<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[RSS Feed]]></title><description><![CDATA[RSS Feed]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com</link><image><url>http://direct.ecency.com/logo512.png</url><title>RSS Feed</title><link>http://direct.ecency.com</link></image><generator>RSS for Node</generator><lastBuildDate>Sat, 02 May 2026 03:01:29 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="http://direct.ecency.com/@david-laguardia/rss" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><title><![CDATA[Book 15 - Ch. 7 (1 of 1) - The Warrior's Path: What Makes a Hero?]]></title><description><![CDATA[I believe America has a model of heroic warriors that transcends war. We celebrate the Americans who toiled through the Second World War, calling them “The Greatest Generation.” Sometimes the heroic image]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/book/@david-laguardia/book-15-ch-7-1-of-1-the-warrior-s-path-what-makes-a-hero</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/book/@david-laguardia/book-15-ch-7-1-of-1-the-warrior-s-path-what-makes-a-hero</guid><category><![CDATA[book]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[david-laguardia]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 10 Sep 2018 03:15:42 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Book 14 - Chapter 6 (1 of 1) - Violence and the Warrior Ideal]]></title><description><![CDATA[(Note to the Reader: The next two chapters focus on our internal battle with selfishness. In these chapters, among other things, I grapple with a personal tension: can a person critique their nation's]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/religion/@david-laguardia/book-14-chapter-6-1-of-1-violence-and-the-warrior-ideal</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/religion/@david-laguardia/book-14-chapter-6-1-of-1-violence-and-the-warrior-ideal</guid><category><![CDATA[religion]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[david-laguardia]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 25 Aug 2018 03:25:12 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Book 13 - Ch. 5 (1 of 1) - The Almighty Dollar: Self-serving and other-sacrificing]]></title><description><![CDATA[Religious justification of exploitation and control has an ancient history. It did not start with Christians using god to justify slavery, colonization, and other evil realities. Leaders from various times]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/religion/@david-laguardia/book-13-ch-5-1-of-1-the-almighty-dollar-self-serving-and-other-sacrificing</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/religion/@david-laguardia/book-13-ch-5-1-of-1-the-almighty-dollar-self-serving-and-other-sacrificing</guid><category><![CDATA[religion]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[david-laguardia]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 07 Aug 2018 17:58:45 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Book 12 - Ch. 4 (1 of 1) - God on Our Side & at Our Service]]></title><description><![CDATA[The Christian tradition often invokes the term “our god.” On the positive side such language provides a personal and communal sense of relationship with god or the mystery of existence. However, there]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/religion/@david-laguardia/book-12-ch-4-1-of-1-god-on-our-side-and-at-our-service</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/religion/@david-laguardia/book-12-ch-4-1-of-1-god-on-our-side-and-at-our-service</guid><category><![CDATA[religion]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[david-laguardia]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 02 Aug 2018 17:33:48 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Book 11 - Ch. 3 (4 of 4) - The All-Good Ideal]]></title><description><![CDATA[ALL-GOOD Within the Judeo-Christian-Islamic tradition, god has historically been understood as entirely good. As children of this all-good god, we sometimes assume ourselves to be perfectly good. While]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/spirituality/@david-laguardia/book-11-ch-3-4-of-4-the-all-good-ideal</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/spirituality/@david-laguardia/book-11-ch-3-4-of-4-the-all-good-ideal</guid><category><![CDATA[spirituality]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[david-laguardia]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 01 Aug 2018 17:56:06 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[book 10 - Ch. 3 (3 of 4) - The All-Knowing Ideal & Reflections on Prejudice]]></title><description><![CDATA[ALL-KNOWING Another part of our idolatry of self is assuming, like god, that we are all-knowing. Christianity has often spoken about god in certain terms. That certainty easily translates into other]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/spirituality/@david-laguardia/book-10-ch-3-3-of-4-the-all-knowing-ideal-and-reflections-on-prejudice</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/spirituality/@david-laguardia/book-10-ch-3-3-of-4-the-all-knowing-ideal-and-reflections-on-prejudice</guid><category><![CDATA[spirituality]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[david-laguardia]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 