How narrative can help you identify your Myers-Briggs type

This won't be a blog post for everyone. If you are familiar with the MBTI [Myers-Briggs Type Indicator] and have struggled to type yourself thanks to years of personal growth work, you may, however, find it both interesting and useful.

The problem with personal growth work is that you are intentional about developing certain personality traits that you perceive to be weak. This can lead to an emphasis on activities which exercise a weaker function. Gradually, you get stronger in that area, which makes it hard to remember that it was ever as weak as it was. That is what happened to me.

Why am I here? A wider perspective

Why am I here? This very simple question comes up throughout our lives at moments of crisis. It also comes up in philosophy lectures, art courses and spirituality workshops, which is a good thing because prepares us to face moments of crisis when they occur. However, working with this question over the years has taught me that it can be misleading. Asking "Why am I here?: presupposes that we will find our purpose, and this isn’t necessarily so.

My vision for a prosperous post-coronavirus world

I have been challenged by many people who say it is impossible to predict what the post-coronavirus world will look like. Somehow, I am not satisfied with simply letting things unfold without direction. I am an intentional person. I need, at least, to set a vision for the future so that I have something to work towards.

How things have changed in just four months

South Africa has been in lockdown since 27 March. That means I haven't ventured to the shops once in four weeks; the only time I went outside my gate was when I had to have staples removed following my recent back operation. When I reflect on the way time is passing, I am struck by

Going underground

I looked, and I saw that I was in a small room with several women gathered together. Two women in particular caught my attention because of their long hair, unusual clothes, and the conversation they were having. When I spoke up, they welcomed me into their midst and we continued to converse

A strange sort of peace

Since the call for all South Africans to practice social distancing, a strange sort of quiet has descended on our neighbourhood. Sure, it is a public holiday, but no other Human Rights Day was ever this subdued. There are few cars in the streets, few pedestrians on the pavements, and few aeroplanes flying overhead. No-one is making any plans to get together. Things are almost at a standstill.

Podcasting in lieu of trail riding

What’s more difficult? Riding a horse across wild country for a week or starting a podcast? Different people would answer this question very differently, I imagine, but here is my response:

I had big plans last year to venture out on horseback, but soon realised