"The bullfrog's friends" - a new wisdom story

Another new wisdom story - I'm on a roll! As always, feel free to use these stories as you see fit, although attribution would be nice...

Once upon a time, in a sluggish warm pond, there lived a bullfrog. He spent his days swimming through the water, eating whatever bugs he could catch, sunning himself when the weather was nice, and just generally lazing about. 

Occasionally, he would notice some of the other animals passing by his pond or swimming in its waters in pairs or groups. He noticed that these animals seemed a bit more contented than the animals that were strictly solitary. He saw that they were happier too - they laughed more readily, played more energetically, and - when things were difficult - they got through it more readily.

The bullfrog decided to find out what was going on. He hopped over to a duck and a goose who were paddling about on the pond and asked for some advice.

"Oh, you silly frog", said the goose. "We're friends! Haven't you ever heard of friendship? Surely you must have some friends?"

The bullfrog hurriedly assured the duck and goose that he knew all about friendship and that - oh indeed yes! - he had lots of friends.

But, of course, this wasn't true, and the bullfrog hopped away as quickly as he could. He realised then that that he was missing something that seemed rather important - friendship. So, he thought "I have to get some other animals to be my friends. Hmmm... How do to that though?"

He thought and he thought, until he finally decided he decided he had it figured out. When he wanted dinner, he would simply stay very still and then grabbed an unsuspecting insect with his sticky tongue. This friends thing must be similar!

So the bullfrog stayed very still. He waited and waited. Finally, a happy looking wren landed right near him. Thwpt! Out went the bullfrog tongue and it landed right on the bird's head. "Ewwww!" said the wren. "What do you think you're doing?" The bullfrog was trying to get his tongue back into his large mouth as he said in a garbled voice "I just want to have a friend..." The wren chided him, just before flying off, "well, you sure have a funny way of doing it!"

Alone again in the pond, the bullfrog felt dejected. "I don't think I'll ever have a friend at this rate" he thought. He realised that he actually knew nothing at all about how to get a friend or about how to be one.

In desperation, he decided he would try something different. Instead of trying to get a friend, he'd just listen to everyone he could to learn about them and try to see what they wanted. Once he had done that, he figured, he would know enough to get some friends.

His experiment started the next day. When he awoke, still drowsy, he saw a colourful fish swimming by. "Good morning fish" he offered. "How are you this morning?" The fish began to tell him about how his left fin was aching him but then he stopped himself "Oh" he said, "I suppose you don't really want to know. Just a greeting, right? I'm fine."

The bullfrog was about to dismiss the fish's complaints and move on, but he remembered about his plan to listen. "No, please tell me more." He said. "I'm sorry to hear about your fin. What's that like for you?"

The fish was taken aback, and he began to talk. He told the bullfrog about the sore fin. He told him about his many children. He told him what life was like deep down under the water. Thirty minutes had passed when the fish realised he needed to go. "Thanks for listening" he said. "Can we talk again?"

The bullfrog thought this was a great opportunity to learn how to get friends, so he quickly agreed.

Later that day, something similar happened with a passing duck. It was amazing how many stories emerged when animals were given a chance to share them. It just kept happening! A squirrel, a frog, a robin, a turtle... they all told their stories to the listening bullfrog.

The bullfrog just listened. He didn't feel inclined to talk about himself - and he never repeated what he had heard to anyone else.

As darkness came, the bullfrog reflected on what an amazing day it had been. He had learned so much more than he ever expected. Life was much more complicated and rich than he could have imagined. With all the many stories he had heard that day swirling through his head, the bullfrog finally fell off to sleep.

The very next day, the bullfrog was again looking around for someone to talk to. Preoccupied, he didn't notice that a hungry fox was sneaking up behind him. The fox snapped his jaws sure of a tasty frog breakfast, but the bullfrog had finally noticed the danger and leapt just in the nick of time. The fox's jaws grazed him though, and - thrown off course - he landed hard and head first on a stone - out of danger - but completely unconscious.

The bullfrog never knew how long he might have been out, but as he came-to he gradually became aware that surrounding him were dozens of animals - all of them eager to see him. All of them with a concerned look in their eyes.

"What's going on?" he croaked? "What are you all doing here?"

The animals looked around confused. The colourful fish with the sore fin spoke first. "Well, of course we're here. We're your friends!"

The twelfth gosling

A wisdom story...

