'The young soldier walked along, saying nothing. He looked around nervously. What's that noise? he asked himself. Is it gunfire? And is that smoke? ' This classic tale of the American Civil War follows the fortunes of a proud young soldier, Henry Fleming, who quickly learns that there is much more to war than adventure and bravery. Crane portrays the fear and suffering of ordinary soldiers. In this story they are not always heroes.
An illuminating study of the American struggle to comprehend the meaning and practicalities of death in the face of the unprecedented carnage of the Civil War. During the war, approximately 620,000 soldiers lost their lives. An equivalent proportion of today’s population would be six million. This Republic of Suffering explores the impact of this enormous death toll from every angle: material, political, intellectual, and spiritual. The eminent historian Drew Gilpin Faust delineates the ways death changed not only individual lives but the life of the nation and its understanding of the rights and responsibilities of citizenship.
Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860) Germany Narrated by Charlton Heston Schopenhauer emphasized the dark aspects of existence. Evil, pain and suffering are not aberration: they express the inner nature of the world. He is pessimistic about the true nature of existence; suffering and pain outweigh the rewards in life and they're central to the riddle of existence.
Falling into Grace: Insights on the End of Suffering by Adyashanti (MP3)
Adyashanti asks us to let go of our struggles with life and open to the full promise of spiritual awakening: the end of delusion and the discovery and expression of our essential being. After 15 years as a spiritual teacher, Adyashanti has found that the simpler the teaching, the greater its power to initiate this awakening. On Falling into Grace, he shares what he considers fundamental insights to open ourselves to that mysterious element that enters in the hidden and quiet moments and sparks a revolution in the way that we perceive life.
The White Robin: A Short Story for Childrenby Jane Tyson Clement
This short story will be a good discussion starter for elementary grades. A story of racism and intolerance among children, who through drought, fire, and suffering realize that bravery and courage is not dictated by the color of a child’s skin.