Insights from Love and Logic In Arrangement with Financial Chronicle

What is the relationship between love and logic in actual life? What is the relevance of spirituality for the contemporary men and women who do not have the luxury to spend hours in prayer? Can spirituality emerge from the ordinary, boring and mundane experiences of an average human being? Open-minded and visionary, the articles in this book are meant to touch the daily life of busy people who are fully involved in the struggles and success of daily life. For better clarity and convenience, these articles are divided into eight approximate and arbitrary sections:

Limited to 625 words, they appeared first in the Financial Chronicle, one of the most prestigious business and financial newspapers of India, and they attempt to provide us with both roots and wings: rooted that will give them a sense of belonging to the rich Indian heritage and wings that will take them forward based on the spiritual depth. This book, Insights from Love and Logic: In Arrangement with Financial Chronicle is a humble attempt to lead genuine spiritual life in our contemporary context.

Professor Kuruvilla Pandikattu SJ holds two doctorates and has been involved in creative dialogue between science and religion. Author/editor of more than 40 books, he teaches philosophy at Jnana-Deepa Vidypeeth: Pontifical Institute of Philosophy and Religion and is a regular columnist for Financial Chronicle, Hyderabad. He is a Jesuit priest belonging to Dumka-Raiganj Province and an accomplished teacher and writer in making religion relevant to our times.

More than ten years ago, Financial Chronicle, India's first spiritually focused, knowledge-driven content to inspire and enrich its educated audience of business leaders, managers and corporate executives. Editor-in-chief Shubhrangshu Roy, who conceived the daily newspaper and initiated the project "My Sacred Bull," on the editorial page of Financial Chronicle (FC), asked me to discover an enlightened thinker to address the existential yearnings of intelligent India and FC's wider global audience.

I turned to Professor Kuruvilla Pandikattu SJ for his innate wisdom. He is a priest, physicist and philosopher, adorned with three masters' degrees and two doctorates. His creative spirit and open vision had long inspired me. The professor-priest readily obliged. taking pen to paper week after week to script a volume that has now acquired epic proportions. His insightful column is deeply relished and respected by FC's global band of dedicated readers.

Prof Pandikattu's articles stand out for three characteristics that uncommon in both spiritual and scientific discourses:

Contextual sensitivity: Normally he takes up a current event - from politics, science or religion - and reflects on it giving it a spiritual basis and contemporary relevance.

Religious openness: Committed to his Catholic faith, his critical and creative acceptance of other religious and non-religious traditions is extraordinary. Without falling into eclecticism, he has a way of drawing the positive aspect of every experience.

The logic of love is very different from that of the practical organised life. So, Blaise Pascal could claim that "heart has its own reasons, which reason does not know of." Or Shakespeare says poetically: "Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind,/ And therefore is winged Cupid painted blind." This book, the fourth volume in the series of Sacred Bull, is a collection of articles on life, love and spirituality for common people.

All of them were especially written for Financial Chronicle (FC), from the Hyderabad-based Deccan Chronicle Holdings Ltd, which was launched on 16 April, 2008, by India's youngest team of media professionals, and in the shortest-ever run-up for a newspaper. As such the articles are meant for a general audience, who may or may not be organisationally religious. They are meant to inspire a band of young men and women to think deeply about themselves, leading to deeper insights and wisdom.

Open-minded and visionary, these articles are meant to touch the daily life of busy people who are fully involved in the struggle and success of daily life. So, the articles are limited to 625 words. And these articles attempt to provide them with both roots and wings: roots that will give them a sense of belonging to the rich Indian heritage and wings that will take them forward based on the spiritual depth.

Though the author gladly acknowledges his Christian commitment, he does not impose it on the audience. Trying to be objective and philosophical, as much as possible, the articles are an open invitation to search for deeper meaning and widen vision.

For clarity and convenience, these articles are roughly divided into eight approximate and arbitrary sections.

**Contents and Sample Pages**