In telling the story of his awakening Confucius said, and I paraphrase, “At 15, I set my heart on learning. At 30, I planted my feet firmly in day to day living. At 40, I no longer suffered from uncertainty. At 50, I knew what made my heart sing. At 60, I knew equanimity. At 70, I became an authentic person of no fixed position.” Confucius lived masterfully. In sitting down to tell the story of my life, I discovered that there were six spiritual disciplines of human flourishing that had guided me to my own awakening. Like Confucius I could say at 15, I set my heart on learning. At 30, I planted my feet firmly in day to day living. At 40, I far less often suffered from uncertainty. At 50, I knew what made my heart sing. At 60, I finally discovered equanimity. So now I seek to grow in wisdom and understanding into my seventies. For me, the first and foundational spiritual discipline was resiliency. Let me tell you a...
