What?! That’s right, I said it: God doesn’t care.

I had this “A-ha!” moment while I was struggling with some external things in my life – namely, screen time for my eleven-year-old and healthy eating habits for myself and my family. In that moment I realised that God doesn’t care what we eat, how much we eat, or when we eat it. He doesn’t care how much time we spend in front of the screen or when we do it. He doesn’t care what we wear, what kind of car we drive, or any other of a litany of superficial aspects.

I struggle with parenting my child around screen time, feeling that he ought to spend the ‘right’ (not too much) amount of time on devices, at the ‘right’ (not before 7am nor after dinner) times. I struggle with a preoccupation with food, feeling that I ought to eat the ‘right’ (healthy, organic) foods in the ‘right’ (not too much) amounts, at the ‘right’ (not between meals nor after dinner) times, to the point that – my husband and I joke – I’m more likely to die of an illness induced by my toxic obsessing than of malnutrition! Continue reading God Doesn’t Care →

Forgive me while I be pedantic about language. But language matters. I have heard many people say that language evolves and while that can be true, it can also cause problems. I know that words like “cleave” have opposite meanings but can usually be figured out from context, but some things cannot be deciphered from context. “She was literally jumping for joy” could mean that someone was excitedly jumping up and down. Or it might mean that the person was just really excited but not actually jumping. Because literally can now mean figuratively.

Language matters. “Different” doesn’t mean “inferior”. Discrimination is not a bad thing. At least not according to the definition. It essentially means to “perceive a difference” or even “to use good judgment”.

But what about words like diversity and variety? We associate variety with flavors of donuts or colors, and diversity with people and opinions, but what do they actually mean?

The dictionary definition of “variety” is “the quality or state of having different forms or types.” Continue reading Variety vs Diversity →

​For lots of people, dirty, off-color, vulgar, crude or inappropriate humor has no place in entertainment, social interactions or any part of day to day life. The only trouble is that humor and laughter play almost as important a role in human life as sex and sexuality, which tend to be the subject of such “lowbrow” humor.

Swedenborg explains why laughter is important based on its correspondential meaning. In the context of the biblical story of Sarah laughing at the announcement that she would have a child in her old age, Swedenborg explains that laughter represents affection for truth or inversely falsity (Gen. 18:12, Arcana Coelestia 2072). Within the context of that story, Sarah’s laughter is a response to the contradiction between the truth of her old age and the promise that she would bare a child. Humor often comes from a place of trying to rationalize the information we take in from the world around us. Laughter can spring up whether we see an inconsistency or when we see something that perfectly represents our experience. Humor is funny that way. Continue reading What A Dirty Joke →

I attended Kainon School, a New Church Primary School in Westville, Durban, South Africa between 1996 and 2002. The values that were formed during those years have been foundational throughout my life. One of the things that has recently taken on more meaning for me is Kainon School’s motto: “Happiness in a Useful Life” or “In Usibus Felicitas.”

A few months ago, I wrote an article about my personal growth journey and taking steps to fulfil my purpose. Over the past few months, I have experienced so much joy, challenge and fulfilment in my work. One of the most rewarding parts of my work is having the privilege to help others find their purpose. This part of my work involves guiding teens and adults on a journey of self-awareness and personal development to help them to figure out the unique value they can offer the world. I love nothing more than seeing a person’s face light up when they suddenly “click” and the pieces of the puzzle finally fall into place.

When I am working with people in this way, I feel like I am fulfilling my own purpose. Having the opportunity to hear a beautiful, unique personal story and helping someone to understand their “essence” is what motivates me. My passion lies in helping a person to identify their strengths, understand their gifts and harness their talents in order to empower them to live a useful and fulfilling life.

“From them they also knew what charity was, namely the affection for serving others without any thought of reward…” – Emanuel Swedenborg (Arcana Coelestia 3419(3))

Continue reading In Usibus Felicitas →