21 levels of Self-Deception: THIRD EDITION by Tom Wallace - HTML preview

T W E N T Y - O N E L E V E L S

matter how sophisticated our philosophy or theology might be, we are left in awe at the generosity and celebration of the universe. I believe that we can try to be the means of grace in the world — to make it manifest in our everyday lives. This would be a true and pragmatic form of spirituality — not abstract and other-worldly, but rooted in the here and now. Pleasure, beauty, awe, gratitude, creativity, celebration — they are all connected — feeding and nurturing each other as we enter them more deeply. A large part of the awe we feel for the world is derived from beauty. The beauty of nature has a special significance for us as our story unfolds. Originally it was the ‘second book’ in the Christian tradition, the manifest presence of God. Our modern Western culture has lost sight of this, so our relationship with beauty can be a conflicted one. Even so, as I hope we will see, our response to nature in awe is critical.

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