Stoic

 

We are the silent sufferers; the ones’ who never complain.

Brave and alone we are to endure, whatever the problem be.

“Oh, he never cried.”  They all would say, though he was in great pain.  “He kept a happy face. He seemed never to fret”.

Is this some kind of virtue, like honesty and love?
Are we to embrace pain and hide it from our friends?

This, we are told from an age quite young.

“Big boys don’t cry,” every young lad is reminded when after falling off the bike, a broken arm has made.

“Don’t be a ninny. Be strong Instead”; a message that even girls are told.

That, they say, is what it means to be an adult.

“Keep moving, don’t give up, nor give in. Fight to the end, true and bold”.

Has this become our mantra?

 

But, what if this is all a fancy façade, a way to pretend that we are tough?

Lo, our pain is real, whatever the cause. Should we keep it to ourselves and not let the world in?

 

Remember childlike innocence, when you said what you meant. If we were in pain, others were told. We did not keep it to ourselves. That was honest. That was real.

Ah, but we are adults. We are not to act like “little kids” full of emotion and strife. Instead we are chastised to be strong and composed, to remain above the fray.

And yet. . .  On a sacred day long ago, the Man-God was sentenced to die. On a cross he hung, vulnerable and alone. His life was to end, though his mission was peace, ahead only violence lay.

On at cross, in the midst of that pain, in the presence of that rejection, he cried as below the people gathered. “Why have you forsaken me”? He wailed. Yeah, he was not composed, neither was he singing or smiling the day away.

 

Earlier he had cried when his good friend died. Later he shed tears of blood when, in the garden he waited for that which was to come.

 

There was something real in his sorrow. This was not one who stoically endured.

He was not afraid of emotion. He showed anger as well as love. He was both tender and strong. He was full of passion.

 

Passion is the opposite of stoic. Is that not who we really are?

When I am in pain, I cry. When I am angry I get mad. These are just emotions. They are not to be ignored, though they ought to be tamed.

 

Are we the silent sufferers? Are we the stoic and brave?

Or do we tremble with fear and yell out in pain?

Be strong and be open also

Embrace passion just as The Passionate One embraced us

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Simple

Simple

 

I hear a bird chirping

In a nearby tree

 

I walk along a path

With my dog

 

Nothing is happening

Yet everything is alive

 

The trees sway as the squirrels race,

The wind blows gently across my face

 

I am alive

I am free

 It is not hard to find

Not elusive or remote

It is within and around

 

Simple

Serene

Peaceful

 

 

 

Short notice

This is what happened. I just returned from a vacation, and immediately got a call to go to work—in one hour. I hate short notice. For I had plans, I had things that I wanted to do: to write, to read, to think. . . But those will have to wait. Plans have been thwarted.

That is how life is. I am usually lucky in that I do not have such short notice. But it can occur.

There are people who are constantly interrupted, whose job seems to entail a series of short notices. Some of these are parents—for kids are always interrupting with some emergency or problem—doctors, especially those in a hospital where an emergency may occur at any moment— police and fire fighters who never receive notice. They always must be ready at a moment’s notice. . .

Semper Paratus is the Coast Guard motto. It means “always ready”. That is a good description of them. Something happens, a call is made, and off they go to rescue or search.

I am not naturally inclined to that. I like things planned, methodical and researched. Yet sometimes I feel the inclination to just go—to be spontaneous. But usuallythis is short-lived. I generally like my schedule.

So, off I go to work. It’ll be ok. I tend to over think, anyway. Now I can avoid that. I only have time to react. It may be better that way.

What now?

 

What now?

A few weeks ago a large number of gays at a nightclub were killed. The nation felt sorrow and sadness. Many went to church and prayed.  Last week five police officers were assassinated in Dallas. The nation felt profound sorrow and sadness. Many went to church and prayed.

It seems as a vicious cycle . . . watch, pray, repeat.

Eventually though we stop, for something else has gotten our attention. Life intrudes. This is part of humanity. We are a temporal people, who rarely find permanence. So we race to the nearest shiny object, yet upon seeing another, move on.

Across the nation passion still ignites. People protest and move into opposing camps, with each side claiming that they have the moral imperative, implying that God is on their side.

Everyone seems to want things to change. Some urge us, as a nation to move forward with acts of civil disobedience like shutting down roads, or picketing in front of the police headquarters. Others however simply want a return to peace and stability.

This is not new. This nation has gone through such strife before and will in the future. But the issue remains, should we become activists and work on changing the world, or resign ourselves to the fact that despite what we do—or say—little changes?

I am reminded of the Old Testament passage “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity”. In the end, everything we do remains inchoate. Looking at the long view of history, we see strife and resolve, peace and war, openness towards strangers and xenophobic retreat. Perhaps this is why some people become pessimistic and depressed, for they realize that human agency is very fleeting.

