Spelling God With Two O's

That's the name of a slender book of essays, written by Arthur Dobrin, who first began having colloquies as a form of meeting for ethical societies.  How helpful to have found a free download of the book.  I found it on one of my meandering wanders through the internet that had one purpose but ended up some place else. In this case, the "landing" was a serendipitous encounter with something I will probably make a morning ritual.  OK, I don't actually have a morning ritual, but I want one, and it could become much more interesting than what's going on right now.

Dobrin's book is a collection of essays on values and essential concepts.  He names the value, provides an inspirational quote from another writer or thinker (including but certainly not limited to Felix Adler), and then explores the idea from several perspectives.  For example, tolerance:

Since we all have our preferences and savor life in different ways and are certain that our ways are natural and right, it is impossible to like or to approve of everyone and everything they do. Still it is possible be tolerant of them. You may never want to meet them but you grant them the right to live as they choose. You don’t envy them and may dislike them but you allow them to live as they want. Not every way is worthy of appreciation but everyone has the right to bad taste.

Dobrin notes that not everything should be tolerated--deliberately causing pain, harming innocents, etc.--but that tolerance is a (minor) virtue that makes living in a diverse society better for all of us.

I think I will be reading this book as soon as I can get it onto one of my reading devices.  If I fail with the morning routine thing (pretty much a given), I can at least read one of these brief essays whenever I find myself waiting or dining alone or just needing to spend a little time working on my life.