Radical Optimism

Book excerpt: The pioneering spiritual scholar discusses how to find genuine optimism in times of crisis by contemplating the ultimate reality of God. Dr. Beatrice Bruteau was an inspiration to some of the most influential spiritual thinkers of our time. With a background in Vedanta, Catholic contemplation, and the natural sciences, she developed a broadly inclusive, interspiritual vision of human reality. In Radical Optimism she shines new light on the deepest truth we can know about ourselves: each of us is one with God, here and now. In a series of essays exploring the concepts of Leisure, Stillness, and Meditation—as well as examining the distinctions between the Finite and the Infinite and Sin and Salvation—Bruteau offers a path to recognizing our own unity with God. She provides a blueprint for understanding it, knowing the happiness it brings, and cultivating a contemplative consciousness amid the hectic uncertainty of daily life.