This video is a part of the Healing the Heart of Democracy Discussion Guide and can be found with more videos and resources in our “Healing the Heart of Democracy Hub.” You can explore the hub, download the guide, and find all of the videos along with additional resources here.
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The other heart disease is what I call the syndrome of the empty self, the self that can’t find meaning and purpose, that has in effect “lost heart.” This is a self that is totally disoriented by lots of things—the collapse of traditions that gave us meaning and purpose, the cacophony and noise of our culture, the frantic speed and pace. In the conditions of modern life it’s really very easy to lose any sense that I have a reason for being here, or that I am somebody whose life has worth. (Excerpt from video)
Q. What “heart diseases” in modern life most trouble you? Have you seen evidence of “the empty self ” at work in the world? For you and the people you know best, what allows you to engage the world and its problems with a “full heart” as contrasted to an “empty self”?
