Contrary to pundits' predictions a generation ago, contemporary Americans are not burdened by an excess of leisure time. Our lives are busier and more stressful than ever. In the typical family both parents have jobs, spending longer hours working and commuting than their parents did. In may cases, they are responsible not only for their children but for their aging parents. To make time for themselves, Americans sleep less, spend more and save less, adding to their worries about credit card balances and how to make ends meet. Under daily pressures, people take even less time to cultivate their spiritual selves. As people sense dwindling control over their lives, anxiety suffocates their spirits and starves their souls. A common refrain is "There must be a better way." The result is a growing hunger for a simpler, less stressful, more emotionally and spiritually rewarding life.
