Life is a Struggle The other day I spoke with a woman who, for the last six months, has been on light duty at her job. When she first stopped working at a position that required almost constant data entry into a computer, her elbows were so inflamed with tendinitis she had to cradle her tea cup in both hands in order to lift it to her lips so she could take a sip. Although her forearm muscles have strengthened and the discomfort has lessened, she still can’t type on a keyboard. Using a mouse brings her stabbing pain. Voice-activated technology is so cumbersome, is it pretty much useless to…
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The Chaos of Our Time, Listening, and Forgiveness
Chaos and the Naivete of Forgiveness Given the chaos breaking out across our nation and in the world, the rise of a hateful nationalism, and the brutal attacks on human decency and human lives that have been encouraged by our own president, it seems naive to write about listening and forgiveness. In less than a month there have been two major mass shootings; Christine Blasey Ford continues to receive death threats; our president has named Matthew Whitaker, a critic of the Mueller investigation, as “acting” Attorney General; and as he has always done, he undermines our democracy and foments crises that almost seem designed to divert our attention from important matters such as…
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Daylight Saving Time and Eternity
Daylight Savings Time Ends In most of the United States, in many parts of Europe, and in a few countries scattered throughout the rest of the world, Daylight Saving time has already ended or will end soon. It being fall, we turn the clocks backward and gain an hour, which is something to savor. Who doesn’t appreciate more time to sleep or party or meditate? If spring eventually brings Daylight Saving time around again, snatching that hour from us, we don’t have to think about that right now. Nonetheless, I’m not thrilled about this time change. I enjoy the dark mornings that encourage me to sleep in, and I love…
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Spiritual Maturity and the Hero’s Journey
Mathematics and Spiritual Maturity From the moment we are born, we start growing, changing, and maturing. In fact, to mature is one of the goals of a living creature. If we humans are fortunate, we eventually grow into adults. Perhaps we’re wise; perhaps foolish. Most likely, we’re a bit of both. Yet to gain more than a physical maturity, become spiritually mature, we must do more than just live. We must travel into the dark and secret places of our soul. We must take the hero’s journey. Generally, we don’t start this journey on purpose. Even through adolescence, some of us ignore the call to explore and question. Only when…
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Sex, Money, and Happiness
Money Isn’t Everything, But It Helps Before I read about the crow, I thought I would make a simple statement about the connection between sex, money, and happiness. It seemed reasonable to open this column with the platitude: if we seek happiness in that which is impermanent, we will end up unhappy, for that is what I have to say. Yet the crow shifted my understanding a little bit. For instance, although a happiness that depends on human relationships or financial security is precarious, for those of us living in the United States during the early part of the twenty-first century, the sentiment ignores certain realities of living in a…
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Honoring Indigenous Peoples’ Day
Arriving in a New Land This year, what in some parts of the country is still called Columbus Day, falls on October 8. I was surprised when a chaplain colleague led a short worship in which he praised the explorer, noting his determination, his courage, his indomitable spirit. He celebrated Columbus for chancing upon a country no one else had discovered before. Of course, while Columbus may have shown great courage and determination when he crossed the ocean in the primitive vessels and with the rudimentary tools they had in those days, he and his crew were not the first people to arrive in North America. We know, for example,…
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The Journey of Empowerment
Freedom and Power Last week, I wrote about the freedom of acceptance, that which comes with surrender, forgiveness, death. No matter our circumstances, we can become a bit more free by letting go. Other kinds of freedom are connected with power. For instance, some of us have the freedom to make decisions about our own lives. Others of us have lived with freedom long enough that we recognize our emotions and feel comfortable expressing them. If we feel sad or angry, we can say so. Along with these freedoms are some that only people with external power have the luxury of exercising, such as the ability to disrupt and destroy…
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All Kinds of Freedom
The Freedom of Innocence Freedom comes in many forms. For instance, there is a freedom in the innocence of a child. My one-year-old grandson has started laughing. Watching the cats play, he laughs. Noticing the adults in his life move or clap or tap their foot, he laughs. Gazing at the sky, the trees, the air itself, he laughs. When when he laughs, we laugh, too. He has discovered a new game. How joyful is this innocent freedom he radiates. He knows nothing of floods, supreme court confirmation hearings, sexual abuse, war, murder, lead in drinking water, poverty, poachers, hunger, illness, or plague. All he knows is what he sees, hears,…
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Joy that Saves
The Saving Nature of Joy Joy can save the world. If we were all joyful, there’d be no hatred, violence, incarceration, collusion, greed, or addiction. We’d all be peaceful, kind, and compassionate. Think about it. When you’ve felt on top of the world, could you have hurt another person? I don’t think so. Most people, when they’re happy or joyful, feel generous, understanding, supportive, and forgiving. Certainly, our moods can change. If we feel threatened, we can instantly become angry or fearful. We could lash out. In the moment of joy, however, we love everyone. That may be because joy helps us feel connected to one another and to the…
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A Quiet Stillness Amid the Storm
A Quiet Stillness A few weeks ago, I wrote about the stillness that allows us to truly listen, whether to another person, to God, or to our own inner voice. That kind of stillness is like a presence, a waiting, an openness to something that is not us or is not currently known by us. In such quietness, we can hear what is said and what is left unsaid. In this way, we deepen relationships. But this kind of stillness takes time. That wasn’t hard to come by when I was a child. Then, the days felt wide and limitless. Often I would lie on my stomach on the rock…