It was springtime and a young mother goose had just laid a clutch of twelve very handsome eggs. She and the father goose looked at their eggs admiringly - wondering what future their little goslings would have. They imagined teaching them to fly, helping them to find food, and - when the cold weather came - leading them in the migration to warmer climes.

The goose parents took turns sitting on the eggs to keep them warm. As they waited, they thought about the future of their goslings - wondering how many would be female and how many male - thinking of the day that they would themselves learn to fly and maybe even have goslings of their own.

Day in and day out they carefully tended the eggs. A week passed, and then another, and another. And then one day, after nearly five long weeks, as the father sat on the eggs he heard a faint pecking sound. And then another from another egg. As he moved to look, he saw tiny beaks appearing from two of the eggs.

The process of hatching was not easy. It was arduous work for the babies and they needed to rest often between bouts of pecking. After three days, though, eleven of the goslings were finally out of their shells.

But the twelfth egg was a bit odd. The gosling in that egg had pecked a hole large enough to get out of, stuck his head out, and then return to the shell! The goslings were all peeping in hunger, so father goose went to get food. When he returned, he and mother fed their little goslings - eleven of them standing on their feet and the twelfth still in his shell.

The goose parents began to be a bit concerned about number 12. They pecked the shell a bit. They tried to lure him out with food. But number 12 was set on staying put.

Weeks passed and the goslings all began to grow rapidly. Number 12 finally got so large that his shell could hold him no longer - as it burst, he joined his brothers and sisters walking around in the nest. And it was good timing too, because flying lessons were just beginning!

Mother and father goose showed their goslings how to flap their little wings and they took to it eagerly - practicing their flapping for minutes at a time, resting, and then flapping some more.

All except number 12, that is. Number 12 showed no interest in flapping or in flying.

At last, eleven goslings were ready and they took flight. It was an exhilarating experience for all of them and they returned excited and happy. Number 12 seemed unmoved. He instead took a walk to find some tasty grubs to eat and he thought to himself "that flying looks way too dangerous." I'm just fine staying here on the ground where it's safe.

As time passed, eleven goslings flew more and more and were eventually ready to leave the nest. Number 12 remained with his mother and father. They were happy to have him, but they worried about his future and what might become of him - a goose who would not fly.

And then, the days began to become shorter and colder. Mother and father goose prepared themselves for the long flight south. What would happen with number 12?

Mother and father took off and waved their wings good-by to number 12. Moments later, they heard an anguished squawking from the vicinity of the nest!

They turned back to see a hungry looking fox just inches away from number 12. They swooped down just in time, and as mother goose distracted the fox, father goose lifted number 12 into the air and carried him off. As soon as 12 was safe, mother flew to join father and 12.

What to do now? 12 was simply too heavy to carry all the way on the migration journey, but if his parents left him behind, he would surely perish.

They took turns carrying him - using all of their strength. But it was no use. Exhausted, father goose finally lost his grip and number 12 tumbled from the sky.

The parents were distraught. They had lost their dear gosling. They began to weep and other geese in the flock came to comfort them.

And then suddenly, there was a surprising sound. Honk, honk! - they heard behind them. And there they saw number 12 flying along happily to catch up with them. He seemed perfectly joyful. The parents were shocked but delighted

And as number 12 flew along he thought to himself "I nearly lost my life by trying to be too safe - I will never make that mistake again!"

Number 12 went on to have a happy and adventurous life and became a father many times over before he passed away, content, at a ripe old age.

A church thriving through the ‘tension between certainty and ambiguity’

This article was written by journalist student Zay Arguelles. I thank her for taking such care in getting it right and for letting me share her writing.



The banner in front of the Unity Church in Upper Street is sure to catch every passer-by’s attention. “Heathens and heretics welcome!”, it says in big bold letters. This phrase is not something normally associated with a church, if at all. But then, churches don’t normally have an atheist minister.

Rev. Andrew Pakula is from America and he came here six years ago to head the Unitarian churches in Upper Street and Newington Green. He earned a PhD in Biology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and joined the biotechnology industry. Eventually, he left his career as a scientist to pursue a ministerial vocation. Nonetheless, he remained an atheist and even anti-religious in some ways.

A common way of dividing the world is into the religious and the atheist. Here arises the conflict between Rev. Andy’s stance about faith and religion and his job. It is intriguing or rather confusing because of the whole baggage of stereotypes associated with religion. On the contrary, he said that the word religion can mean a bunch of different things and “Depending on how you use that and what you consider to be a religion, it can be quite different.”

