Being Human in Times that Test the Human Spirit
Some reflections to make sense of it
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I had initially planned for this week to be a recounting of the Dickensian state of the workforce of late, but more relevant matters have surfaced that require some reflection.
In a year marked by uncertainty, crises, and violence, we’ve been forced again and again to face the fragility of life and the challenge of meaning in suffering. Over the weekend, a triptych of tragedies occurred, from Brown University to Bondi Beach to a horrific double parricide in Los Angeles. Rick Wilson wrote about An Evil Weekend, and my dear friend Lou Paskalis recounted being at Bondi Beach as the shooting began.
For my own purposes, I thought it was an appropriate time to review what we’ve shared here this year. I identified related themes that have threaded through this year’s Timeless & Timely essays: grief and resilience, moral leadership in crisis, empathy as foundation, and the hard work of courage and service.
Here’s a look back at these ideas — and at what they reveal when the world as we know it seems to be moving beneath our feet.
1. In the Midst of Grief — Naming the Pain
A meditation on grief that refuses to fade — and why acknowledging its persistence is essential for real healing.
Can We Ever Be Still in a World That Won’t Stop Moving?
An honest look at how chaos tests our capacity for stillness and what it reveals about inner strength.
Reflecting on how sudden trauma shocks not just our bodies but our moral imaginations — and how leaders must respond.
2. Moral Leadership When Crisis Comes
The Moral Art of Leading in a Crisis
Why crisis leadership isn’t just about action — it’s about moral intention behind each decision.
When the World Trembles — True Leaders Emerge
A stark reminder that true leadership reveals itself not in calm, but in the crucible of uncertainty.
3. Where Courage Meets Community
Not about capes and accolades — this reframes heroism as quiet, ethical choices under pressure.
A call to resist fear not by ignoring it, but by acting with conviction in its presence.
Collaboration Requires Compassion
Actual teamwork demands emotional intelligence as much as strategic acumen; empathy becomes the core competency.
4. The Particle and the Whole — Wrestling with Uncertainty
Uncertainty and Unpredictability
In an era where future and fate seem mercurial, this piece explores how leaders stay grounded.
More than a soft skill — empathy binds communities and becomes the basis for mutual trust and collective dignity.
5. The Soul of Service
Perhaps the pulse of all the themes this year: leadership as devotion, service as love made visible.
An invitation to shift focus from tools and technology to people, showing how leaders who build cultures of care and deep connection inspire loyalty and purpose even in the hardest times.
Bringing it All Together
When I look back across these entries, I see a conversation about what it means to be human in times that test the human spirit.
This year’s headlines — the indiscriminate deportations, the massacres, funding cuts, the layoffs, the familial tragedy that stunned a nation — remind us that the world is neither safe nor predictable.
But these essays shine a light on an undeniable truth:
We are called not to build a world without suffering, but to build leaders, communities, and practices that meet suffering with courage, empathy, and service, and love.
Thank you for traveling these questions with me.
Here’s to ending this year not in despair, but in determination.
There’s so much to learn,
