What is the relationship between love and logic in actual life? What is the relevance
of spirituality for the contemporary men and women who do not have the luxury to spend
hours in prayer? Can spirituality emerge from the ordinary, boring and mundane experiences
of an average human being? Open-minded and visionary, the articles in this book are meant
to touch the daily life of busy people who are fully involved in the struggles and success
of daily life. For better clarity and convenience, these articles are divided into eight
approximate and arbitrary sections:
* Religion and Life
* Stories that Connect
* Poetry and Language
* Spirituality and Service
* Science and Religion
* Depth of Life * Keys to Happiness
* Suffering and Evil
Limited to 625 words, they appeared first in the `Financial Chronicle,' one of the most
prestigious business and financial newspapers of India, and they attempt to provide us
with both roots and wings: rooted that will give them a sense of belonging to the rich
Indian heritage and wings that will take them forward based on the spiritual depth. This
book, `Insights from Love and Logic: In Arrangement with Financial Chronicle' is a humble
attempt to lead genuine spiritual life in our contemporary context.
Contents
Foreword
Acknowledgements
Introduction
Religion and Life
1. Religion too Needs Innovation, Change
2. Religion Must not be Linked to Superstition
3. Personal Religious Conversion is Vital
4. Can Religion Foster Good Behaviour?
5. Between the Plausible and the Ridiculous
6. Developing Moral, Spiritual Capacity
Stories that Connect
7. Reading Stories Can Alter How We Think
8. Connect Your Life Story to Spirituality
9. How We Can Connect Ourselves to Others
10. Why are Choices Important to Life?
11. When Profit Takes Over Public Interest
12. How Storytelling Can Connect Us Internally
13. Gaining Wisdom through Stories
14. Our Common Story
Poetry and Language
15. Idleness May Be the Ideal Sometimes
16. We must Behold the Beauty of Life
17. Turns out, You Can Cultivate Compassion
18. Is it too Difficult to Forgive and Forget?
19. Generosity Leads to Win-Win Situations
20. An Economic and Spiritual Language
21. Poetry Often Links Culture and Society
Spirituality and Services
22. When Regrets of the Dying Teach Us to Live
23. What Christmas Really Teaches Us
24. The Synthetic Allure of Narcissistic Spirituality
25. Genuine Progress is also Spiritual
26. Celebrating Material Possessions Mindfully
27. Attain Liberation through the Body
28. Finding Spirituality in Ordinary Things
29. India's Greatest Gift to the World
Science and Religion
30. Science and Religion Must be Open to Change
31. Pace of Life Affects Perception of Time
32. The Bridge between Science and Religion
33. Einstein's Thought on Prayer Teaches Us a Lot
34. When Religion and Science Collaborate
35. What if We Connect Our Brain and Mind?
36. Genuine Spirituality Means True Humanity
37. What We Can Learn from Agnosticism
Depth of Life
38. When People Dare to Dream for the World
39. Do Ecosystems Reside in Our Bodies as Well?
40. Does Good Always Triumph Over Evil?
41. Search the Human Heart for Goodness
42. Get to the Depth through Deepities
43. Roots and Routes as our Foundation
44. In the Eternal Quest for Reality and Truth
Keys to Happiness
45. Meditation for Better Mental Clarity, Focus
46. When You Feel a Stroke of Insight
47. Dispositional Attitude and Individual Destiny
48. The Mere Pursuit of Happiness Thwarts It
49. In Life, Happiness and Meaning are Seperate
50. More Does Not Always Mean Something Better
51. Human Bias towards Happiness
52. Christmas Brings the Best in Us
53. So, How is Your Eudemonia Doing?
54. Warren Buffett's Key to Happiness
Suffering and Evil
55. Encounter the Best and the Worst in Us
56. To Succeed, Embrace your Vulnerability
57. Where Tragedy Meets Eternity
58. Ways of Reaping Larger Rewards
59. Utilise Compassion Instead of Empathy
60. Is Virtual Empathy Becoming a Reality?
61. Google's Way to Attain Physical Immortality
62. Deep Reading Boosts Our Empathetic Ability
Epilogue
Bibliography
Index
Prof. Kuruvilla Pandikattu SJ holds two doctorates and has been
involved in creative dialogue between science and religion. Author/editor of more than 40
books, he teaches philosophy at Jnana-Deepa Vidypeeth: Pontifical Institute of Philosophy
and Religion and is a regular columnist for `Financial Chronicle,' Hyderabad. He is a
Jesuit priest belonging to Dumka-Raiganj Province and an accomplished teacher and writer
in making religion relevant to our times.
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