When you look at the fundamental core of Unitarianism the fog of confusion starts to evaporate. Rev. Andy said, “I call it a ‘way’. Let’s call it a way. It’s not ‘We are all going to believe the same thing’. It’s about moving together, growing together, working together and making ourselves grow and the world more whole”. It’s clear that the emphasis of Unitarianism lies on being a better person, being in a community and making a better world without the dogma.

As it seems, Unitarians are encouraged to ‘believe what they want to believe’ but Rev. Andy differs. He argued that this is very different from ‘believing what your search or journey leads you to believe’, which is what they do. He explained further by saying “Personally, I want to believe in all-powerful supernatural being that will take care of all of us. I really do! I would love to believe that. That is what I want to believe but it is NOT what I can believe. What my search has lead me to believe is that everyone is sacred, that we are all connected and that we’re here to make each other more whole and happier. That’s were a search has led me to and it might change.”

Just like any other institutions, Unitarianism doesn’t go without criticisms. Many people say that this kind of open-minded religion is not sufficient for people who are really suffering. In response, Rev. Andy said he doesn’t mind other beliefs. “Even if I don’t think it’s true, I think any belief is fine as long as it encourages you to be kind, loving and compassionate.” Certainly, it has also been criticised for being too open - “Whenever you are not a doctrinaire... If there is any flexibility, they will say ‘Well, that’s too flexible’. ” This isn’t a problem for them though, as they identify Unitarianism to be in the grey area in the first place.

With this kind of openness, a lot of barriers and differences can exist. The minister admitted that when he does a service he always tries to use languages which are inclusive to all sorts of beliefs. He said there’s a range of people within the congregation but since they’re all rather open-minded it’s really hard for them to have conflicts.

As he tries to explain how the congregation works for very different people, he grabbed a box of power cord beside him and said “There are people who receive a package and the first thing they do is read the instruction from the first letter to the last letter and maybe read it twice. And other people just plug it in.” He then continued about how they created “a thing with very open sort of steps” – “Decide for yourself how you’re going to be a compassionate consumer, write it down, and commit to it.”

Although very different from the traditional types of religion, Unitarianism remains attached to a certain label or ‘ism’ and that comes as a challenge. Rev. Andy recognises that it is very hard to be associated with the stereotypes, especially in this country “where a lot of people want nothing to do with anything that looks, smells, or tastes like religion.” On the other hand, people need categories to think about things and Unitarianism is commonly dropped on the religious category because what else would you call it or how else would you present it? It cannot be avoided but he also doesn’t mind. In the end, he doesn’t care whether they are called a religion or not – “If people don’t want to call it religion because, by their definition, religion has to have central beliefs, then fine... It’s not a religion. I don’t care. It’s a way of being.”

With the Unitarians’ position between the religious and secular sphere, he said that “It’s very comfortable for me to remember that things are changing and we’re always midstream, somewhere. We are in the process of changing from one thing to another and we don’t know what that other thing is yet or how the world is going to change around us. What we do is stay with it, ride with it, recognise the ambiguity and keep going.”

We live in a society where everything is polarized and it is easier to identify things as black or white. But in reality, the world we live in is very much within the grey scale. There is no one truth and certainly nobody holds a monopoly on what it is. Unitarianism reflects that fact and allows individuals to live in harmonious disagreement within a community with a system that supports them into becoming the best person they can be. In the advent of increasing religious scepticism and secularism, it is indispensable that such institutions exist. Whether it comes in the form of Unitarianism or not, it’s good to know that it is there for those who need it.

A warm hollow in the cold

It was winter. The depths of December. The sky had become dark. The ground was muddy when it wasn't frozen over entirely. The cold winds blew through the robin's feathers as she huddled in the partial shelter of a hollow of a great old plane tree.

The cold had killed off all the plants the robin relied on. The insects had gone underground now and were safely hidden as they underwent their magical transformation. The autumn's seeds had vanished too - picked over thoroughly in the past months. 

And now she was not sure which was worse - the biting cold or the ache of her empty belly.

"There is no chance of reaching the spring", she thought. She had begun to lose hope. She despaired of finding enough food to survive. She began to welcome the cold into her breast. "Why not let it in so this suffering will end more quickly?" she thought. She stepped out from the hollow to bear the full brunt of the cold wind. 

