This is my Friday offering – late – of the Blogging Consortium topic provided by Grannymar this week. Wow. I better get to work …
We seem to like polarity, we humans do. It helps us with our decisions, helps us avoid some of the underlying questions that raw existence poses. Questions like, “Does any of this have meaning?” or “Am I just a passing fancy of some blind, accidental process?” Even worse for some is the idea that it is all a continuum, nuanced, containing all shades of meaning without absolute rights and wrongs!
No, we like solid footing, approach and avoidance defined. Approach is something pleasant, good, healthy, happy, enjoyable. Avoidance is unpleasant, unsavory, bad, painful. Presented with approach/approach, decisions can be difficult, because we have to choose between two attractive options and that means that one thing we want must be pushed aside. Similarly, avoidance/avoidance is difficult, because we must actually accept one of the negative alternatives. But, if we can get approach/avoidance set before us – we’ve hit the decision making mother lode! It is the ultimate, what we deftly term a no-brainer. We LIKE no-brainers!
Now, toss the unavoidable realization that we are going to die eventually. Scares the crap out of a person at one level. Well, what better way for an institution to control your life than to formalize Heaven and Hell as the ultimate approach/avoidance? Look how churches thrive in our world. Churches make a LOT of money – at least some of them do. The wealth contained in Vatican City is ENORMOUS! Much of it (not all) is because people want to approach God and avoid Satan.
It is also the hope that there is ultimate justice for being treated unfairly in an unjust world where other people abuse us. Reward for us – punishment for them. Divine justice. Ha! Try and beat that you abusive scoundrel.
But, I offer you one more perspective on Hell. According to Luke 17: 21 Jesus tells us, “The kingdom of God is within you.” Some translations have within translated as among, indicating a more communally shared perspective. If we have that capacity to attune to something greater within ourselves, it seems we have a capacity to attune to something worse. The world right now is communally making some very momentous decisions, decisions that will affect Maynard and Deb’s new little grandbabies in a big way. Those decisions are made within individuals, even if the decision of that individual is to follow a group. Those decisions are made very often on an approach/avoidance basis. We have the unavoidable choice as individuals to decide what values we wish to see fulfilled in our world, to see what our legacy will be.
A lot of that choice will depend upon whether we seek the Heaven within us or the Hell. Forget the reward and punishment. Forget the competitive advantage. Forget the greed and hatred, for all of these are the Hell within. Open to the Kingdom within, regardless of how you conceive it, whether secular or religious, metaphor or reality, Eastern or Western, holy or practical. It is available to anyone. Once found, decisions and judgments actually become easier.
Posted 5 months, 2 weeks ago at 9:58 am. 8 comments
Part of the continuing Blogger’s Consortium series with simultaneous posts on the topic being done by Ashok, gaelikaa, Grannymar, Helen, Judy, Magpie 11, Maria, Marianna and Ramana – in alphabetical order. This topic was offered by gaelikaa!
Although my plan is to never die and I am so far succeeding, I suspect that eventually I will fail. There is good precedent for that view, actually.
While I tend to agree with Woody Allen that “I’m not really afraid of dying, I just don’t want to be there when it happens.” But, one does wonder what comes after. Will I meet up with my departed loved ones? Will we recognize one another? Will they be waiting for me?
Obviously, until it happens I can’t say for sure – assuming there will be a me to say anything! – but I have my suspicions and so, seemingly does most of humanity.
The atheist is pretty convinced they will become worm food, end of story. There is a level at which I applaud such a courageous belief, because it means that you have to deal with this life knowing that this is it, period. They really feel that the concept of Heaven itself is an opiate to calm and control people. In the book that I am currently reading, My Year of Living Biblically by A. J. Jacobs, he visits an atheist convention and finds that the hard part for the atheist movement is that it is hard to corral enthusiasm for belief in nothing!
