Finding voice is a socially responsible political act. We don't just do it for ourselves. And helping someone to find voice demands a spiritual partnership with that seeker. It's an exercise of compassion.

What if we were to take seriously the possibility that our students have a rich and authoritative inner life and tried to nourish it rather than negate it?

Cultural wisdom says 'Don't quit your day job.' Yet I think these desires represent our psyche's stretch toward wholeness. And to be whole, as many religious tranditions teach, is to make manifest a unique face of God in the world. We don't want to be irresponsible, yet for every accountant who deserts his family and sails for Tahiti, ten American men have heart attacks at their desks, after hours.

There must be a mirror to show the soul to itself before the soul can begin to gather its courage.

What do you do for ecstasy?

The economy of gift, of art, is fundamentally opposed to the economy of war.

Teaching English is an intrinsically radical act. Is it possible to teach English so that people stop killing each other?