I see today's "monk without a monastery," or "monk in the world," as a champion of dialogue and discernment, who builds community and healing. As I continue my education, it will be my responsibility to take steps to increase my communication ethics literacy for the benefit of my workplace, my family and the world. Communication… Continue reading The dialectical way of life
The night I checked into the hospital to have my first child, I was cared for by a doctor I had never met. She was new to the OB/Gyn practice where I was a patient and I had never had an office visit with her. My optimism at the thought of having my child had… Continue reading Responsiveness in the hospital community
In Communication Ethics Literacy: Dialogue and Difference, the authors discuss the theory developed by Robert Bellah that organization are holders of a "community of memory" (Arnett, Fritz, and Bell, 2009). No organization or individual exists in a vacuum, especially not the Church. The Christian Church has a long history of tradition, or holding the community… Continue reading The community of Church memory and how things change
In our culture of global connectedness, dialogue and opinion, more often opinion, are as widespread as the air we breathe. In communication ethics, "the public arena does not offer the final answer; it is the place where one takes a grounded stance, engages the grounded stances of others, and makes a decision (Armett, Fritz, and… Continue reading Moderated Comments
Interpersonal distance is an important part of ethics in interpersonal communications. You can read more about it in Communications Ethics Literacy: Dialogue and Difference by Arnett, Fritz and Bell, 2009. In the vlog linked below I wish to illustrate the importance of distance in interpersonal relationships by using a clip from the film Pride and Prejudice. It… Continue reading I beg you not to importune me any further
The narrative that guides my life can be summed up in referencing the story of the search for the Holy Grail. This may seem like a big story to throw out there at you as my life's narrative, or it may seem overly cheesy, but I'd like to explain. The Grail legend is a fascinating… Continue reading Search for the Grail
Have you ever thought about how your notion of "the good" is different from someone else's? For years I have studied personality typing. I am a nine on the Enneagram and tend to want to understand the viewpoints of all around me for the sake of connection. I enjoy seeing others' points of view, although… Continue reading The good of me
In COM 601, Communication Fluency, at Queens University, I have learned a great deal about myself and how I process information, as well as how others receive it. The seven traditions of communication theory have given me the tools to question to whom I am communicating and from whom I am receiving communication. In addition,… Continue reading Reflected Images
In keeping with the theme of my blog of "monk in the world" or "mystic without a monastery," I'd like to compare the idea of seven communication traditions with the notion of seven stages of spiritual transformation. The seven stages of spiritual transformation, described differently by different teachers, including in the Gnostic Gospel of Mary… Continue reading Seven traditions, seven stages?
The 1995 BBC film Pride & Prejudice offers "equipment for living" (Burke, 1973) for women seeking to build self-confidence and the ability to stand up for their own best interests. Right, fans? We all have role models and I'd be willing to bet that for a large number of women in the United States, one… Continue reading Pride & Prejudice, or how a woman should live?
