Some of us are asking the questions: Are spiritual practices a necessity or merely a luxury in these turbulent times? How do prayer, meditation, mindfulness and other practices help us in crazy times? Here we explore practices that will stabilize and anchor us when the winds of rancor and rage are swirling. Goldberg urges us to look into our spiritual pantry to find the ingredients that are most useful to us, ones that fit our personal needs, predilections and circumstances. He encourages us to create effective spiritual routines yet remain flexible. He also talks about becoming activists and says, “Spiritual practitioners are needed to also rise to the occasion and be good citizens, active citizens.” He advocates bringing the best of ourselves to our life and work by combining our outer work in the world with our inner work of spiritual development and says, “It’s not a luxury but it’s incumbent upon us to bring the qualities we’re developing in ourselves out into the world as our contribution, whether it’s minor or small, whether it’s a phone call to somebody to make them feel better, or you’re out in the streets marching, or you’re running for office. Whatever it is, the world needs deeply spiritual people who tend to be more loving, more compassionate, more wise.”