Brief aside: I recommend this book, because it in no sense is standard fare, not meant to proselytize, just a secular writer who decides to totally live by Biblical precepts for a year and write about his impressions. I think you will particularly like the part when he stones the adulterer in Central Park! Anyway, where were we? …
The Vikings believed in Valhalla entered by warriors. Christians believe in Heaven where St. Peter sits at the gates and belief in Christ is the path to Heaven; rejection, the path to Hell. Hindus and Buddhists have Nirvana. Jews and Muslims have their own take. Forgive me simplifying so much, but I am trying to distill an essence from a topic that has enthralled humanity to the tune of thousands of tales and books.
It always brings me to wonder whether each, true to his or her teachings, goes to a special version of eternity consonant with their beliefs. Somewhat like we all lead a special version of life consonant with our beliefs!
But, until we reap our final harvest – unless of course, we are on the karmic wheel – let me leave you with these gentle observations on our universal conundrum:
(from snakelady, a good friend of bikehikebabe)
Snake died last night—a few hours after she brought it to me. I
gave her $5 for her troubles. Still depressed and wondering why
people have to be such asses. … I emailed our new neighbors to let them know that their landscape matting will kill snakes but they don’t care:( No one seems to care:(
(from bikehikebabe)
You are so kind hearted. You have to drudge up the positives & think about them. You’ll go to Heaven. You have a new beautiful house, the best husband, youth (compared to me), good health, the most beautiful hair, some fine pair of boobs, etc.
You have to admire someone who can put boobs and Heaven together without even needing to take a breath!
(from a song by Souther, Hillman and Furay)
There’s trouble in paradise. You just can’t sleep at night in that solid gold room.
I love that line!
(My folks good friend)
My folks had a friend who, near the end of his life, worked very studiously at a church that he had never spent time at in younger years. He was a Deacon, he mowed the lawn, served coffee, ushered, etc. As my folks said, “He is just trying to mow his way into Heaven.”
I’m figuring he made it!
There are a few things we all share:
- We have some personal concept of what follows this life.
- We will get to prove it eventually.
- We aren’t there yet.
- This must mean something, being here. Let’s do the gentlest best we can with it and savor every moment, every impression.
See you on the other side?
Posted 10 months ago at 9:00 am. 38 comments
I think that Michael Jackson was an incomparable artist in very many ways. I leave the tribute to his talent and fantastic artistry to two people who are much more qualified than I to point out artistic substance:
“Oh, God! That boy moves in a very exceptional way. That’s the greatest dancer of the century”. - Fred Astaire
“I didn’t want to leave this world without knowing who my descendant was. Thank you Michael!”- Fred Astaire (shortly before his death)
“The only male singer who I’ve seen besides myself and who’s better than me – that is Michael Jackson.” – Frank Sinatra
He deserves that tribute. He really does. Of course, he also deserves scrutiny over the questionable and undeniable tragedy of his existence. Shakespeare would have a ready-for-publication script of Michael’s torn nature in a relatively short period, because the plot would already be written. The excesses and contradictions of celebrities so often mirror our own – just magnified on the all-too-public stage coupled with the all-too-private bubble of genius and wealth. It is like our own psyches on steroids at times. Marilyn, Elvis, James Dean, Brando – and now Michael. All represent part of our psyches, all became archetypal figures. Otherwise, they would not be cultural icons.
But, there is another serious problem with high-powered celebrity. We need to pay it its due, but…we need to not be distracted for too long from those things happening which have an importance exceeding ALL celebrity. I think the following cartoon captures that pretty well:
See Cartoons by Cartoon by Stephane Peray – Courtesy of Politicalcartoons.com – Email this Cartoon
Some will stay with our celebrity fascination too long. But, some of us won’t. And some will make the mistake of not paying tribute.
Michael, your music and your dancing were fantastic! I salute your incomparable artistry. Truly you were the non-pareil.
Posted 1 year, 2 months ago at 2:05 pm. 17 comments
Loyal and caring readers, one of our own, Ramana Rajgopaul, can use our lasting friendship and support. His wife, Urmeela, passed on unexpectedly this past Friday, March 13, 2009.
For all that he has shared of his heart with us in this circle of friends, I offer this as a place to share your heart with him. Please leave your comments of friendship and support, for I know that he will be heartened by your caring.
Posted 1 year, 5 months ago at 10:59 am. 9 comments
