The Color of Global Anxiety

“To hear the phrase "our only hope"

always makes one anxious,

because it means that if the only hope doesn't work,

there is nothing left.” 

(Lemony Snicket, The Blank Book)

I recall an episode of "The Waltons" TV series in which the family is gathered around their old tube radio, listening through crackly reception to a news broadcast. The reporter was relaying events from Europe - news about the gathering storm of WWII. The family, and indeed the whole country were awash in a wave of anxiety in response to the unfolding events so far from home.

It is an image that is crawling into reality as we in North America follow (albeit through much less crackly news feeds) media reports about the war in Syria and the actions of ISIS. With dozens of countries claiming a stake in this conflict, it is no exaggeration to consider this a global conflict. As such, there is a growing apprehension and anxiety, as revealed through social media, in Canada and the U.S. about the outcome of this war.

“Life is ten percent what you experience,

and ninety percent how you respond to it.” 

(Dorothy M. Neddermeyer)

So how shall we respond to the this generation's growing storm? We fear that the conflict will continue to escalate, that the terrorists will dig their heals in within our borders, and that life in our own towns and cities will be unsettled, or worse, threatened. Well, Dorothy Neddermeyer may hold a key in her thoughts above. We might not be able to directly change the unfolding events in the Middle East, however, we can change how we react to them.

I'm not saying we shouldn't worry - it seems to be an intrinsic part of the human experience. However, it need not be the destination of our energies, but more of a meandering from the path. In the face of horrific events, when confronted with uncertainties, who do we want to be? Why not be our best? Instead of languishing in fear and doubt, why not shine brightly in the knowledge that we have been created to be world changers, healers, peace builders? As Jane Goodall states, "we all make a difference... what kind of difference do we want to make?"

The fight may come to our door, and if it does we must respond as necessary. But even then, we shall not forget who we are - children of Love and Light, created for peace, for life, and joy. In this day stand tall in the knowledge that tyranny will never have the last word. Every despot of history has fallen, and women and men of integrity have stood over their graves. 

Employ the tools of extreme forgiveness, of unrelenting compassion, and the peace that passes all understanding as you and your family gather around the radio this day. Love, in and through us, is infinitely more powerful than the conflicts of our world.

I leave the last word to the Apostle Paul:

"Do not be anxious about anything,

but in everything, by prayer and petition,

with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding,

will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

(Philippians 4.6-7)

The color of global anxiety...

but a speck of cloud obscuring the sunshine.

facing east

I saw only

the darkness of night

facing west

the sky was awash

with brilliant

crimson hues

of the setting

sun

darkness or light

simply

a change

in

perception

Breathe

Laugh

Pray

To Ponder Further:

- From the Bible: "Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds!" (Luke 12:24)

- From African Traditional: "Whoever wants to do some evil against another does not remember God. (African Traditional Religions. Proverb)

- From Taoism: "He who does not clearly understand Heaven will not be pure in virtue. He who has not mastered the Way will find himself without any acceptable path of approach. He who does not understand the Way is pitiable indeed!" (Chuang Tzu 11)

The Color of Entertainment

“Fine art is something wonderful

that's left long into the future...

eternal beauty.” 

(Masashi Kishimoto)

Anna and I are season ticket holders for the DaysArts concert series, and as such enjoyed last week's Christine Tassan concert immensely. Over the years we have attended dozens of concerts, each invoking a buffet of emotions and thoughts. The Daysland Palace Theatre is but a drop in the bucket of humanity's endeavor to induce laughter, tears, and contemplation through the work of entertainers. 

“I would rather entertain, and hope that people learned something,

than educate people and hope they were entertained” 

(Walt Disney)

Many, perhaps most, of earth's cultures engage some form of entertainment in their communal life. From storytelling to cultural dance, drumming ceremonies to singing and playing instruments, humans, it would seem, need artistic expression. While some may argue that "entertainment" is a low-brow form of artistry, I seek to unpack the word in its finest form.

The Merriam Webster dictionary defines entertainment as, "amusement or diversion provided especially by performers." Herein is the prayerful, contemplative coloring of entertaining that has within it a healing quality for our world: entertainment diverts our attention. The power of distraction cannot be overstated - ask any parent of a two-year-old and they will vouch for this oft-employed child-rearing tool. 

When life becomes heavy, when grief weighs us down, when anxiety chokes out the sun, or when we are weary from the pace - we hunger for something that will give us reprieve. Prayer does this of course, as does the prayerful art of mindfulness. Case-in-point is the absolute attention to the moment that a musical performer, or an acrobat, or an athlete evokes when we are, for just a few heartbeats, lost in something other than life's demands.

