Becoming Good: Building Moral Character (2000) is a study of character—the kind of people we are, our habits, dispositions, inclinations, virtues, and vices. Without good character we do not have the strength or wisdom to fight off temptation and do the right thing, no matter how good our principles may be. For this study Jesus’ Beatitudes are the primary guide, with Paul’s faith, hope, and love a close second. Becoming Good digs deep into the biblical text and vocabulary, listens to the great biblical and ethical teaching of the past two millennia, and provides abundant contemporary illustrations and applications. Becoming Good works as a stand-alone study (the ethics of “being,” virtue ethics), but it is also the companion to Doing Right (the ethics of “doing,” decision and action).

A New York Times Bestseller School is not the only place to find a teacher. In this beautiful picture book, learn the many surprising lessons animals have to teach us about friendship, compassion, and how to be a better creature in the world. Sy Montgomery has had many teachers in her life: some with two legs, others with four, or even eight! Some have had fur, feathers, or hooves. But they’ve all had one thing in common: a lesson to share. The animals Sy has met on her many world travels have taught her how to seek understanding in the most surprising ways, from being patient to finding forgiveness and respecting others. Gorillas, dogs, octopuses, tigers, and more all have shown Sy that there are no limits to the empathy and joy we can find in each other if only we take the time to connect. Based on the New York Times best-selling adult memoir, Sy Montgomery and Rebecca Green's beautiful, friendly guide is for readers young and old who wish to be better creatures in the world. Go ahead, pass it on.

National Book Award finalist Sy Montgomery reflects on the personalities and quirks of 13 animals--her friends--who have profoundly affected her in this stunning, poetic, and life-affirming memoir featuring illustrations by Rebecca Green.

Argues that our struggle to become good parents can help us to become good persons.

Traits. Habits. Skills. Ideas. Strategies. Here is a complete character-building programme that can help you lead a happy and successful life! Ever wondered why some people are more popular than others? Or more respected and well liked? Ever wondered what you can do to make yourself more like them? Tom Giaquinto believes that the secret lies in two things: your attitude and, more importantly, in developing a daily awareness that will help you make the correct choices. This is what will actually help you in becoming the best human being you can possibly be. Containing inspirational quotes, day-to-day examples and loads of fun-facts for teenagers, young adults and grown-ups alike; this book is a must have for those who usually fight a little shy of self-help books in todays instant informa-tion age! This book gives you invaluable tips on matters like: how to be kind to people, how to be happy, how to stay positive, how to help others, how to make lots of friends among others. Each chapter sums up the topic by giving you 'Things To Think About'.

Becoming Good Parents goes beyond a psychological understanding of parenting to include a deeper explication of the philosophical (moral) and existential (spiritual) dimensions of parenting. It counters the contemporary notion that parents can be satisfied with simply being "good enough" in their parenting practices, which encourages a sense of complacency. Through everyday examples, illustrative use of Harper Lee's moral novel To Kill a Mockingbird, and a reinterpretation of the theoretical viewpoints of psychologists Erik Erikson, Heinz Kohut, and Rollo May, along with philosophers Iris Murdoch and Michael Gelven, the author argues that the struggle toward perfection (goodness) is a natural human impulse. Parenting provides an optimal context for the practice of character refinement, which can potentially contribute to the psychological and spiritual growth of both parents and children. Ultimately, the book demonstrates that by becoming good parents, we become good persons.

For female Sinhalese students attending a national school in the Central Province of Sri Lanka, the school serves as a significant base for cultural production, particularly in reproducing ethno-religious hegemony under the guise of ‘good’ Buddhist girls. It illustrates that tuition space acts as an important site for placemaking, where students play out their cosmopolitan aspirations whilst acquiring educational capital. Drawing on theories of social reproduction, the book examines young people’s aspirations of ‘figuring out’ their identity and visions of the future in the backdrop of nation-building processes within the school.

A brilliant writer and gifted "big picture" thinker, David Ehrenfeld is one of America's leading conservation biologists. Becoming Good Ancestors unites in a single, up-to-date framework pieces written over two decades, spanning politics, ecology, and culture, and illuminating the forces in modern society that thwart our efforts to solve today's hard questions about society and the environment. The book focuses on our present-day retreat from reality, our alienation from nature, our unthinking acceptance of new technology and rejection of the old, the loss of our ability to discriminate between events we can control and those we cannot, the denial of non-economic values, and the decline of local communities. If we are aware of what we are losing and why we are losing it, the author notes, all of these patterns are reversible. Through down-to-earth examples, ranging from a family canoe trip in the wilderness to the novels of Jane Austen to Chinese turtle and tiger farms, Ehrenfeld shows how we can use what we learn to move ourselves and our society towards a more stable, less frantic, and far more satisfying life, a life in which we are no longer compelled to damage ourselves and our environment, in which our children have a future, and in which fewer species are endangered and more rivers run clean. In the final chapter, he offers a dramatic view of the possibilities inherent in a fusion of the best elements of conservatism and liberalism. Our society has an inherent sense of what is right, says Ehrenfeld, and the creativity and persistence to make good things happen. It is now time to apply our intelligence, guided by our moral judgment, to the very large problems we all face. This book is an important first step.

The book uses an ethnographic approach to explore why the Tablighi Jamaat movement remains so successful in contemporary times. It shows that this success results from the positive image that it cultivates, and the systematic preaching activities of Tablighi Jamaat followers, and that the organisation’s apolitical image, the public profile of the ijtema, the humbleness of Tablighi followers, and the attraction of belonging to the global Tablighi community all help to create a positive image of the Tablighi Jamaat among ordinary Muslims. The book also argues that the Tablighi Jamaat remains successful because of its ability to hold its followers within a Tablighi-guided life, which is perceived as protection against the Western lifestyle. Many elements of contemporary Western lifestyle are considered non-Islamic, and so by clearly defining what is Islamic and non-Islamic in modern society, the Tablighi Jamaat provides a way in which Muslims can live in the contemporary world, but remain good Muslims.

This is a long-awaited and needed book about the mutual relationship between moral theology and spirituality -- in the past, at the present time, and with hope for the future. It is a gentle and convincing book, both in its tone and in its arguments. It is in the best sense a scientific book and at the same time an existential text. It appeals to mind and heart. This is a most useful book for every Christian striving to become ever more a discerning person, aiming at integration of prayer and life. Books like this strengthen my unbroken optimism about the ongoing renewal of Christian ethics and Christian spirituality."" Bernhard Haering, Gars, Germany In 'Becoming Good, Becoming Holy', Mark O'Keefe makes a valuable contribution to our understanding of the Christian life in its wholeness and integrity. By connecting love and justice; prayer, discernment, and moral decision making; fundamental option and spiritual growth, he challenges unhelpful divisions between Christian ethics and spirituality. His vision of conversion and of the Christian life as a dynamic totality will appeal to a wide range of readers."" Elizabeth Dreyer, Washington Theological Union Clearly written and insightful, 'Becoming Good, Becoming Holy' is a convincing response to the Second Vatican Council's call to renew Catholic moral theology by centering it on our life in Christ. Best of all, O'Keefe underscores both the pivotal connection between Eucharist and morality, and the integral role of prayer and discernment in Christian moral decision making."" Paul Wadell, Catholic Theological Union Mark O'Keefe, OSB, is Associate Professor of Moral Theology at St. Meinrad School of Theology and a Benedictine monk at St. Meinrad Archabbey. He is the author of 'What Are They Saying About Social Sin?' and his articles have appeared in 'New Theology Review', 'Irish Theological Quarterly', 'New Blackfriars', 'Eglise et Theologie', and other theological journals.