31 Jul 2018 15:23:18 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Book 9 - chapter 3 (2 of 4) - The All-Powerful Ideal]]></title><description><![CDATA[Unlike the traditional assumption regarding the “all-powerful” god, Jesus does not impose his will. The story of “The Rich Young Man” reveals Jesus to be uninterested in controlling others. In this story]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/spirituality/@david-laguardia/book-9-chapter-3-2-of-4-the-all-powerful-ideal</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/spirituality/@david-laguardia/book-9-chapter-3-2-of-4-the-all-powerful-ideal</guid><category><![CDATA[spirituality]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[david-laguardia]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 28 Jul 2018 16:57:12 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Book 8 - Ch. 3 (1 of 4) Who or What is our god?]]></title><description><![CDATA[WHO OR WHAT IS OUR GOD? The Judeo-Christian-Islamic tradition’s creation myth connects our archetypal sin with the desire to be like god. The serpent tempts Eve to eat the fruit saying, “God knows that]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/spirituality/@david-laguardia/book-8-ch-3-1-of-4-who-or-what-is-our-god</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/spirituality/@david-laguardia/book-8-ch-3-1-of-4-who-or-what-is-our-god</guid><category><![CDATA[spirituality]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[david-laguardia]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 24 Jul 2018 22:40:27 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Immigration response]]></title><description><![CDATA[Well, I received my first critical response. I don’t enjoy debate. I am inclined toward right relationship and feel uncomfortable when someone is in disagreement with me (Regardless of whether that]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/immigration/@david-laguardia/immigration-response</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/immigration/@david-laguardia/immigration-response</guid><category><![CDATA[immigration]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[david-laguardia]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 16 Jul 2018 20:23:15 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Immigration: How does one get people to re-think a political issue?]]></title><description><![CDATA[I have been feeling down recently. It’s frustrating to see so much unnecessary hurting in America, and to feel so powerless to address the problems. Last week I attended a couple rallies where I heard]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/politics/@david-laguardia/immigration-how-does-one-get-people-to-re-think-a-political-issue</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/politics/@david-laguardia/immigration-how-does-one-get-people-to-re-think-a-political-issue</guid><category><![CDATA[politics]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[david-laguardia]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 09 Jul 2018 17:20:42 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Book 7 - Ch. 2 (1 of 1) - Seeing Our Broken World]]></title><description><![CDATA[SEEING OUR BROKEN WORLD Cardinal Joseph Cardign developed a popular approach to social justice described simply as the See-Judge-Act method. Reflective of modern, secular trends that adapted Immanuel Kant’s]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/love/@david-laguardia/book-7-ch-2-1-of-1-seeing-our-broken-world</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/love/@david-laguardia/book-7-ch-2-1-of-1-seeing-our-broken-world</guid><category><![CDATA[love]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[david-laguardia]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 06 Jul 2018 15:40:27 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Book 6 - Ch.1 (3 of 3) -The Self Dilemma]]></title><description><![CDATA[(This is the 6th post from a book I spent the last 5ish years writing. I published "I am not God: Searching for a path toward Personal and Global Well-Being" last June. I will continue to post]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/spirituality/@david-laguardia/book-6-ch-1-3-of-3-the-self-dilemma</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/spirituality/@david-laguardia/book-6-ch-1-3-of-3-the-self-dilemma</guid><category><![CDATA[spirituality]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[david-laguardia]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 27 Jun 2018 19:03:36 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Book 5 - Ch. 1 (2 of 3) - A Natural Response to a Natural Question]]></title><description><![CDATA[A NATURAL RESPONSE TO A NATURAL QUESTION It is reasonable to ask, “Isn’t it natural to be self-centered?” Selfishness and self-centeredness can legitimately be viewed as natural. Ego and