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Introduction to the Art of Growing Wise
09/01/2025
Introduction to the Art of Growing Wise
Welcome to the Art of Growing Wise. My name is Rev. Ian White Maher, and I’m the minister of the Unitarian Church of Montreal. We created this podcast for people searching for something deeper than self-help and religious platitudes. People looking for a community that not only can offer them guidance but also ways to contribute and help others. In a world drowning in information but starving for wisdom, so many of us sense there must be places where people still grow wise together—but where? We are watching church attendance collapse in real time because the institutions are no longer meaningful. The older traditions are breaking down because either the stories no longer make sense or their cultures are intolerant. Sometimes both. But many of the new spiritual spaces feel almost consumeristic, mirroring the culture that surrounds us, a culture that worships at the altar of immaturity, pushing nihilism disguised as sophistication, and forcing us to choose between shallow positivity and cynical detachment. The Art of Growing Wise offers a different path. We see ourselves as a wisdom school where your life is the curriculum and your stories are the lessons. Through weekly sermons paired with practical, reflection questions, you'll join a community that treats wisdom as something we cultivate together, not consume alone. Here, you'll discover why falling in love with the world is one of the greatest acts of resistance, why liberation isn’t an individual affair, and why committing to the sacredness of relationship is perhaps the hardest, most rewarding practice we can engage in, particularly in a world that feels committed to driving us apart. Without a community that helps hone our insight, we're left vulnerable to the merchants of meaninglessness who profit from our disconnection. But when we commit to growing wise together, we become people who can meet the moment with courage and help the next generation become wiser than we are. There is a crisis in our culture and we need people willing to take up the task of growing wise, not just for ourselves, but for everyone because there is no personal salvation. We are all woven together. Becoming wise isn’t about finding the right information to download. It's a practice of becoming who we are meant to be, together. If this feels like the right path for you, please subscribe. We release new episodes three times a month, and if you would like the companion reflection questions, you can visit . You can also sign up to have the questions emailed to you each week if you prefer. Only you can walk the path that is ahead of you, but it is much easier when you have companions for the journey. Thank you for listening. I hope you will join us.
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