 So, what do we do?

We need to remember that our purpose is to live and love. God is the one doing all the work. Yes, we can strive to make the world better—and should. But like a house built on sand, it will soon be washed away, for it is not our doing.

God does not really need us. God can find someone else, or some other way.  That is what the divine does.

Yet this is not a "cop out". We have our job, for it is not what we do, but how we live—full of thankfulness, joy, and humility. Our lives are mostly mundane. We work. We eat. We sleep. But we also, befriend, help and support.

God does not need us—but God does want us. It is like a little kid who hands his father the tools while dad fixes the car. Dad could do it himself, but he wanted his child to assist and to learn.

Peace.

 

 

Unfair

 

 

I wondered why life is unfair

I knew that it was

I knew that it always had been

But, why must it be unfair against me?

Why not in my favor?

 

I asked the mountain

But the mountain would not say

I did not think that it would

 

I looked at the sky

It was dark and empty

There was nothing in the air

 

Nearby a city glows

People run to and fro

And, here I stay, alone.

 

“It’s unfair!” I stammer

I yell. But, no one hears

“Why is it unfair?”

I scream at the dark.

 

The dark tells me to wait

Soon it disappears. Light forms

A cool breeze blows

Is this unfair?

 

The birds sing while the sun shines

I have coffee

I have food

I am alive

Yes, it’s unfair. But it’s okay

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Scars upon the land

More scars upon the land: a tradeoff

In the 1980s the heavy metal band, Cinderella performed a ballad entitled “(you) don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone”.  They were talking about a jilted love affair.

That phrase has stayed with me—as have lots of phrases from music—it is amazing how many good sayings have come from songs, but that is another topic. So, today as I was traveling to the store, I noticed that an old farm was in the process of becoming a suburban neighborhood. Trees had been cleared, and the undulating ground straightened, leaving only a flat open field. New traffic lights had been installed, and a new sign, with a cute little girl beckoning prospective residents to consider moving into a new subdivision—with all the modern conveniences.

I used to enjoy driving along that patch of road. There was wildness to it, for though we live on the edge of a burgeoning city, this area has a small town, even bucolic feel about it. Cattle still graze nearby. Along the drive, one could see wildflowers, hear and sometimes see birds, and feel at peace.  It was a happy route.

I get it. We live in one of the fastest growing areas of our state. My wife and I have noticed that traffic has become much more of a problem since we moved here over a decade ago. People need somewhere to live. Property values are high, so relief, by way of more construction would be a benefit.

John Denver in his song “Rocky Mountain High”, penned the line, “more people, more scars upon the land”. His was an anthem for environmentalism.  For him the building of roads, stores, houses and everything else were “scars”.

I see his point. I wish that they would stop. Preserve the land! It is not enough that more people are moving into this formerly bucolic area, but that they are not arriving as simple pioneers. Rather they want all the conveniences of modern life. So instead of a modest home, for people who are looking to start a family, the new construction is aimed at jet-setters and the “nouveau riche”. Upper middle class mansions with well maintained lawns are what most seem to want.

Preserving the land appears to have taken a back seat to commercialization. But does it have to be?

People move here in part because of the beauty and climate. Many long term residents want to restrict newcomers, for they are concerned about losing some of the beauty and simplicity.

In America this problem seems to be more acute. In other world cites, the city proper is quite dense. But soon one can be in the more sparsely populated regions. Sure urban sprawl exists everywhere, but in this country, the idea seems to be unfortunately, to build more and bigger.

I hope that all of the trees are not cut. That some of the land remains uncommercialized.  We need to preserve and maintain what we have, for as the lyric reads “you don’t know what you’ve got, ‘til it’s gone.”

 

 

 

Closure

About closure

(philosophy)

It is that time again: The end of a school year, the end of a business cycle, or the end of the day. Everything, at some point ends.

But the world has changed. It has become more complex, and with that complexity our concept of time has changed. Rarely does one event end before another begins. Rarely then, is closure experienced.

Some people seem to embrace this openendness, they thrive in the post-modern universe where nothing really ends or begins, but merely changes forms and conditions. This, they state is the new dynamic. Absolute certainty is impossible, and further, not even desired. In this paradigm religion is viewed as an anachronism—a homage to an earlier, simpler time. Science, with its inherent contradictions becomes the new source of knowledge.

Yet things still end. The school year comes to a close. For those who have reached the high end of school, a graduation ceremony announces to all that they have succeeded--that they can close that phase of their life. Likewise, those participating in sports recognize that there is a definite season for them to compete. If they are successful, they will be the last one standing at the end of that season—they would then have found closure, at least until the sport begins again.

