Browse Items (4 total)

Thurman reflects on how human societies are built on power over nature, time, and space, yet these advancements create a spiritual and emotional disconnect, leaving people unable to fully connect with or help each other. Despite technological progress that shrinks the world, our sense of neighborliness lags behind, leaving us always on the outside, unable to fully merge with or heal the suffering of others.

Thurman explores the interconnectedness of all living things, drawing parallels between animals, humans, and nature, emphasizing the mystery of life and the difficulty of separating oneself from the natural world. He reflects on the paradox of human self-consciousness, the need for connection, and the struggle to reconcile the boundaries between self-identity and the broader existence of life around us.

In this recording within the We Believe Series, Thurman reflects upon the Thanksgiving season, asking the question: "What is the nature of your own gratitude?" He calls the listener to discern whether or not they have paused to look at their life in the present moment and identifies the present moment as a gift. When considering the task of understanding the present moment as a gift, mercy and gratitude function as the means to allow oneself to be present in the moment. Thurman claims that our…

This recording is the sixth lecture in our collection of ten that Howard Thurman gave at the University of Redlands in 1973 on the topic of mysticism. Thurman indicates that this lecture functions as a means to point the listener towards practical approaches to mysticism through lenses of psychology, philosophy, and religious experience. In this recording, Thurman reflects upon what it means to make sense of one's own transcendent "center." The center to which Thurman is referencing is held in…