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Jay Michaelson is an award-winning journalist, meditation teacher, podcast host, and author of ten books.

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Anger, activism, and responsibility | Lama Surya Das and Jay Michaelson

Wednesday, November 8th, 2017 | Multimedia, Spirituality/Meditation

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Recent Articles

Comfortable with Discomfort

May 15th, 2025 in Both/And
I supported Israel’s actions in Gaza in October 2023 — not anymore

May 9th, 2025 in Forward
What, to the Nationalist, is the Statue of Liberty?

May 9th, 2025 in Both/And
Andor and the Banality of Totalitarianism

Apr 30th, 2025 in Both/And
The Age of Semiotic Infinity

Apr 24th, 2025 in Both/And
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There are ways that I’ve found, and taught, to f

There are ways that I’ve found, and taught, to find happiness in the midst of all this chaos, without sacrificing the engagement and involvement in public life that I think this moment demands of us. There are ways through which authentic, durable, actual happiness can be cultivated, even when things are not okay: even when the heart is broken, when the mind is anxious, and even when the world seems to be falling apart.

And yet, I sometimes feel that, as soon as I talk about resilience, mindfulness, psychedelics, happiness, or balance, I sound like a privileged, narcissistic twit. Who the hell cares about the happiness of people like me when the fire is raging?

Read more at jaymichaelson.substack.com

Emperor Jar Jar.

Emperor Jar Jar.

When Israel’s military operations in Gaza began

When Israel’s military operations in Gaza began in October, 2023, I defended them. But now, 19 months later, I am horrified, filled with rage and despair at actions that legally constitute genocide.

Read more at forward.com (link in bio)

American Nationalists and American small-l liberal

American Nationalists and American small-l liberals (which includes liberals, centrists, and the neo-conservative Right) may inhabit the same geographical area, but in our minds, we live in different countries. We look at the Statue of Liberty and see different things. Liberals see pluralism, diversity, civil liberties, and multiculturalism. Nationalists see American particularism, Christianity, patriotism, and nationalism. And so of course we see one another as opposed to what makes America great.

Read more at jaymichaelson.substack.com

#banalityofevil

#banalityofevil

Looking forward to joining @iuindianapolis and the

Looking forward to joining @iuindianapolis and the @jccindianapolis on Tuesday 5/13 for a conversation about psychedelics and spirituality. Details at the link in bio.

My chapter "Queer Theology and Social Transformati

My chapter "Queer Theology and Social Transformation: Points of Contact, Points of Conflict" has been published in this remarkable new anthology from @clgs_psr entitled "Mapping New Terrain in Queer Religious Scholarship." The chapter is also available for download at the link in my bio. I'm honored to be included with some very esteemed colleagues!

#themoreyouknow

#themoreyouknow

Great histories (and tragedies) focus on the “Gr

Great histories (and tragedies) focus on the “Great Men” who, for good or ill, shape human history. But for every Stalin, there are a thousand apparatchiks, petty officials who sense an opportunity to advance, as long as they tow the line of the most powerful. This is where the banality of evil takes place: not in the Emperor’s Chambers, but in the wheatfields of Mina-Rau, where under the shadow of vast silos, power is distributed to the ambitious and the pathetic, and violence is visited upon the good.

New at jaymichaelson.substack.com

Yeah, let's not both-sides this thing, eh?

Yeah, let's not both-sides this thing, eh?

This Sunday evenin, I'll be at the @92ndstreety in

This Sunday evenin, I'll be at the @92ndstreety in Manhattan doing a live taping of my longtime friend @rabbiingber 's new podcast, "Detours and Destinations." Come join us for some of each.

Some of the elements of this moment are new: the r

Some of the elements of this moment are new: the role of the Internet, the proximity of its darkest corners to the corridors of power, and the extent of the Trump administration’s unconstitutional defiance. But some is quite old. I was half-joking when I analogized the interpretation of tattoos to the interpretation of sacred symbols and signs, but only half. The human predilection to pattern recognition manifests first and foremost in religion, magic, and fortune telling of all sorts. We read the tea leaves, wonder at synchronicities — and if we attune ourselves to them, we see them everywhere.

Read more at jaymichaelson.substack.com

Yes, thanks for all the antisemitism-fighting. I f

Yes, thanks for all the antisemitism-fighting. I feel much safer now.

I'm headed to Madison, WI, tomorrow, April 24, to

I'm headed to Madison, WI, tomorrow, April 24, to talk about the cultivation of altered states of consciousness in Kabbalah, Sufism, Psychedelics, and the blendings of all of the above.

@uwmadison

Sometimes, I feel anxious about the fragile Americ

Sometimes, I feel anxious about the fragile American experiment in democracy, enraged that so many people are already living in abject terror right now, and equally enraged at the hundred million or so Americans who think things are going great.

Then again, it’s a lovely spring day, I’ve had a full day—preparing a talk on gender in the Talmud, finishing the final for my psychedelics class at Harvard, taking my daughter bike-riding—and it’s possible, for people with my good fortune, to still live pretty normally. Is this obscene, or human, or both?

Continue reading at jaymichaelson.substack.com .

What does CECOT say about us?

What does CECOT say about us?

Parsing the various motives of Republican scare-mo

Parsing the various motives of Republican scare-mongers terrified about losing their masculinity.

New at jaymichaelson.substack.com

Jewish law is clear: legal seriousness is essentia

Jewish law is clear: legal seriousness is essential, due process is sacred, and empathy is a prerequisite for justice.

New in @jdforward

V'im kol zeh, ani maamin ("And despite all this, I

V'im kol zeh, ani maamin ("And despite all this, I still believe").

#rebzalman

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about this teac

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about this teaching from Thai Buddhist master Ajahn Chah, quoted in Mark Epstein’s book Thoughts Without a Thinker:

You see this goblet? For me this glass is already broken. I enjoy it; I drink out of it. It holds my water admirably, sometimes even reflecting the sun in beautiful patterns. If I should tap it, it has a lovely ring to it. But when I put this glass on the shelf and the wind knocks it over or my elbow brushes it off the table and it falls to the ground and shatters, I say, ‘Of course.’ When I understand that the glass is already broken, every moment with it is precious.

There’s a lot in this teaching. It’s sustained me over the past few weeks, especially in the hard times. I wrote about it this week in my newsletter - jaymichaelson.substack.com

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