Time And Despondency

Idleness. Apathy. Restlessness. Procrastination. These are symptoms, of what early Christian theologians called despondency (acedia), a spiritual sickness rooted in a lack of care or effort. A condition as old as the ancients, despondency thrives in today¿s culture of leisure, anxiety, and digital distraction. Time and Despondency is a penetrating synthesis of ancient theology, spiritual memoir, and self-help practicality. It envisions despondency as the extension of a broken relationship with the experience of time. Driven by the fear of death and the anxiety of living, despondency drives us to abandon the present moment, forsaking the only temporal realm in which we have true fellowship with Christ. The remedies offered by time-honored Christian thinkers for this predicament constitute not only an antidote to despondency but also stepping stones back to the present moment. In regaining the sacredness of time, we re-encounter the Resurrection of Christ in the dark and restless moments of our lives.

Throughout Scripture and patristic writings, Christians are consistently enjoined to give thanks to God in all things. But it can be easy to forget to give thanks on a daily basis, especially in times of trial. This journal contains an inspiring quotation for each day of the year, plus space to record brief thanksgivings for three years in a row. With a consistent practice of giving specific thanks to God each day of the year, you will see your life transformed.

The noonday devil is the demon of acedia, the vice also known as sloth. The word “sloth”, however, can be misleading, for acedia is not laziness; in fact it can manifest as busyness or activism. Rather, acedia is a gloomy combination of weariness, sadness, and a lack of purposefulness. It robs a person of his capacity for joy and leaves him feeling empty, or void of meaning Abbot Nault says that acedia is the most oppressive of demons. Although its name harkens back to antiquity and the Middle Ages, and seems to have been largely forgotten, acedia is experienced by countless modern people who describe their condition as depression, melancholy, burn-out, or even mid-life crisis. He begins his study of acedia by tracing the wisdom of the Church on the subject from the Desert Fathers to Saint Thomas Aquinas. He shows how acedia afflicts persons in all states of life— priests, religious, and married or single laymen. He details not only the symptoms and effects of acedia, but also remedies for it.

""Can't Kim be happy?" This is the question asked of Kim Korson--a female Woody Allen--at her first (and last) shrink appointment, and her chief dilemma in this fresh-voiced, hilarious take on what it means to be a malcontent. "Go find your happy place!" Kim Korson's befuddled husband exclaims one day, as his disgruntled wife is listing about the house (as malcontents are wont to do.) It sounds simple enough--only Kim can't. Because she doesn't have one. I Don't Have a Happy Place is an exploration of Kim's oftentimes irrational, at times self-induced, and nearly perpetual state of unhappiness, told through a series of humorous, autobiographical essays. Beginning with her childhood in the 1970s and extending through first jobs, first loves, marriage,and motherhood, Kim tries to explain why she's happiest at her most unhappy--and why she's completely fine with that. But, determined to change her ways for her children if nothing else, Kim moves her family from Brooklyn to southern Vermont to see if she can find happy for the first time in her life. Rife with evocative and nostalgic observations, unapologetic realism, and razor-sharp wit, I Don't Have a Happy Place is sure to make you laugh, nod your head compulsively in agreement, and ultimately feelempowered to ask: "Happy? Who's happy?!""--

No end of books these days offer us techniques for self-improvement. Taking a different tack, Robin Phillips shows that God meets us where we are, in the pain and heartache of the present moment. Instead of looking for a way to escape from hardship, we can cultivate an attitude of gratitude, peace, and self-acceptance that will transform our experience of suffering. Drawing on his own experiences and his work as a consultant in the behavioral health industry-as well as stories of saints and sufferers, teachings of the Fathers, and recent discoveries in neuroscience-Phillips shows us that the journey to personal well-being is one we can all travel, regardless of the hardships we may face.