“To create peace in our lives–and in our world–we need to be able to sit with frustration and hold the tension of opposite views.” Parker Palmer

Polarized and Divisive

I find TV News (both network and cable) to be outrageously divisive. Their intent seems to be to persuade their audience toward taking one position or the other. And if they are not arguing for “positions on issues,” they seem to seek to whatever outrages their audience. The goal, then, of the vast majority in the medium does indeed seem to be outrage, and certainly not reconciliation.
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 “May you see in what you do the beauty of your soul… Be excessively gentle with yourself.” John O’Donohue

Who needs critics when the most harmful of naysayers dwells within our own consciousness? Like the old cartoon reminded us (I can’t even remember the source), “I have seen the enemy and the enemy is us!”

Your Inner Gorilla

In my younger days I was even harder on myself than I am today. Today I have learned the arts of patience and self-gentleness—both of which were nonexistent in my 30’s – 50’s. Nearly 40 years ago, a psychologist friend of mine used to remind me that, “We all walk around handcuffed to this critical, angry-assed gorilla with the sole intention of telling us how bad or wrong we are. And the real irony is that we hold the key to that handcuffs that bind us. We are just too familiar with his tactics to let him go.”
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“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control…” The Bible

THOUGHTS FROM LISBON, JUNE 2022

I read this morning of the creativity of writing. The author suggested writing with no purpose (like a book), but just writing for the sake of writing. Let the creativity flow in whatever direction it chooses.

Religion or Spirituality?

My concern this morning has to do with the subject of my new book which seems to have morphed from a contemplation on the mystics to treatise on “spirituality.” Although the church in the West is experiencing a serious decline, that does not mean that the general population is not asking important questions about their inner lives regarding spirituality and the meaning of life.
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“When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but with creatures of emotion.” Dale Carnegie

Since the inception of the Age of Enlightenment, the West has embraced a left-brained, logic-focused epistemology for determining truth and authority. Whereas in the pre-Enlightenment period, romanticism and pathos remained strong influencers in the ways people determined reality. My penchant for medieval mysticism stems from that line of thinking.
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“The unexamined life is not worth living.” Socrates

“The unlived life is not worth examining.” Guy Kawasaki

I’m not sure who wrote the following, but I’ve been told that it was a favorite of Hunter S. Thompson…

“My life will not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out…”

Okay, so perhaps the quote so favored by life-style anarchist Hunter S. Thompson may be just a bit far-fetched. Still, it is nevertheless attractive and worthy of thought. Do I want to be “used up and totally worn out” when I die? Let’s give that thought a “Hell Yeah.” Just one caveat… I want to be old when I die, as well. Haha.

The Need for Safety

According to the oft-quoted “Hierarchy of Needs” of psychologist Abraham Maslow, our hunger for safety and security are found just above the most basic needs for food, water, warmth, and rest. In other words, safety and security are of the most primal of all human needs. They make up the foundation for living fruitfully, for a long time.

I think the truth is that many of us long for both. Yes, although we may claim an appreciation for adventure and risk-taking, we still hope that it doesn’t ruin us (or kill us) prematurely.

The Balance: Safety and Risk

Once again, the sanest approach is to live somewhere in the middle of the continuum, for to hang out on either end can lead to (1) an early death or (2) prolonged boredom.

As an antagonist of “either/or” thinking, I find myself trying to achieve a “both/and” model. Yes, I do want safety. I wish no harm for me or my family. However, on the other end, I do like change and a challenge. I do like taking risks, but only after a good bit of research. For instance, I have probably worked in a half dozen careers, I go to foreign countries alone with very little pre-planned itinerary, or I can take on take on a task that I have never attempted before just because it appears to be fun.

Examined or Not: Just LIVE!

I really resonate with the Guy Kawasaki quote that “an unlived life is not worth examining.” Life is not “tidy,” nor is it intended to be. Life on this planet is messy and our efforts to control are mostly useless in the longer term. Why not live, perhaps not so much on the risky side, but on the side of exciting and enduring experiences?

After all, too much safety can certainly mean not enough living. As always, it is your choice.

Live, Really Live

And Do It on Purpose

Photo courtesy of Vanessa Nunes at istockphoto

“The internal living flame of anger always illuminates what we belong to, what we wish to protect and what we are willing to hazard ourselves for.” David Whyte

Maria Popova writes, “Anger, indeed, is one of the emotions we judge most harshly — in others, as well as in ourselves — and yet understanding anger is central to mapping out the landscape of our interior lives.”

The Magnifying Glass of Anger

Although we do judge anger rather bitterly, anger itself can also be like an internal magnifying glass. For, in our anger we discover, in the words of poet/philosopher David Whyte, “what we belong to, what we wish to protect, and what we are willing to hazard ourselves for.” Such discoveries are usually indicators of our most precious and vulnerable inner selves.
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“The notion that God can be intimately affected, that He possesses not merely intelligence and will, but also feeling and pathos, basically defines the prophetic consciousness of God…” Abraham Heschel

NOTE: this post is longer than usual

The Bible is confusing.

Today, many of us continue to focus on God’s love, forgiveness, and universal grace. However, such thinking seems to be less and less common. In fact, I might say, with some confidence, that a significant number of people in the USA have become dissolutioned with a patriarchal God who seems to be more interested in punishment, anger, and what appears to be vengeance than it does about love.
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“He who does not expect perfection is not disappointed when he does not find it…” Charles H. Spurgeon

Lifted from Bill Britton: Wisdom from the Margins

So, I’ll go public with it right now: I am in the early stages of writing a book. The sad thing is, I have been in the “early stages” of writing this book for a few months, and I have made little progress.
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“We are trying to sort out if we are okay relative to what others think of us.” Michael Gervais

From the moment we exit the birth canal we are needy—for nourishment, touch, warmth, and a soothe familiar voice. These fundamental needs soon blossom to include acceptance and loyalty. After all, in early, early childhood we see ourselves as the center of the only universe we know, the universe of our “self.”

Somewhere, however, between the ages of 3 and 6 we begin to learn that others have needs as well, implying that we are not the only ones in this universe. Unfortunately, too many of us never seem to learn that lesson to its fullest.
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“Worry less about what you make — that will mostly look after itself, and is to some extent beyond your control, and perhaps even none of your business — and devote yourself to nourishing this animating spirit. This is done by a commitment to the creative act itself.” Nick Cave

I had a dream recently in which I was chatting evocatively with a woman about the pleasure of writing. In response she suggested that we each write three pages and compare compositions, not as in a contest but as in what joy we each brought to the table.

She sort of off-handedly suggested the title of our compositions to be “over the ball.” I loved the assignment and decided to write a fictional piece on “over the bawl,” thinking I might use a play on words. Off to a great start I felt enthused and engaged until, like in all dreams, unexpected roadblocks got in the way of me completing the exercise.
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