“When mind-stuck,

entertain your heart.” 

(Toba Beta, Master of Stupidity)

Perhaps that sums up entertainment's power - it moves us into the heart, and out of the whirlpool of our thoughts. In the story of a live theatre performance, when your team has just scored, as the orchestra reaches a crescendo - our thoughts still, and the entire universe is contained in the focus of that moment.  The divorce, the death, the cutbacks, the terrorists... these fade into the background, and in that unfolding of eternity we can breathe. 

Is that not the quintessential work of Love - that it draws us into our heart, that it breathes us, even as we breathe it? Is it not in the Light of Love that we find rest and renewal, replenishment for the day. This may blossom in a myriad of ways, one of which is within the wonder and novelty of entertainment. Love gives strength for the journey; it draws us down into our roots, reminds us of who we are. Love births us anew into each dawn, sending us into the day to bring life and healing to all with whom we cross paths. 

Though perhaps not commonly understood as such, entertainers are spiritual directors who guide us to an eddy in the river's flow. With them we can put our paddle down, breathe deep, and release what we've been holding inside through the laughter and tears that their arts elicit. It is true that we must ultimately walk out of the theatre to enter again the river's cascading waters. We may, though, take with us the mindfulness, the prayerfulness in which the entertainer immersed us for a time. If we do so we will face life's challenges empowered and enlightened.

I leave the last word to the writer of Ecclesiastes:

"There is nothing better for a person

than that they should eat and drink

and find enjoyment in their toil."

(Ecc. 2.24)

The color of entertainment...

Eden's echo of garden playfulness.

The magician

opens the box

the maiden

has vanished

along with

our fears

and

longings

for a moment

we are

free

Be

free

in

Love

Breathe

Laugh

Pray

To Ponder Further:

- From the Bible: "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven... a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance."

- From Baha'i: "There must be reformation in the kingdom of the human spirit; otherwise, no result will be attained from betterment of the mere physical structure." (‘Abdu’l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 278) 

- Islam: "to Allah belongs the east and the west. So wherever you [might] turn, there is the Face of Allah." (Quran: Chapter (2) sūrat l-baqarah)

The Color of Remembering

“Forgiveness is the fragrance

that the violet sheds

on the heel that has crushed it.” 

(Mark Twain)

It is the season of remembering – remembering those who fought in the wars of the last 100 years; remembering the foolishness of humanity that lead to the death of millions; remembering freedom and its cost - lives ended, lives broken, lives enduring.

Perhaps mostly though, it is about remembering love. In her book, Love Without End, Glenda Green states that we cannot solve a problem at the level at which it was created. The ills of humanity that precipitated the horrific atrocities of the 20th century and beyond cannot be healed by further violence. If we continue to adopt an “eye for an eye” policy of international relations we will all end up blind and angry.

Christ made it very clear that forgiveness was the key to healing the brokenness of our world as he mentored us in radical forgiveness. Still, we struggle to enact this grace on personal, community and national levels. Consequently, radical Muslims kill Christians and then radical Christians kill Muslims. Israel bombs the West Bank and the West Bank bombs back. There is absolutely no end to this, no resolution if we respond to violence with violence. The problem is, when we have been hurt, violated, wronged in some fashion, we are so utterly convinced that it is our right to seek retribution. In so doing we put aside our right to be healers in our world.

“It is forbidden to kill;

therefore all murderers are punished,

unless they kill in large numbers

and to the sound of trumpets.” 

(Voltaire)

Forgiveness though – now there is a power to be reckoned with. Seriously, what would happen in our world if nations would simply forgive? And let’s not stop there – what if communities were to forgive? What if families were to forgive?

Most of us have a family member who died in one of the last century’s wars – what if we were to forgive those responsible for such deaths? Remembrance Day may be about “we will never let that happen again; we will fight with all our might for freedom.” Is it not also about remembering who Love made us to be – that, yes, we will fight when all other avenues are closed to us, but we will forgive twice as hard as we fight?

"Let all bitterness and wrath and anger

and clamor and slander be put away from you,

along with all malice.

Be kind to one another,

tenderhearted, forgiving one another"

(Ephesians 4:31-32)

I am deeply grateful for those men and women who have fought for the freedom of our world. One of the ways I can honor their sacrifice is to let the violence that ended their lives provoke in me a deeper compassion and grace so that violence itself might one day be brought to an end. 

