A Christmas Wish

 christmas day has just passed, and it was a wonderful day.  with all our family here for christmas weekend, i haven't had a chance to write, but i hope to write soon about what this time together has meant to me.  for now, may you be filled with lovingkindness and compassion, may you be well, may you peaceful and at ease, may you be happy.  shalom.

Why Can't We See How Blind We Can Be?

we humans can't seem to stop ourselves from trying to impose our will on others.  we seek to control others, to change them into what we think they ought to be.  think of all the wars that have been fought to achieve those ends, of the missionary movement that intended to make "good christians" out of those that were conquered and whose lands were made territories of western powers, of the suffering of those who were enslaved for the enrichment of their owners, of how colonial rulers exploited the people and resources of those who lived under their rule.

the western world, especially the uk, france, spain, belgium, the netherlands, and the usa, has caused suffering to untold millions to enrich itself, and we continue to take from those who have little so that we can have more.  in our churches we used to sing hymns like "onward, christian soldiers" and "we've a story to tell to the nations" with little thought of the cultural implications of their lyrics.  we believed, and many continue to believe, that christianity is superior to all other religions, that it is the only way that we can access God, the only way to "salvation."  

this way of thinking was brought home to me when i listened to a conversation between a friend and a waiter who was taking our lunch order.  this young man was the son of missionaries, and i was surprised when i learned that his parents had served in ireland.  what, i wondered, were christian missionaries doing in ireland, a country that was christianized a thousand years ago and where there are thousands of churches?  i wanted to ask if the irish weren't capable of evangelizing themselves, but i didn't, knowing that such a question would lead to an explanation about how "genuine" christianity was in decline there.  therefore, the irish needed help from americans who knew better than they how to "bring the lost to christ."

if we truly love others, we accept them as they are, rather than working to change them into what we want them to be.  we must let go of the arrogance that believes that "our way" is the best way and learn from the cultures and beliefs of others.  in this country, we are engaged in a struggle between those who would impose their narrow, close-minded philosophy on the rest of us and those who are convinced that the strength of america is in our diversity.  why should english be our national language when it was imported from another country by immigrants who took over the land from those who had lived here for centuries?  why should christianity become our established religion when our country came into being because of the desire to escape religious tyranny?

may we recognize that there is no one "right way."  may we accept others as they are and learn from them.  may we see the value of diversity and the great danger of insistence on homogeneity.  may we live in a country that is truly free, rather than one in which the will of those who believe they have all the answers is imposed on everyone.  may we learn that to love means letting go of the desire to control another.  shalom.

Where There Is Darkness, Only Light

i have been reading eckhart tolle's book "now," and find it challenging and thoughtful.  i am especially intrigued by the idea of the self as an observer of the mind.  i must agree with him that one's mind is not the same as one's "self."  our minds like to be in control of our actions and feelings, but the mind is often mistaken.  to be able to stand apart and challenge the directions the mind gives us can stop us from taking the wrong path.  it's important to allow ourselves to pause before acting, reacting, or speaking.  discovering the true "me" apart from the mind is a difficult but necessary task that takes constant vigilance, else we allow the mind to control us, causing us to act in ways that are contrary to our true selves.

i often find that when i meditate, thoughts about past actions that were wrong begin to appear, and i am overwhelmed with a sense of guilt and self-recrimination.  i am beginning to see that this is the mind trying to take me out of the present moment into the past.  this interruption of the peace of my meditation requires me to step back and see that i am not the person i was in the past, that what was done cannot be undone but as i live in the present i can see the errors in my past and stop myself from repeating them.  in this way, such thoughts are a good thing, so long as i don't allow the mind to dwell on those mistakes and the guilt arising from them.  i am learning to be grateful for the mind's reminders, despite its intrusion on my meditation, since there are lessons to be learned from the past.

as i learn to live more and more in the present, i find that life is easier.  there is a flow to life that wasn't there before.  little aggravations are not as irritating.  my stress level is much lower.  i sleep more soundly.  little everyday tasks that were once done mechanically and thoughtlessly are now important as i turn my attention to them entirely without allowing random thoughts about other matters to distract me.  i am surprised at how much i enjoy these routine tasks when i am present as i perform them.  they become events to be celebrated rather than endured.

i am more cognizant of the interconnectedness of all things.  the tiniest particle of matter is a manifestation of an intelligence that is a part of everything that is.  everything is immortal as one part of creation is transformed into part of something else.  we never die; we are only changed into something else when this life is at an end.  our physical bodies become food for new life, and in that metamorphosis we return to the intelligence that created us.  in the process we discover what becomes of the "me" that has watched our minds during our lives.  only at that point can we know what the meaning of eternity is.

may we spend our lives in self-discovery.  may we learn to control our minds, rather than allowing our minds to control us.  may we find the peace that comes from realizing that we are part of something bigger than ourselves.  may we learn true constancy, the evenminded calm that arises from gratitude for life's trials and accepts them as the gifts that they can be.  shalom.

