"No man (or woman) should go through life without once experiencing healthy, even bored solitude in the wilderness, finding himself depending solely on himself and thereby learning his true and hidden strength. - Learning, for instance, to eat when he's hungry and sleep when he's sleepy."
These old wise lines were written in the 1950's, by a Lonesom Traveller, an American Buddha and Catholic mystic. His name was Jack K. "Don't worry boy," a man once said to Jack K. on his way to a summer of perfect solitude as a Fire-lookout-man atop a high, ancient mountain,(his only company, the King Bear whose home was the ranging mountains of the Northwest), "these coulds'll roll away and you'll be able to see a hunnerd miles in every dirction."
The warmth and comfort of a home, the friends who, through their simple friendship, make you feel good and a sense of belonging, are not those feelings worth so much? And if we were to leave them, even for a little bit, what would happen? I am reflecting on all this because I know that in a few months I will wander on, and have to leave behind my love, my friends, and family. Physically I'll be leaving them all and migrating North, thousands of kilometers away, but because it is possible, as the poet William Blake wrote, "To see a world in a grain of sand, And a heaven in a wild flower, Hold infinity in the palm of your hand, And eternity in an hour" - Spiritually, they'll be within me, and never far away.
I am writing this only to wish everybody good luck getting a job, and moving to wherever they might.
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Friday, February 1, 2008
Where Art Thou?
God said to Adam, "Adam, Where art Thou?" Adam responded, "I'm hiding."
God said to Abraham, "Where art Thou?" Abraham responded, "I am here."
Abraham said to Issac, as they were walking up to the mountain together, "Issac, Where art Thou?"
Issac responded, like his father, "I am here."
In our lives we will be asked where we are. This entails contemplating where we have come from and where we are going. As educators we will ask our students, if we are interested in them as individuals, where they have come from, where they want to be, and who they are in the present. But these are difficult questions, and to ask them of oneself, or of others, it is only possible on the basis of self-respect, and respect for others. We must respect the fact that the answer to this question is as much a work in process as it is a simple statement that affirms the unchanging presence of the moment. We don't always know where we are - and this should be respected.
God speaks to Adam, a confused man who doesn't know where he is, in the same way he speaks to Abraham, the knight of faith. They are both referred to as "Thou." And Issac too, a child, is addressed in the same way. If we recognize the light and life force of the cosmos within every person, and the "Thouness" of every creature, plant, and rock - all beings, all children, even the most difficult and misunderstood ones, are deserving of our respect, and much patience.
"Every particular Thou is a glimpse through to the eternal Thou." Martin Buber, Jewish Philosopher
God said to Abraham, "Where art Thou?" Abraham responded, "I am here."
Abraham said to Issac, as they were walking up to the mountain together, "Issac, Where art Thou?"
Issac responded, like his father, "I am here."
In our lives we will be asked where we are. This entails contemplating where we have come from and where we are going. As educators we will ask our students, if we are interested in them as individuals, where they have come from, where they want to be, and who they are in the present. But these are difficult questions, and to ask them of oneself, or of others, it is only possible on the basis of self-respect, and respect for others. We must respect the fact that the answer to this question is as much a work in process as it is a simple statement that affirms the unchanging presence of the moment. We don't always know where we are - and this should be respected.
God speaks to Adam, a confused man who doesn't know where he is, in the same way he speaks to Abraham, the knight of faith. They are both referred to as "Thou." And Issac too, a child, is addressed in the same way. If we recognize the light and life force of the cosmos within every person, and the "Thouness" of every creature, plant, and rock - all beings, all children, even the most difficult and misunderstood ones, are deserving of our respect, and much patience.
"Every particular Thou is a glimpse through to the eternal Thou." Martin Buber, Jewish Philosopher
Friday, January 25, 2008
Power of Words
Paulo Coelho (the author of 'the Alchemist') posted the following on his website a little while ago. For Catholic teachers, Coelho (who is a practicing Catholic as well), has a website that could be a great source for daily spiritual reflections...
Here's the website: http://paulocoelhoblog.com (He posts a new reflection 5 days a week, but they come and go, you can't find the old ones online, but if you want a bunch of them, I can email them to you.
THE POWER OF THE WORD
Of all the powerful weapons of destruction that man has invented, the most terrible - and the most cowardly - is the word.
Knives and firearms leave traces of blood. Bombs shake whole buildings and streets. Poisons can always be detected.
But a destructive word can provoke Evil without leaving behind it a single clue. Children are subject to years of conditioning by their parents, artists are mercilessly pilloried, women are systematically undermined by remarks made by their husbands, the faithful are kept apart from religion by those who judge themselves capable of interpreting the voice of God.
Check to see if you yourself are using this weapon. Check to see if someone is using this weapon on you. And put a stop to both.
Here's the website: http://paulocoelhoblog.com (He posts a new reflection 5 days a week, but they come and go, you can't find the old ones online, but if you want a bunch of them, I can email them to you.
THE POWER OF THE WORD
Of all the powerful weapons of destruction that man has invented, the most terrible - and the most cowardly - is the word.
Knives and firearms leave traces of blood. Bombs shake whole buildings and streets. Poisons can always be detected.
But a destructive word can provoke Evil without leaving behind it a single clue. Children are subject to years of conditioning by their parents, artists are mercilessly pilloried, women are systematically undermined by remarks made by their husbands, the faithful are kept apart from religion by those who judge themselves capable of interpreting the voice of God.
Check to see if you yourself are using this weapon. Check to see if someone is using this weapon on you. And put a stop to both.
Destroyed by Fire
Please remember to nip subtle racist / prejudice remarks by children in the bud - before they bloom into an ignorance that is difficult to overcome.
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