Several years ago I read the collected sayings of the Desert Fathers (and Mothers)Rūmī, who was able to develop profound philosophical insights while living his daily life without fleeing from society or concerning himself too much with mortification of the flesh. Again I observed that there is a certain amount of eremitical one-upmanship here, and while there are many reflections on how to set one’s soul right within oneself and with God, there’s not a lot about other people, who are usually an important part of whatever problems one may have. So I fear that the Desert fathers may not be for me.