Welcome to Lotus Rainier
Truth, civility and independence
My mother was very strong about my doing well in school and living up to my potential. Two things were important to her and she repeated them endlessly. One was to ‘be a lady,’ and that meant conduct yourself civilly, don’ t let emotions like anger or envy get in your...
Road trip to Mammoth Lakes
California looking like Norway or Switzerland. A road trip to pay homage to the mountains, as they are calling us. We are passing by Palmdale, California City, Red Rock Canyon, Lone Pine, Independence, Big Pine, Bishop, Convict Lake and now, Mammoth. Some slight...
‘America Adjacent’: The play’s lessons on light and love
Samantha Valdellon, Angela T. Baesa, Sandy Velasco, Arianne Villareal and Toni Katano star in “America Adjacent” at the Skylight Theater in Los Angeles. | Photo by Ed Krieger The man who is ‘fighting for his rights’ is working in the wrong way. The only way to be sure...
Hope for Change to Remove Power-Abusive Weeds in Institutions
By ensuring that no one in government has too much power, the Constitution helps protect ordinary Americans every day against abuse of power by those in authority. Chief Justice John Roberts We are all in this together — in this country, USA, and even if we pretend we...
No one is above the law — not even Catholic priests
Pope Francis has declared a Jubilee Year of Mercy. From the Vatican’s website, “The Church is celebrating the Holy Year of Mercy, a time of grace, peace, conversion and joy. It is meant for everyone: people of every age, from far and near. There are no walls or...
Spiritual Journey
I woke up at 2 am, raring to go. Taken at dawn at the rooftop of Pontificat Institute of Notre Dame in Jerusalem, where a fellow pilgrim from South Korea was meditating. At the entrance of this chapel in the hotel, I smelled rose essence, but the altar flowers were...
The power of kindness: Four types of people
Think of a person who faces the world without knowing his capabilities and limitations – someone with misguided notions about himself, who dreams of being powerful, rich, and admired for a host of talents he does not have. Such a person is incapable of self-judgment....
The Lies Of Two Minds’
“‘I’ convinced ‘myself.’ The I that did the convincing was the one who needed desperately to justify the entire experience, to make it sane and right and okay and approved. Myself was convinced as the moral self, the part of me I would want to be a judge in a legal...
The lies of two minds’
Cover Photo: A hawk flying above LA’s skyline (Photo by Christine Ho) I’ convinced ‘myself.’ The I that did the convincing was the one who needed desperately to justify the entire experience, to make it sane and right and okay and approved. Myself was convinced as...