Peace of Mind and the Common Good
Reading in Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove's The Wisdom of Stability
(Paraclete, 2010), I came across this paragraph that I'd like to share, and invite your response:
If personal peace of mind is the highest good we can imagine, life with other people becomes difficult, especially when we are divided by cultures, values, education, or class. This is I suspect, why the church continues to be the most segregated institution in American society, even as schools, workplaces, and even families become racially integrated. A spirituality that seeks peace of mind leads almost inevitably to consumer religion that sells an experience on Sunday morning (or Saturday evening, if you prefer) to individuals who have little sense of community because they are rarely together in one place at the same time. (p. 69).
What is the nature of our spirituality? Where is it leading? Does it lead us to embrace the common good or the individual good as preeminent? And does the answer have something to do with a sense of rootedness?
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