"Lest we forget" is a call to bring to mind that true freedom has never been found in the power of violence, but rather unfolds in the cascading brilliance of hands reaching across the chasm to join as one people. Our challenge is not to remember the war, it is to remember that we are a people of peace, reconciliation, of radical forgiveness.

Thank you to the men and women of our military, past and present; may the missions of our active soldiers be ones of rescue and peace.

I leave the last word to author Thomas Stephen Szasz:

“The stupid neither forgive nor forget;

the naive forgive and forget;

the wise forgive but do not forget.” 

(Thomas Stephen Szasz)

The color of remembering...

hindsight informing foresight.

missing the door

one walks

into a wall

over

and

over

and

over

until one learns

what doors

are

for

Love

is the

door

we

hold the

key

Remember

breathe

play

To Ponder Further:

- From the Bible: "Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you." (Ephesians 4.32)

- From Islam: "The best deed of a great man is to forgive and forget." ([Shiite]. Nahjul Balagha, Saying 201)

- From Confucianism: "The superior man tends to forgive wrongs and deals leniently with crimes." (I Ching 40: Release)

The Color of Encouragement

“Our chief want

is someone who will inspire us

to be what we know we could be.” 

(Ralph Waldo Emerson)

There is a story about two frogs that fell down a deep pit when hopping through the woods with their frog friends. All of the other frogs gathered around the pit to see what could be done to help their companions. When they saw how deep the pit was, they agreed that it was hopeless and told the two frogs in the pit that they should prepare themselves for their fate, because they were as good as dead.

Unwilling to accept this terrible fate, the two frogs began to jump with all of their might. Some of the frogs shouted into the pit that it was hopeless. The frogs continued sorrowfully shouting that they should save their energy and give up, since they were already as good as dead.

The two frogs continued jumping with all their might, and after several hours of this, were quite weary. Finally, one of the frogs took heed to the calls of his fellow frogs. Exhausted, he quietly resolved himself to his fate, lay down at the bottom of the pit, and died.

The other frog continued to jump as hard as he could, although his body was wracked with pain and he was quite exhausted. Once again, his companions began yelling for him to accept his fate, stop the pain and just die. The weary frog jumped harder and harder and, wonder of wonders, finally leaped so high that he sprang from the pit.

 Amazed, the other frogs celebrated his freedom, and then gathering around him asked, "Why did you continue jumping when we told you it was impossible?"

The astonished frog explained to them that he was deaf, and as he saw their gestures and shouting, he thought they were cheering him on. What he had perceived as encouragement inspired him to try harder and to succeed against all odds.

“Treat a man as he is and he will remain as he is.

Treat a man as he can and should be

and he will become as he can and should be.” 

(Stephen R. Covey, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People)

Through our words and actions we can inspire others to exceed their potentials, to push beyond their limits and be as brilliant as they have been created to be. We can also, though, cause deep wounds, even unto death, as a consequence of our words; there is an enormous power in our speech to create or to destroy.

“All we have to decide is what to do

with the time that is given us.” 

(J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring)

Today you will cross paths with family members, friends, co-workers, strangers on the street; you will meet people you like, and a few you dislike... each meeting, every face you encounter, will be an opportunity for you to encourage and lift up someone's life. A choice will present itself - to pass them by in silence, to cut them apart in spite, or to reveal your deepest truth, to let Love and Light pour through you as you speak words of life to them. 

Choose to be life-giving; choose to be a partner with those you meet in remaking our world in the image of Love. Your words can change lives, for many a wondrous deed has been accomplished as a result of a foundation of encouragement from others.

I leave the last word to the apostle Paul, the great encourager: 

"Therefore encourage one another

and build one another up,

just as you are doing."

(1 Thessalonians 5.11)

The color of encouragement...

vision beyond limitation.

An eaglet

perches nest-side

first flight

awaiting

fear grounds her

wings may fail

wind my falter

mother's cry

quells all

and

hesitant wings

spread

to kiss the sky

and

soar.

Be the cry

that is someone's

first

flight

Pause

Breathe

Listen

To Ponder Further:

- From the Bible: "Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear." (Ephesians 4.29)

- From Buddhism: "Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.” (Buddha)

- From Taoism: "Those that are good, seek for friends; that will help you to practice virtue with body and soul. Those that are wicked, keep at a distance; it will prevent evil from approaching you." (Taoism. Tract of the Quiet Way)