Moore answers questions in recent Q&A session

The book site Wisdom Hunter hosts a question and answer session with Thomas Moore, posted June 5, 2006. The interview includes these responses, though not presented in this order:

"WH: As a child, what did you think you'd be doing as an adult? How close is it to what you are doing today?
TM: As a child I thought I’d be a priest. Today a lot of church people think I’m their enemy because I [write] favorably about pagan religions and Eastern religions. But I’m doing the work I thought I’d do, only not in the specific form I envisioned in my youth. I couldn’t be happier with my calling.

WH: What stresses you out and how do you relax?
TM: Many things make me feel stress, chiefly the state of the world. I was a mess in the first days following 9/11, until I got some perspective on what was happening. Politics and government insanities stress me. Driving is too stressful. Not having time enough to do all the creative projects I envision (I give away too much of my time). I relax by walking, playing the piano, giving massages to my wife and daughter daily, watching bad old movies, focusing on my breathing, having dinner with family and friends, visiting my friends in Ireland.

WH: What global issues are you most passionate about?
TM: I feel most passionate about the state of the children in the world. I wish we could stop turning to the military for solutions to conflict. I hate to see families not having what they need to live happy and creative lives. I worry that we’re killing our planet and ourselves through unnecessary stresses on nature.

WH: What other writers or experts have you collaborated with or would you most like to collaborate with?
TM: I have collaborated with James Hillman, Marion Woodman, Robert Sardello, David Whyte, Satish Kumar, Hari Kirin (Joan Hanley), Marianne Williamson, and Johnny Cunningham. I’d like to work with Bono, Bill Clinton, and Nicole Kidman, all of whom I admire.

WH: Aside from reading books like yours, what activities or practices would benefit your readers most?
TM: My readers would benefit most from being more engaged with the arts, reading only the best of literature and not pop psychology or pop spirituality, finding ethical and rewarding work, being engaged in some kind of service activity, staying close to nature, cultivating the ordinary joys and pleasures of life, keeping friends and family close, and loving their children no matter what."

The United Nations has just released its study Violence Against Children by Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro. The press release outlines the findings and offers additional links:

"The Study, which combines human rights, public health and child protection perspectives, focuses on five ‘settings’ where violence occurs: the home and family, schools and educational settings, institutions (care and judicial), the workplace, and the community. Extreme violence against children may hit the headlines but the Study concludes that for many children violence is routine, a part of their daily reality."