Just then, she heard a shaky-sounding "hello." She jerked her head first this way and that, but it wasn't until she looked up that she saw a shivering red squirrel looking down at her from a higher branch. "Hello" said robin. "You look cold." So do you, said squirrel. "Yes" she replied. "And hungry too." 

"Hungry? Well, I can help with that. Follow me", said squirrel and he leapt from branch to branch until he reached a spot between several branching tree roots. Robin landed beside him. With a few seconds of scratching at the earth, squirrel uncovered a small stash of seeds. "Help yourself", he said, "I have stores like this all over the place."

Robin began eating so quickly, she forgot to say thank you. When she realised it, she was deeply apologetic and embarrassed. Squirrel just urged her to keep eating: "You have to keep your strength up."

When robin had eaten her fill, she said to squirrel "thank you so much. You have been very generous. Sadly, I fear I have wasted your precious food as I am so cold I will soon freeze to death." She noticed then that squirrel was shivering heavily. "Perhaps" robin said, "we could both fit into my hollow in the tree. It might be crowded, but we could try."

So squirrel scampered and robin flew back up the tree.

Indeed, the hollow of the tree was barely big enough to hold the two of them. They managed to fit in together, but they were so tightly wedged they could hardly move.

"Oh no! This is terrible" said robin. I'll go look for another place to shelter and you can stay here."

"No - wait!" replied squirrel. "You're not shivering anymore! I'm not either."

Although the space was cramped and more than a little bit uncomfortable, it kept both creatures very warm.

"You're right" said robin. "We shall stay, then."

And so robin and squirrel endured the harsh winter together.

In the spring, they prepared to go their separate ways. Robin spoke first "You know, you saved my life the day we met. I had chosen to let myself freeze." And squirrel replied "that's why I was in the wind too. I was ready to give up. It was only because we met and joined our struggles together that we survived."

Squirrel scampered off. Robin flew off. Both full of hope and much the wiser for having met on a bitter December day.

The rhino and the giraffe - a story about division and unity

The following is an original story by me. I hereby grant free and unlimited rights to use and modify this story so long as it is credited appropriately. - Andy Pakula

In the deep, deep jungle, it happened one day that a baby rhinoceros had grown strong and adventurous enough that his mother allowed him to wander out of her sight for the very first time. On that very same day and at nearly the same time a mother giraffe also judged that her young daughter was at last old and sensible enough to wonder out of her sight.

And so it was that a young male rhino and a young female giraffe bumped right into one another in a small jungle clearing.

"Hello there!" said the young rhino. "Hello to you!" said the young giraffe. Having known no other animals besides their mothers, both young creatures were curious and eager to explore.

They looked each other over carefully. "Your neck is longer than my mother's" said the rhino. "Your skin is greyer than my mother's" said the giraffe.

Having no idea what they themselves looked like, they very soon accepted their differences and began to frolic together. They ate some tasty leaves. They jumped over low-lying vines - an activity that the giraffe seemed to excel at. They knocked over some slender trees - a skill that seemed to belong mainly to the rhino.

After a while, they heard the mother rhino calling and they knew it was time to part. "Let's meet here again tomorrow" said the giraffe. The rhino beamed a big rhino smile. They had become fast friends.

The next day, they frolicked and explored together again. And then the next day and the next. The two friends joined together every day now and took every opportunity to enjoy each others' company.

As months passed and the two young animals grew and matured, they increasingly appreciated the strengths of the other. The rhino was delighted when the giraffe would reach high in the trees and bring down a fruit that he especially enjoyed. The giraffe loved the way that her solid, heavy friend could clear a path through the thickest jungle with his body.

One day, as they played together and enjoyed their shared adventures, an adult giraffe happened to come along and see them. Looking first at the giraffe and then at the rhino, the adult giraffe spoke to the younger giraffe with a tone of shock: "what are you doing with this... this... creature" he said nodding in the rhino's direction. "We're friends" said the young giraffe brightly. "We're playing."

The older giraffe drew himself up to his fullest height and stared in disbelief. "You are a giraffe! He is a rhino. Giraffes and rhinos do not get along. Now go home immediately!"

The young giraffe hung her head from her long neck and obediently headed toward home. The young rhino watched her go and trudged off toward his own home, leaving a trail of large wet rhino tears behind him.

