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As I began to understand that part of Merton’s work, that part of his spiritual virtuosity, I began to understand that by going deeply inward, we don't escape from the world, but we reach more profoundly into the world at deeper and deeper levels of truth. Merton did that partly through reading scripture. He did that partly through prayer and contemplation. But he also did it through listening to African American music, to jazz, to gospel music. He did it through reading African American novels and essays. But he read all of that and heard all of that with an eye and an ear that was attuned and made more acute by contemplation. I want to say a few words about the importance of people under roughly 40 years of age, which from where I sit are young people, joining in with this global movement to provide spiritual direction for people in need My own sense is that the under 40 generation has an enormous amount of wisdom to offer us, and by us I mean everyone, but people of my generation in particular.1