How do we balance the need to be informed–and to act–with the need to remain centered and grounded? Join Amanda as she explores the very real experience of overwhelm that we can feel in today’s world, and offers some ways to avoid the burnout…without disconnecting entirely from our role as ethical agents in the world. … Continue reading Compassion Fatigue and Not Looking Away: Paying Attention to the Whole World
Amanda Poppei, Senior Leader, with Gayle Danley, poet. Join us for our annual honoring of those we have lost, as we pay attention to their memories and share gratitude for their lives. Poet Gayle Danley will join us again this year to share her beautiful reflections, and music will be offered by Mairi Breen Rothman … Continue reading Remembrance Day: Paying Attention to Loss
The butterfly has become a symbol for migrants–flying around the world, across borders, as part of its natural engagement in the world. And indeed, movement around the world has been a part of human history for as long as there have been humans! How do we understand immigration in America in the larger context of … Continue reading Are We All Immigrants?
The Buddhist tradition teaches us that suffering comes from attachment–from our hopes and expectations. Join Amanda to consider what it would be like to live without expectations, and how that practice (even when done imperfectly!) can be a core technique for more satisfying relationships.
We often find that grief, anger, even just annoyance come up when our expectations are unmet–when we had hopes for one thing and find that life turns out differently. It can be tempting to rush on to the next possibility, without giving space for ourselves to truly feel the loss, whether in our own lives … Continue reading Unmet Expectations
As we mark our 75th anniversary, Amanda looks back at what the founders of WES might have expected–not just of our congregation, but of the world around them. Have we met those expectations? What might we expect in the next 75 years? And what does Ethical Culture offer to help us navigate the changes ahead?
Amanda will take your ethical and philosophical questions and answer…as best she can! Will this be the year she finally knows the meaning of life? (Spoiler alert: nope). Send your questions ahead of time to amandap@ethicalsociety.org. Music – Kweku Owusu
A classic theater game invites us to say YES to whatever is presented within the imaginative bounds of the game. “Hey, you’re on a spaceship!” “Yes, I am!” In real life, we can’t, and shouldn’t, always say an unqualified yes. At the same time, there is wisdom to be found in the practice of “yes…and,” … Continue reading Yes…And
As Amanda prepares to take her seven-week sabbatical, join her for a reflection on the moments in our life when we really need community…and the importance of sometimes taking time away, to be with ourselves. How do we bring the wisdom of each experience to the other? Music from Josh Blinder.
As we celebrate Pride in DC, join us as we explore the evolving meaning of the concept of queerness. How is everyone’s world made more beautiful by the boundary-breakers who are expanding our understanding of gender identity and sexuality? And what’s up with those pronouns? Music from the WES Chorus.
