved their work from the farm to the factory. An availability and presence faded from the fields and the rap-around porches, as fathers picked up lunch pails in place of shovels and plows. As a man’s emotional involvement in the home diminished, more and more parental responsibilities…
Read MoreThe Best-Kept Secret About Feeling Undeserving
“I don’t deserve it” has been the most pervasive response I receive from clients when I ask if they’re ready to receive the good things in life. Accompanying the claim of undeservedness is an implicit feeling of helplessness, suggesting it is impossible to move away from feeling anything but undeserving. It is only too easy…
Read MoreA Time for Teachers
We are in a time calling for genuine teachers. It is such a time because we are in dire need of critical lessons, which include: • How do we avoid reckless use of natural resources? • How do we strengthen an economic system driven by competition and laced with greed without the greed destroying us?…
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