Posts by Paul Dunion
In Need of Deepening
Sometimes, we settle for knowing what we experience by having an understanding of what it isn’t. So, it may be with the idea of depth. Typically, we know it isn’t about being superficial, shallow, or mundane. We use the language of depth regularly, “What she said was quite deep,” “This book is so deep that…
Read MoreInterrupting Heroic Patterns
There are several roles that children can take on in a family. The more stress in a family the more rigidly children cling to one particular role, which leaves the advantages of the other roles unavailable to them. The most popular role is identified as the Hero. Inevitably, this child will receive the most…
Read MoreA Blessing for Being
There are ancient rivals named Becoming and Being. Even if you have not thought about Becoming or talked about it, your body knows Becoming as doing. You get educated, pursue occupational goals, you achieve, you create a home, you pay bills and rake leaves in Autumn. Without a great deal of consideration, you give Becoming…
Read MoreA Five Stage Re-entry into the Here and Now
The idea that it may be worthwhile to live as much as possible in the here and now seems to have been reduced to a minor spiritual axiom. Recently, while having dinner with an old friend who has enjoyed a generous amount of professional success, I heard a reference to the here and now as…
Read MoreCondemned and Free: Suspending Hostilities Directed at Truth
Truth is currently under siege. Nothing is more debilitating and devastating to a people than the pursuit of the best version of the truth experiencing a profound desolation. When a commitment to pursue the truth is sacrificed, we live with no North Star. We wander aimlessly or grab onto the loudest and most available voice.…
Read MoreLeaders Shamelessly Lost
Leaders are especially vulnerable to the cultural mandate that they are not supposed to be lost. Laurence Gonzales’ seminal work, Deep Survival, suggests that when leaders are lost, denial of being lost is inevitable. “Being lost then, is not a location; it is a transformation. It is a failure of mind. It can happen in…
Read MoreA Blessing For Peace
I have met you, but I don’t know you. I wonder what it would take to move from stranger to friend with you. Some say your presence is fleeting, leaving me curious about offering you a fervent invitation to stay. Could it be me? Do I not offer you an authentic welcome? How does my…
Read MoreBuilding Bridges – From Divisiveness to Unity
We all love hearing beliefs that are indistinguishable from our own. What can we make of this propensity to rejoice over conversations where the participants agree, confirm and even applaud our beliefs? The ego remains convinced that its current version of truth must be correct. It is often the ego’s tenacity about being right that…
Read MoreA Blessing For The Peacemaker
Kabir says, “When deep inside you there is a loaded gun, how can you have God?” Kabir appears to be reminding us that our relationship with the divine is dependent upon living with diminished inner violence. As one who desires to make peace, you are asked to become acquainted with your gun, the one pointed…
Read MoreBlack Lives Matter – From Altruism and Beyond
Our streets are talking to us. The talk is loud and mostly true. It says, “Black lives matter”, “Marginalization of some hurts everyone”, “Separation breeds ignorance and fear”, “Leadership from ego cannot hold those who are following” and “It’s time to recall the power of kindness and compassion”. These voices can be ignored or they…
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