Can love and anger coexist? What does spirituality have to do with strong emotions? Is Martin Luther King, Jr.’s vision of beloved community still achievable in the world today?

Suffering is a part of life. If we can’t avoid pain and discomfort, are we to simply give in to despair? What might it look like to shift from a mindset of toxic positivity to tragic optimism?

What toll does hurry take on the soul? What is the spiritual antidote to our cultural habit of hurry? If it is true that the busier we are the less we enjoy life, could the reverse also be true: the more unhurried we become, the more we enjoy life?

[from Bowdoin College Magazine] Bowdoin’s director of religious and spiritual life, Oliver Goodrich, recalls the dirty and humbling experience of picking potatoes that helped him understand his place in the world and the idea that humility is the gateway leading to understanding ourselves and others.