The next day, the young rhino awoke from a dream of playing with his dearest friend and then remembered the events of the preceding day. Sadness overcoming him, he tried to go back to sleep and to his happy dream. His mother nudged him. "What is wrong? You are not yourself today." He began to cry and his sad story came tumbling out. "I'm sorry you're sad, said his mother, but that older giraffe was right. Rhinos and giraffes do NOT associate with one another. You need to forget her and stay with your own kind."

The young giraffe, too, moped around. She ate some leaves and even noticed one of the fruits that her rhino friend loved so much. It only made her sadder.

The days and weeks and months passed and the two friends began to get over their sorrow at the loss of their close friendship. They began to make more friends of their own kind too.

And then one day, a strange and frightening noise was heard in the jungle. It was a roaring noise the animals had never heard before. In the distance, the rhino heard loud voices that did not belong to any animal he had ever heard. And then he heard a voice that he did know well. It was the voice of a giraffe - a giraffe who was once his dearest friend. That voice was yelling for help.

The rhino, now quite a large and imposing creature, turned toward the yelling and ran through the jungle as fast as he could. Trees and vines tumbled ahead of him. He didn't care what he might run into as he ran.

And then, he emerged into a clearing and there he saw strange creatures with only two legs. They had odd fur of different colours. And worst of all, the creatures had tied long ropes to his friend and at the other end the ropes were tied to a strange creature with four black circular legs. It made the terrible roaring noise and this creature was pulling his friend along. Other giraffes were standing just at a safe distance and they were watching helplessly.

The young rhino did not give it one more moment of thought. He charged at the strange animal with the round legs, struck it hard, and knocked it onto its back. The two-legged creatures began yelling and running away.

The rhino's friend was free and she and the other giraffes ran away. The rhino too ran with them.

When they had reached a safe distance, the young giraffe and rhino came close together. With tears in their eyes, they vowed they would never be separated again, whatever the other giraffes and rhinos might say.

The elder giraffe who had caused their separation then spoke: "I have never seen such bravery from any animal before." And then he spoke directly to the young giraffe and rhino: "I was terribly wrong when I separated you. I was a fool. Please forgive me. From now on, rhinos and giraffes are friends."

There was great joy in the jungle that night as rhinos cleared a space for a great feast and giraffes brought them their favourite high-growing fruits. Rhinos and giraffes have been friends ever since.

Original story - a ritual of peace and love

The following is an original story by me. I hereby grant free and unlimited rights to use and modify this story so long as it is credited appropriately. - Andy Pakula

THE RITUAL OF PEACE AND LOVE

Many hundreds of years ago, there was a good and just man by the name of Tarkan. He had little in the way of material possessions, but he was happy. He lived peacefully with his neighbours and helped others whenever he could. He cherished his family above all - his wife and his two young sons.

As a young man, Tarkan developed a habit that he would maintain throughout his life - it was a habit that helped to keep him kind and compassionate toward others. Each day, just after rising, Tarkan would go to his window and look out toward the houses around his. He would think individually of each person who lived in each of those houses and he would whisper all of their names to himself. As he did, he would tap his chest just over his heart with the mention of each name.

Having finished his listing of all of his neighbours, he would do the same for all of the animals he knew of. And then, Tarkan would close his eyes and imagine all of the cities he knew of, all of the nations he knew of, and he would whisper their names as well, always touching the area of his heart with each utterance.

Finally, Tarkan would say a prayer wishing peace and happiness to every sentient being on the earth.

With this ritual completed, Tarkan would go about building a fire to warm the house, waking his sons, and preparing for his labour of the day.

As Tarkan was an early riser, his sons only occasional witnessed their father's morning ritual. When they did, they were at first baffled, wondering who he was talking to and why he would stand at the window in this way every day. As they grew older, they sometimes tried to copy their father's ritual, although they were too young to fully understand.

One terrible day, soldiers burst into Tarkan's modest home. A division had arisen in the land and the people were taking sides against one another. Everyone was compelled to choose or be considered a traitor. With swords brandished, the soldiers dragged Tarkan outside and demanded that he join their faction and fight those of his neighbours who were on the other side. As his wife and young sons watched, they demanded that Tarkan join them in destroying homes and driving the opponents away. Tarkan refused. "I love all my neighbours" he said, "both man and beast. I will not raise a hand against anyone."

"If you do not join us, you will die!" shouted one of the soldiers, and he threatened Tarkan with his sword. The young boys began to cry. "Say yes, father" they begged. But Tarkan simply shook his head gently "I love all my neighbours. I will not raise a hand against anyone."

