In a culture that often measures success by wealth, possessions, and achievement, spiritual psychologist Dr. Bruce Davis, Ph.D., contends that many people have lost sight of what truly makes life fulfilling: love. Davis, an international retreat guide at Silent Stay Retreats in Montecito, CA and Assisi Retreats in Assisi, Italy, and a nine-time author, draws inspiration from St. Francis of Assisi, who famously renounced his wealth and privilege in pursuit of a deeper connection with life.
“Francis gave up wealth, privilege, and comfort because he discovered something more lasting,” Davis says. “When he stopped running away from his soul, from the great love inside, his life was transformed. Consequently, when he had plenty, his heart smiled. And when he had nothing, his heart still smiled.”
Davis believes that people often chase material comforts to distract themselves from a deeper sense of emptiness. “Most of us spend our lives running from this love, keeping ourselves busy in pursuit of the small pleasures and comforts of this world,” he says. “We use them to numb and distract ourselves from the uncomfortable feeling that something essential is missing.”
But Davis says the answer isn’t necessarily to give up possessions or worldly comforts; it’s to make more room for love. “Do not focus so much on what you think you should give up. Love more instead!” says Davis. “Giving up everything is no guarantee of finding the soul. Instead, love first, second, and third. When we discover that deeper love, as Francis did, the things of this world inevitably begin to lose their hold on us. We find less need to chase material pleasures and a growing desire to live for love and love alone.”
Davis’s perspective carries weight given his extensive background. He holds a doctorate from Saybrook University and has guided retreats worldwide since 1983. His 1977 book, “The Magical Child Within You,” was one of the earliest books devoted to nurturing the inner child. Bruce and his wife, Ruth, later lived for 12 years in Assisi, Italy, where they founded the Assisi Retreat Center, ranked among the top 10 meditation retreats in the world by CNN and Travel & Leisure magazine. His book The Love Letters of St. Francis and St. Clare of Assisi explores the saints’ enduring messages of love, simplicity, and inner peace.
This message may resonate strongly in a time when material pursuits often dominate. Davis’s work suggests that true fulfillment comes not from accumulating more but from cultivating love. For readers feeling trapped in a cycle of busyness and consumption, his advice offers a countercultural path: prioritize love above all else. As Davis puts it, “Love first, second, and third.”
More information about Dr. Davis’s work and retreats is available at brucedavis.onlinepresskit247.com.
