Contrary to the conventions of our thinly moralistic culture, this emphasis on gladness and selfhood is not selfish.

The Quaker teacher Douglas Steere was fond of saying that the ancient human question “Who am I?” leads inevitably to the equally important question “Whose am I?”—for there is no selfhood outside of relationship.

We must ask the question of selfhood and answer it as honestly as we can, no matter where it takes us. Only as we do so can we discover the community of our lives.

from Let Your Life Speak