Creating a Better World from the Inside Out

In this 2023 conversation with Justine Willis Toms, Buddhist teacher Oren Jay Sofer provides clarity in how to increase our resilience and engage more effectively with the infinite complexities of the 21st century. He sheds light on how such qualities as integrity, concentration, gratitude, and generosity lead us to become more skillful in positive activism in the world.

Sofer reminds us that our ancestors’ village was not the global village of the 21st Century. The ancient ones did not have to contend with a bombardment of reports of mass shootings, wars, and other ecological and social catastrophes. Nor were they being doggedly chased by social media algorithms trying to convince them to consume goods that would soon be obsolete. In today’s climate of overwhelm, Sofer addresses such clear questions as: How do we find the strength and clarity necessary to engage skillfully with these immense problems of our time? What are the inner resources available to us? In our deep desire to be of help, how can qualities such as integrity, concentration, gratitude, and generosity possibly lead us to become more skillful in positive activism in the world? 

Oren Jay Sofer is the author of: 


- Say What You Mean: A Mindful Approach to Nonviolent Communication (Shambala Publications 2018)
- Your Heart Was Made for This: Contemplative Practice for Meeting a World in Crisis with Courage, Integrity & Love (Shambhala Publications 2023)

Interview Date: 10/24/2023     Tags:  Oren Jay Sofer, inner life, aspiration, nonviolent communication, mindfulness, resilient, resilience, privilege, entitlement, empathy, isolation, rescuing hug, Martin Luther King Jr, Harry Dunn, curiosity, resolve, self-discipline, willpower, willingness, attention, Howard Thurman, Buddhism, Personal Transformation, Social Change/Politics