The Active Life: A Spirituality of Work, Creativity, and Caring

Engage the Spirit and Truth of the Active Life

What spiritual sources can we draw on to receive guidancefor–and from–our lives in the world of action?

The Active Life is Parker J. Palmer′s deep and gracefulexploration of a spirituality for the busy, sometimes freneticlives many of us lead. Telling evocative stories from a variety ofreligious traditions, including Taoist, Jewish, and Christian,Palmer shows that the spiritual life does not mean abandoning theworld but engaging it more deeply through life–giving action. Hecelebrates both the problems and potentials of the active life,revealing how much they have to teach us about ourselves, theworld, and God.

Preface (1999)
1. Spirituality in Action: On Being Fully Alive
2. Action and Contemplation: A Living Paradox
3. "Active Life": The Shadow Side
4. "The Woodcarver": A Model for Right Action
5. "The Angel": Action, Failure, and Suffering
6. "Jesus in the Desert": The Temptations in Action
7. "Loaves and Fishes": Acts of Scarcity or Abundance
8. "Threatened with Resurrection": Acts of Death or New Life
NotesAbout the Author

PARKER J. PALMER Writer, teacher, and activist, Parker J. Palmer is senior associate of the American Association for Higher Education and senior advisor to the Fetzer Institute. In 1998, he was named as one of the thirty most influential leaders in American higher education. Author of such widely praised books as The Courage to Teach and To Know As We Are Known, he holds a Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley. He is a member of the Religious Society of FriAnds (Quaker) and lives in Madison, Wisconsin.