When We Are Mirth-Giving

this morning i'm wondering about how people become the way they are.  we all know folks who are filled with optimism and exude a calmness and joy that give those around them confidence that things will be alright.  we know others who are like the character in the old "li'l abner" comic strip that walked around with a cloud over his head as rain constantly fell on him, people who seem to suck all the happiness from every situation and are purveyors of doom and gloom.  why are some of us happy while others are not?

i'm sure much of our psychological makeup has to do with our experiences as children.  if we grew up in a household with a parent who constantly criticized us and everyone else and who always saw the black side of the cloud, so to speak, we're more likely to carry on that morbid family tradition.  on the other hand, if we were encouraged and praised as children, we're more likely to be positive people when we're adults.  i'm happy to say that both our children are kind, optimistic adults who are problem solvers rather than naysayers, so we must have done something right in their rearing.

some people get knocked down constantly.  no matter how hard they try, life never seems to give them a break.  when that is your life experience, it's probably easy to finally give up and quit trying.  i think of those in difficult circumstances, like the many homeless in our country, who can't seem to break the cycle of hard knocks that has been their life story, or those born into poverty who are unable to escape the hand that life has dealt them.  we have this unrealistic belief as americans that everyone can pull themselves up by their bootstraps.  we forget that most of those who are successful had successful families and were surrounded by those in similar situations throughout their lives.  the "great american success story" is the exception.  we have created a society that makes it difficult to escape the reality in which you are born and to pretend otherwise is to ignore reality.

yet, even those who seemed to be consigned to lives of want rather than lives of plenty are often the happiest and most optimistic people around.  they manage to find the good in situations that most of us would find daunting, if not impossible.  they see good in others and share what little they have with open hearts.  i suppose that happiness is, in many ways, a choice that we must make if we want to experience it.  we can dwell on our problems, rather than finding solutions, or we can look at life as an opportunity to improve bad situations for us and others.  it is up to us to decide which path we will follow.

may we choose happiness.  may we overcome adversity and negativity.  may we see opportunities rather than stumbling blocks.  shalom.

Hark the Herald Angels Sing

in the usa, thanksgiving day has just passed.  christmas is around the corner.  for christians, the season of advent has begun.  in our home, images of that bearded gift-giver we call santa claus abound, along with several manger scenes with the baby jesus at their center.  there are lighted ceramic trees and a four-foot-tall tabletop christmas tree, as yet undecorated.  there are snowmen and various figures that are celebrating christmas, such as our set of carolers from the peanuts cartoon series.  there are angels and gnomes.  it is a feast of color and light.

each morning i walk through the house while it is still and dark outside, turning on the celebratory lights that are not automatically turned on by timers.  when night falls, lighted trees, garlands, wreaths, and a santa claus come on outside in the front and rear of our house, as their timers do their jobs.  it is the season i love most each year, that time before all the family gathers, and the traditional christmas dinner is eaten, and gifts are exchanged.  it is a time of anticipation of the festivities that are to come, of rehearsing the familiar tunes and words associated with christmas, of watching movies that capture the magic of the season.

i remember the magic of anticipation from my childhood:  looking forward to seeing what santa brought me and my siblings on christmas morning, going with my dad out to the forest to find a tree, thinking about the fun i'll have with my cousins when we go to my grandparents' house for dinner on christmas afternoon.  the smells of that delicious food and the taste of my mother's special cookies and candies that only appeared during the season leading up to christmas day are still fresh in my memory.  we have continued the tradition of my mother's tea cake recipe in our household.  those short bread cookies take most of a day to make, as the thick dough is mixed, then rolled out and cut into festive shapes, and carefully baked so that they are just the right combination of tenderness and crispness, not too doughy but not too hard.  at the end of the day, about seven dozen of these wonderful treats are stored in cookie jars, even after our sampling of the first batch after it's cooled on wire racks.

i love everything about christmas and the days that precede it.  the hard work of dragging all the decorations out, unpacking them, and arranging them in our home is worth all the effort.  our home never looks more beautiful than it does at christmas time.  we've even talked about finding a larger tree to decorate this year, and i'm excited about that prospect.  now most of the gifts are wrapped, except a few that are on order but that haven't arrived, and we can begin to relax and enjoy the prospect of spending happy times with our children and their partners.

may we carry the spirit of christmas with us throughout the year.  may we recall the magic of christmas that surrounded and filled us as children.  may christmas be a time of good will, peace, tolerance, patience, and joy, even for those who don't subscribe to the "jesus is the reason for the season" philosophy.  may we remember that christmas is the time for giving and gratefully receiving, not for condemning those who don't agree with us.  shalom. 

