Eileen Flanagan is a teacher and a writer. But much more than that, she is an activist for the soul. Any notion to the contrary will quickly be dispelled upon reading her latest book, “The Wisdom to Know the Difference: When to Make a Change–and When to Let Go.”
Released from Tarcher in September 2009, the book turns the Serenity Prayer into a practical guide to a more peaceful and productive life. Flanagan interviewed many fascinating people about how they figured out the things they needed to change in their lives or in the world around them and what they needed to just accept and let go. The book talks about all kinds of personal issues like divorce, career change, illness to things that have a broader social impact such as racism.
Flanagan’s second book, it is already receiving praise. “Chocked full of Quaker wisdom and everyday stories that become parables in Flanagan's hands, this is one of those rare books that give us as readers permission to be–to fully and completely ‘be,’" says Phyllis Tickle, author of numerous books on spirituality. Suzanne Farnham, who founded Listening Hearts Ministries and co-authored Listening Hearts and Grounded in God, writes, “Down to earth with strong spiritual underpinnings. This book draws from actual situations of real-life people as they struggle to become their true selves
Flanagan, a mother of two, leads workshops on spirituality and teaches in the Liberal Arts Department of University of the Arts in Philadelphia. She spent time in Africa with the Peace Corps, where she experienced the “great inequalities of the world.” She also worked for a non-profit organization that was advocating for a national health care system in the United States, a job that taught her “much about the dynamics of influencing change.” A few years of full-time activist work made Flanagan realize the importance of spiritual grounding, so she became a resident student at Pendle Hill, a Quaker retreat center in Wallingford, PA, where she began to write, something she had enjoyed since childhood.
Flanagan is, herself, an example of someone who lived the Serenity Prayer and learned early to have courage to make changes. Raised Catholic in the Philadelphia area, she left the Church in her freshman year of college when she realized she wasn’t sure she “believed everything in the Profession of Faith.” For several years she felt closest to God in the woods, but eventually found her spiritual home with the Quakers. Interestingly, her husband is Catholic and they are raising their children both Catholic and Quaker.
“When you live from a place of trust, every aspect of your life becomes easier. You waste less time stressing about a flat tire or a cranky toddler, and have more energy to spend where it can make a difference. The purpose of my writing is to help people develop this trust,” Flanagan says.
A few people interviewed in the book that you might have heard of include: Dan Gottleib, family therapist and Philadelphia radio talk show host, who shares what he learned about accepting the things he cannot change from the car accident that left him paralyzed; Hilary Beard, who explains how she developed the courage to leave a deadening job to fulfill her purpose as a bestselling author; and Hal Tausig, founder of Untours, who shares how going bankrupt as a cattle rancher prepared him to found “The Most Generous Business in America.”
Others interviewed in the book include: Melvin Metelits, who explains how surviving cancer helped him find serenity and reconnect with the insights of his Jewish tradition; Malik Mubashshir, who finds the similarities and differences between Christianity, Judaism, and Islam’s teachings on taking action and letting go; and Rob’Bin White Morton, a Katrina survivor who describes learning inner peace the hard way.
Flanagan’s writing is smooth and unobtrusive, peaceful and unencumbered. There is no flash evident, just thoughtful rumination, with an excellent command of the craft of writing. She weaves between and among stories effortlessly, creating a crescendo that culminates in a picture of the resiliency of the human spirit. For example, she writes about Philadelphian Hilary Beard, who had a successful corporate career, but wanted to pursue something creative, like writing, that was totally opposite from the vision her family had for her:
Meanwhile in her spiritual support group Hilary was learning new spiritual principles, like the idea that how you think affects what you manifest in your life. She decided to test this concept by imagining the life she really wanted as a writer, making a collage that represented her dreams, and forming a group with a few work colleagues who also wanted to change their lives. “We got together and applied business strategic planning to our personal lives,” she explains. “I created objectives, goals, strategies, and measures of success for every area of my life.” Going through her objectives, she realized that she had the skills and self-confidence to achieve everything she wanted. The only problem was that she didn’t really trust that God would support her if she became an artist.
Many will enjoy this book, which chronicles the way people, like you and me, make some of the toughest decisions in our lives. This book is a testament to the human spirit and Flanagan is the perfect author for it. She neither gets in the way of the writing or the subjects nor does she try to coerce an opinion on the reader. She leaves enough spiritual space for the readers to go on their own soul-searching journey, to reflect on their own strength of character. This quiet space for thoughtful rumination is a gift for any reader, especially given the cacophony of shrill voices in the media that are mainly ego-driven. Flanagan’s gift should be enjoyed by everyone.For more information on Flanagan and her speaking engagements/workshops, please go here.