There was a sudden movement and Tarkan doubled over in pain, his hands clutched to his belly. The soldiers stormed off and Tarkan's wife and children bent over him weeping. Minutes later, there was blood in the sand and Tarkan was dead.

Tarkan's wife and sons fled to the safety of a nearby land. At times angry about Tarkan's refusal to cooperate with the soldiers, their admiration for his courage and bravery grew. When his sons were grown and on their own, the older son moved back to their homeland and the younger remained in the neighbouring land. Both sons independently began to imitate their father's morning practice each day. They taught it to their own children, and they in turn taught it to theirs. The practice grew in both lands as others heard about it and learned the story of Tarkan's love of peace and his bravery. Eventually, thousands and thousands of people practiced the ritual each day.

As the two sons had been separated by considerable distance, the tradition in the two locations grew separately. Many years later, members of one group learned about the other group. They were delighted to learn of a kindred movement and they arranged for a grand reunion at a village near the border between their lands.

Hundreds attended and they celebrated joyously with food and drink and great words of praise for the memory of Tarkan. The leader of the reunion ascended the platform to speak and announced the key event of the gathering. Everyone would join together the following morning for the ritual. "Please assemble here at 7:00 tomorrow morning" she said.

A rumble came from the crowd. "7:00?" someone shouted angrily. "The ritual is always performed at 6:00. It dishonours Tarkan's memory to practice at 7:00." There was worry and some arguing in the crowd as the convener spoke with the elders of the two communities. She returned smiling. "Your leaders have agreed that we will meet at 6:30." There was a low murmuring and neither group was completely happy, but everyone eventually agreed and went off to sleep with excitement about the next morning's events.

The next morning, the moment that they had all been waiting for finally arrived. Hundreds assembled to perform the practice just minutes before 6:30. As they gathered, half of them lined up facing south and half faced north. "Turn around" they shouted at each other. "You're facing the wrong direction!" "No," others yelled, "you are facing the wrong direction." "How dare you disgrace Tarkan's memory like this?"

No one knows who threw the first blow, but once again there was blood on the sand and the north facing and south facing Tarkan followers became bitter enemies, and remain so to this very day, just as they continue their daily ritual of peace and love.

U+ : A worksheet to facilitate your practice

U+ Practices worksheet

This worksheet was created a a support for practicing the U+ plan for Unitarian/UU living. The U+ program itself can be found on the previous blog post here.

Specificity and commitment make practice much more likely and possible. Complete a worksheet at least each year and as often as your commitments change. Keep it close and keep it up to date!

Please note: . If you modify the programme, please do not use the name 'U+' for it. I ask this solely because I hope that a network of mutually supportive U+ groups might eventually emerge. This will be stymied if U+ is significantly different in different places. 

This worksheet may also be downloaded through these Google Docs links. PDF, RTF, ODT, DOCX

1. Dietary responsibility: Adopt a just and compassionate diet.

My commitment(s)

2. Responsible consumption: Adopt a just and compassionate approach to sourcing clothing, goods and resources.

My commitment(s)

3. Reduce impact: Be kind to the earth and others by recycling, reducing waste, sharing and donating the goods we have

My commitment(s)

4. Generosity: Help the wider community

          

My financial generosity commitment(s)
My service generosity commitment(s)

5. Community: Join a Unitarian congregation  

My commitment for participation and generosity(s)

6. Serve your community: Take on service roles in your congregational community

My commitment(s)

7. Care for your physical self: Adopt a wholesome lifestyle, avoiding substances and practices that would injure you or lessen your abilities and seeking those that strengthen.

My commitment(s)

8. Exploration in relationship: Belong to (or lead) at least one ongoing congregational small group each year that gathers regularly for mutual support and spiritual growth

My commitment(s)

9. Individual exploration: Actively and deliberately examine your beliefs and values

My commitment(s)

10. Spiritual practice: Adopt one or more daily spiritual practices

My commitment(s)

11. Annual renewal time: For two or more consecutive weeks each year live a more disciplined spiritual life, preferably with others in your community. This may include spiritual practices, charity work, and adhering to extra dietary restrictions.

My commitment(s)

12. Pilgrimage: Take on an immersive experience in the world at least once every five years. This may serve as a ‘pilgrimage’ to a ‘spiritual site.

My pilgrimage plan(s)