me quoting Paris Hilton

From the AP wire a few days ago:

"In a way, I'm really glad this happened because it changed my life forever."

"I just can't wait to see my family and have a nice meal and be in my own bed and appreciate all the things I took for granted and never really thought much about," she said.

"I feel like I can't wait to start a new chapter of my life. It feels really great even though I really don't like it here," she said.

Getting past the humor of me reading the entertainment section, I think I see a reason that Paris's comments about her jail sentence may be more than simply publicity management. And it's only because in the reality of the spiritual life, they ring true.

As universal as lifting weights forms muscles, humans forced into humility can reliably observe the resulting formation spiritually. Self-centeredness is the spiritual trans fat of our race, isn't it? It makes sense that Paris' jail time would be healthy for her spirit, producing waves of developing gratitude, genuine love, a wider perspective.

I hope she'll find that Jesus was both the teacher and author of how this works in us.

Okay, entertainment news over. Back to philosophy. Or at least NPR.