Wisdom from Eastern Christianity

[In our modern day thinking,] every act, every person, is judged on the basis of their utility and contribution to the whole. Based on our spiritual tradition I prefer to see human beings first and foremost in terms of who they are and only after that in terms of their contribution to society. Otherwise we run the risk of turning people into machines that produce useful things. I am afraid that with this orientation, contemporary humanity has undermined the inherent value of the human person. Today we value ourselves in terms of how much we contribute rather than in terms of who we are. ~ Father Maximos

The way to know God is neither through philosophy nor through experimental science but through systematic methods of spiritual practice that could open us up to the grace of the Holy Spirit. Only then can we have a taste of the Divine, a firsthand, experiential knowledge of the Creator. Otherwise, we remain stuck on the level of mere beliefs and ideologies. ~ Father Maximos