Introduction As I have been considering my own experience alongside various theories related to human flourishing, a consistent theme has emerged — the concept of integration. According to Dan Siegel, the founder of Interpersonal Neurobiology, “integration is the fundamental mechanism of health” and can be defined as “maintaining differentiation while also achieving linkage, creating a synergy that enables the whole to be greater than the sum of its parts”. The correlation between integration and health can be observed from the macro to the micro — within ecological systems, socio-cultural systems, family systems, and within the dynamics of the individual mind. When integration is disrupted, systems move towards chaos or rigidity and health is stymied. However, when a system moves towards integration, an emergent phenomenon occurs, resulting in something new. The palaeontologist and Jesuit priest De Chardin explored this paradox, claiming that true union differentiates. The intro...
In the province of British Columbia, where I live, the hidden remains of two hundred and fifteen children were recently discovered on the property of the former Kamloops Indian Residential School. Since then, many hundreds more have been found on residential school properties across the country. These murderous institutions, responsible for “killing the Indian in the child”, were orchestrated and operated by Catholic and Protestant churches in conjunction with the Canadian Government. When I was growing up the majority of Christians I knew were supportive of the war in Iraq, which saw some 100 000 innocent civilians killed. Currently, Vladimir Putin is waging an imperialistic invasion of Ukraine and committing war crimes against its citizens with the blessing of the Russian Orthodox Church. How does Christianity continually perpetuate violence, when violence is clearly antithetical to the example and teachings of Christ? It is my assertion that Christianity continues to perpetuate viol...