However these events are not  really the end. Even if one has earned a doctorate, they can continue on with additional studies. Similarly, even if one wins the Super Bowl or the Stanley Cup, and becomes regarded as the champion, there is always the following sport season looming ahead. The cycle continues. Life time learners and life time athletes resist closure. But for others, those on a more ordinary path, things do tend to have an ending. They find, at least temporarily closure.

Yet there is one final closure that awaits everyone—death. With it there is no “next season”. Like a graduation ceremony, a funeral gives notice that one has succeeded in finding closure. Both observances announce to all that a life stage has ended.

Thus, despite the relativistic conclusion that nothing is final, all things come to an end. Science, with its open-ended approach has met that thing from which nothing goes beyond. Death, like a brick wall sealing off an escape tunnel, tells us that we can go no farther—at least in this mode.

There is a geography concerning closure, as it exists within a specific time and place. Graduation ceremonies occur at a predetermined times. The Super Bowl is played at the beginning of February, and the Stanley Cup makes it appearance in early June.

 It is basically the same with death. It occurs at a specific time and place—although usually the precise moment remains unknowable. That becomes problematic. Because death appears at random, and is so final, it brings out an anxiety that other events simply can’t.

Death brings about closure. There is no escaping it.

Usually a ceremony accompanies closure. The graduate wants to celebrate, reflect and fellowship with family and friends. Inversely, friends and family  of the deceased desire a ceremony  so that they can celebrate, reflect and support each other through fellowship. These ceremonies provide meaning. So,  on the same day that students march across a stage dressed in academic regalia to receive a diploma, pallbearers dressed in formal attire, march a deceased person into a chapel to receive a final blessing.

Closure puts things into context, it brings forth meaning. The response to closure does not appear to be based within science, but rather within religion.  With these ultimate experiences of life, meaning is sought. Here is the place at which religion can interconnect with those who are seeking. For it is through religious belief that the brick wall of death is overcome. Faith in God then becomes the antidote for the anxiety caused by both  open-endedness and closure.

 

 

 

Sotto Voce

In music the Italian term “Sotto Voce”, is used to denote a softening of sound for effect. For example after a loud section is played, the conductor may tell the musicians to lower the volume or slow the rhythm. When this happens people notice, for the contrast is obvious and dramatic.

Though this term is used almost exclusively within music and the arts, I believe that it can be useful in describing the way that Christians should approach the world. Over 100 years ago, President Theodore Roosevelt famously opined, “speak softly and carry a big stick”.  He was arguing for a “sotto voce” international diplomacy.

The world today is very loud and chaotic. Everywhere people yell, belittle and mock. Those with strong opinions are placed on television “news” shows where they argue their positions. Too often a shouting match ensues. Though people are free to disagree, the arguments are cast in such a light that the disagreeing person is deemed untruthful. Echo chambers are the result, as all those who agree on a certain policy or idea or placed on one side of the debate, and those on the other side are shut out of the conversation.

At the same time Christianity seems to be attacked with greater ferocity than it has in a long time. Across the world, Christians are witnessing the rise of a violent type of Islam leading to an increased intolerance and hostility.  Atheists, no longer content to remain in the background, have become more assertive of their rights. Even those who profess a belief in God often have become critical of the perceived injustices committed by Christians, who are now often seen as judgmental and intolerant. 

For the ground has now shifted. The default position in America—and really for most of the world—was that God existed and was interactive. This was understood, by us as referring to the Christian God. Billy Graham exemplified this ethos: Protestant, evangelical, scholarly in its use of reasoned arguments while not overly intellectual, but instead having a mass appeal that promoted personal responsibility and civic engagement.

That is no longer the case. Increasingly today traditional religion is viewed either suspiciously or anachronistically. From its long-established positions on marriage and family to its theocentric understanding of cosmology – which lies with conflict with the prevailing “climate change” debate— established religion in America seems to be imperiled.

With the constant bombardment of social media everyone has a voice. The helpful and uplifting is being heard alongside the hurtful and degrading. In such a reality, the loudest, strangest, and most assertive voices get noticed.

Yet there is another way—sotto voce!

As someone who easily feels overwhelmed, I know the benefit that quiet can bring. It can bring calmness and alleviate anxiety and tensions. It can help in procuring peace.

Sotto voce is more than just a way of talking. It is a way of living counter-intuitively: calm, intentional and full of humility. A sotto voce person seeks harmony, for they relish the simple and beautiful, in much the same way that young children view the world with awe and joyfulness.

A Sotto voce outlook seeks permanence, and so it is more attracted to the sounds of birds and puppies, as these will always remain, than to those of cars and machinery, for in time they will pass away.

Sotto voce is not passive. It does engage the world. Yet it does so, in its own way. Somehow though  its message is heard