| Hi John, I’m still on a little high from all the love I have been receiving — thank you, friend!
For this week’s letter, I’d like to talk about the idea that at our core, we are all good and how distortion and self-awareness shape our actions. It’s something I think is worth exploring together!
Cartoon: We can still be friends.
Dad Joke: Cremated 💀
Quotes: More power, less responsible?! 🤔
Merch of The Week: More Love, Less Hate 🌈🧡 Original: All I Need is a Sliver of Light 💫 |
|
| Funny how 'we can still be friends' usually comes from the ones holding the ax. I’m grateful for the love this post received this week, but it’s also sad because it means so many of you relate to this — for that, I am sorry. |
|
| I told my wife that I wanted to be cremated. She made an appointment for Tuesday. |
|
May I think out loud with you for a minute? I’m not sure how this extended thought will conclude. This has been brewing for a while, but after reading Wynn-Williams’s account of her experience working with Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, and the people and teams there, I realized I had to say something about it. Questions like, “Why do people with more power care less?” “Why do people with more money get more greedy?” Are they evil? Or is something else going on?
But here’s what I’ve come up with so far: I’ve come to the tentative conclusion that we are all essentially good. That we’re born good. Now, this goes against everything I was taught in my home, society, and in the Church growing up. And by visible evidence. I was taught I was a depraved sinner even before I was conceived like everyone else. But I don’t think that anymore.
It’s like the book I read a few weeks ago by Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche, In Love With The World: A Monk’s Journey Through the Bardos of Living and Dying, where he wrote about the Buddha: “What he discovered is that our true nature is already awake, already perfect as-it-is; and that what he initially sought to attain was already within him.” I understand this now. But how do we account for the evil that happens in the world… through people?
This reminds me of Etty Hillesum: A Life Transformed by Patrick Woodhouse. Hillesum, a young Jewish woman from Amsterdam who perished in Auschwitz, refused to hate — even in the face of cruelty. She saw even the worst bullies as broken and believed that, at our core, we are all rooted in goodness and love. A fan of Jung, she saw a fully integrated life as the ultimate goal. I prefer this kind of language to broken and damaged. Even the word “fragmented” is problematic for me. Lately, I’ve been thinking about “distortion”. We all have an inner mirror — when we’re self-aware and integrated, it reflects clearly. But without self-awareness, that mirror warps, distorting both how we see the world and how we move through it, creating more chaos in the process.
Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche wrote, “All are motivated by the wish for happiness. The universal constancy of this orientation toward happiness is a reflection of our basic goodness.” That feels true to me. At our core, even in our actions, is a cry for happiness. Even the bully, inflicting cruelty, is just searching for it — without knowing how to find it without taking from others.
A narcissist trying to inflict suffering on me — at the root, I see someone deeply unhappy, struggling to find joy. I know this can sound trite, even dismissive. Saying, “They just want to be happy,” about a narcissistic bully feels oversimplified. But I don’t think it is. Their cruelty reveals their distortion. The harsher their actions, the more twisted their view of the world — and of themselves. |
|
More Love, Less Hate The world could always use more love and a lot less hate. This "More Love, Less Hate" t-shirt is a simple but powerful reminder of what really matters. With bold, colorful lettering that pops, it’s a statement of hope, inclusivity, and kindness. Wear it as a mantra, a movement, or just because it feels right.
In times like these, choosing love over hate is an act of resilience and resistance! |
|
All I Need Is A Sliver Of Light
In a snow storm, I see a lone tree standing in the worst weather. But, there it is, standing! And it will still be standing after this storm passes. It reminds me to be intentional about being resilient and reliable. To endure the storms that come my way. I feel like we are heading into another storm. I intend to withstand it. I intend to come out the other side just as steadfastly beautiful as I entered it. |
|
|
|
| I want you to as well! I’ve been busy behind the scenes, inspired by nature. I think we can take it for granted. You’ll see many of my recent paintings revolving around trees. It’s something that speaks to me deeply, and I believe it will to so many of you! |
|
| I’ve been really open this past week about the challenges of being an artist and running a small business, and the response has been amazing — thank you! I used to feel embarrassed about asking people to donate to my work, thinking I had to maintain a certain image. But your support has reminded me that being vulnerable is important — people want to help, and we should let them know when we need it. Much love my friend, David |
|
| PS: Stay tuned for something extra special that I’ve been working on! I know you’re going to love it. I really think it’s something we all need right now! 👀 |
|
| Copyright © 2025 nakedpastor, All rights reserved. No longer want to receive these emails? Unsubscribe.
NakedPastor Gondola Point Road Quispamsis, NB E2E 1H6 |
|
|
|
|