God Reveal Your Presence

this past week, i was reminded of how covid continues to cause problems.  three close relatives--a father, his wife, and their middle-aged son who lives with them--were all infected.  the two parents are in their late seventies, and both suffer from breathing problems.  fortunately, all three began taking oral anti-virals that their doctors prescribed for them immediately after testing positive.  the mother, who was the first to exhibit symptoms, was better by the day after she began taking the medication.  

what struck me was the difference in the reactions my wife and i had to the effects of the medicine compared to the reaction of our relative's daughter.  the daughter attributed her mother's quick improvement to the prayers she had been offering on her mother's behalf.  for her, God's intervention in her mother's illness was responsible.  for my wife and i, the credit belonged to the medication and those who developed it and prescribed it, as well as our relative's wisdom in seeking medical help immediately.  as i thought about the daughter's response to her mother's improvement, i wondered why she thought her mother caught the virus in the first place.  if the improvement in her mother's condition was an answer to prayer, why didn't the god who caused the improvement simply prevent her from catching covid in the first place?  why were her prayers effective, while the prayers of some others whose loved ones died from covid despite their earnest prayers were not?  better yet, why did that god allow covid to come into existence and cause so much suffering?

i was disturbed that a college-educated young woman would attribute the difficult work of understanding this virus, developing vaccines against it, and treatments for it to a supernatural being rather than giving credit to the scientists and physicians who have worked so diligently to alleviate the suffering covid causes.  this same woman refused to take the vaccines, nor did she encourage her minor children to get vaccinated, even after her husband had a serious covid infection early in the pandemic.  surprisingly, the husband took the vaccine after he recovered, though none of the rest of his family was ever vaccinated.

such refusal to recognize the value of human beings in combating the ills that arise in the natural world while placing one's complete faith in the supernatural is a great puzzle to me.  i cannot place my faith in a god who allows such suffering nor give that god credit when the suffering is alleviated.  we must take responsibility for our own lives and work to make the world a better place.  this is what the God i believe in created us to do.  there may be an element of faith in God and gratitude to God when new discoveries are made or when illnesses are healed, but that faith and gratitude arise because we do the necessary work ourselves, not because God does it for us.

may we be grateful to those who labor on our behalf.  may we use our minds to make life better for ourselves and others.  may we not place our faith in prayers but rather in the scientists and healthcare providers who treat our ills.  may we believe in a God who is present for us all the time--before, during, and after our travails--if we believe in a God at all.  shalom.

May Truth and Freedom Come to Every Nation

i've spent much of the last few days watching the election results from the midterm elections.  it appears that, for the most part, voters voted responsibly.  many of the candidates who repeated lies about the past presidential election and who advocated for laws to make it more difficult for americans to cast their ballots in the future were defeated.  the predicted "red wave" of republican victories did not materialize, and an almost equally divided house and senate appear to be in the making when the new congress begins to meet in january 2023.  republicans may ultimately have a small majority in the house of representatives, but it will be difficult for them to accomplish anything without some democratic support because their majority will be so small.  if the democrats prevail, which is still a possibility, they will be in the same position, needing some republican support to enact legislation.  perhaps this is a good thing, because it will force representatives to work across the aisle to secure some support from the opposing party, and bills enacted will result from compromises between the two parties.  this willingness to compromise has been lacking for many years.  often the best policies are those resulting from the democrats and republicans meeting in the middle.

one unfortunate outcome of the election was the success of ron johnson of wisconsin being re-elected to the senate.  johnson is an acolyte of donald trump who tried to assist in trump's phony elector scheme on january 6 and who has consistently spouted lies about the election and other matters, such as how to best address the covid pandemic.  the country would be better off had he been defeated by his democratic opponent, but a majority of voters in wisconsin felt otherwise.  his victory was offset by the republican loss in neighboring pennsylvania, where the liberal democrat, john fetterman, was victorious in defeating a trump-endorsed candidate, mehmet oz.  now there will be a small democratic majority in the senate, owing to mr. fetterman's success in pennsylvania and the victory of mrs. cortez masto in nevada.  if senator warnock prevails in the georgia senate runoff, democrats will have a majority, even without the tie-breaking vote of vice-president harris.

the mid-term elections were not favorable to trump's candidates, and many in his own party are now blaming him for their poor showing in the election.  as the retiring senator from pennsylvania, pat toomey, said after the election, leaders of the republican party should have foreseen the dangers of their continued loyalty to trump and fielded better candidates who focused on policy issues that are of concern to the electorate rather than repeating the election lies of a failed presidential candidate.  larry hogan, the outgoing republican governor of maryland, echoed mr. toomey and called trump a three-time loser in national elections.  perhaps the results of this election will finally turn the page on trump's influence in the republican party and in the nation.

may we give thanks for the wisdom of voters who refused to be taken in by the lies of a failed presidential candidate.  may we work together to find solutions to the problems we face as a nation, rather than wasting energy in futile partisan battles.  may those we elect look to the ideals on which the country was founded and abandon the desire to cling to power at all costs.  may we find strength in our diversity, and may we have compassion for one another.  shalom.