self-centeredness]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/christianity/@david-laguardia/book-5-ch-1-2-of-3-a-natural-response-to-a-natural-question</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/christianity/@david-laguardia/book-5-ch-1-2-of-3-a-natural-response-to-a-natural-question</guid><category><![CDATA[christianity]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[david-laguardia]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 23 Jun 2018 17:41:06 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Book 4 - ch. 1: The Question (1 of 3)]]></title><description><![CDATA[A friend of mine recently gave me a book titled "Divinity of Doubt: The God Question." The author, Vincent Bugliosi, offers reasonable critiques of famous religious thinkers as well as critical]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/religion/@david-laguardia/book-4-ch-1-the-question-1-of-3</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/religion/@david-laguardia/book-4-ch-1-the-question-1-of-3</guid><category><![CDATA[religion]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[david-laguardia]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 23 Jun 2018 03:14:45 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Book 3 (Introduction 3 of 3) - Overview: A Spirituality Everyone Could Agree On]]></title><description><![CDATA[(I am going to the mountains for a week, so I'll start posting Ch. 1 late next week - peace) OVERVIEW: A SPIRITUALITY EVERYONE COULD AGREE ON Ultimately, this book is an invitation to examine the orientation]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/love/@david-laguardia/book-3-introduction-3-of-3-overview-a-spirituality-everyone-could-agree-on</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/love/@david-laguardia/book-3-introduction-3-of-3-overview-a-spirituality-everyone-could-agree-on</guid><category><![CDATA[love]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[david-laguardia]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 13 Jun 2018 14:33:06 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Book 2 - Intro (2 of 3) - Going Forward]]></title><description><![CDATA[GOING FORWARD (a few notes) (1) While I have read and found life-changing inspiration in much non-Christian spiritual literature and find tremendous value in the discoveries of modern science, my personal]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/introduction/@david-laguardia/book-2-intro-2-of-3-going-forward</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/introduction/@david-laguardia/book-2-intro-2-of-3-going-forward</guid><category><![CDATA[introduction]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[david-laguardia]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 12 Jun 2018 19:46:27 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Book 1 - Introduction (1 of 3)]]></title><description><![CDATA[(I intend to post my whole book on Steemit in the upcoming months. This week, I will post my introduction in three parts - the first of which follows this note. When I share my book with others, I always]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/introduction/@david-laguardia/book-1-introduction-1-of-3</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/introduction/@david-laguardia/book-1-introduction-1-of-3</guid><category><![CDATA[introduction]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[david-laguardia]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 11 Jun 2018 21:12:54 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://images.ecency.com/p/FUkUE5bzkAZSUQtscsBsFx5imG6WU3gSfePkK5Gond6i74S6cXxBBaKdcvAhkcx299Sj8xa5MtYn1R44B9mxcUac8aDo52o4zw21oZEKUf6ALw2ygbDNKoJnL7GTcvMdgXtVvCAimZkCwA8pNvcLwDMkbpi8DyJCg9Dg?format=match&amp;mode=fit" length="0" type="false"/></item><item><title><![CDATA[On failure]]></title><description><![CDATA[The summer of 2016 I was involved in organizing an alternative political convention. “The people’s convention for peace and justice” was to be a community effort to create a platform that didn’t start]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/beautiful/@david-laguardia/on-failure</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/beautiful/@david-laguardia/on-failure</guid><category><![CDATA[beautiful]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[david-laguardia]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 06 Jun 2018 17:13:51 GMT</pubDate></item><item><title><![CDATA[Introducing myself]]></title><description><![CDATA[Thanks for visiting my new steemit page. Before I start putting out content, I’d like to spend my first post introducing myself and the blog. Currently I teach social justice to high school students; I]]></description><link>http://direct.ecency.com/introduceyourself/@david-laguardia/introducing-myself</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://direct.ecency.com/introduceyourself/@david-laguardia/introducing-myself</guid><category><![CDATA[introduceyourself]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[david-laguardia]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 05 Jun 2018 20:05:42 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://images.ecency.com/p/2FFvzA2zeqoVJ2SVhDmmumdPfnVEcahMce9nMwwksSDdRvNekGfKmhkHoxdqvDNJeFFnVuf6kJQD3p73kkQfjzus6u2S87DrZkGDXzBgRBCyC9TizLuF4a5KZ8zeA?format=match&amp;mode=fit" length="0" type="false"/></item></channel></rss>