Completing Knowledge – with Beauty

However smart it may be, an overwhelming portion of our idea-making is made suspect by its use for self-promotion and image-making. Well okay, self-promotion isn’t a bad thing, but it is if it’s exercised at the expense and, often, manipulation of others—done in the service, ostensibly, of some greater good (This is the classic excuse of the manipulator, who really just loves the accompanying power and control).

Even when exercise of the mind is as pure as it can get, even in the service of altruistic goals, there is something missing: What place for beauty (even allowing for a certain beauty in the pursuit of truth)? There is a kind of wisdom in beauty-in-itself that is beyond any other kind of meaning—“wiser than wise,” I claim. How to source this deeper wisdom? Turn from the heights of thought to the depth of one another’s eyes.

And so, I heroically (he says humbly, with a slight cough) attempt to express this in song:

https://open.spotify.com/track/2wVYgWDP4Ey0SklE0AONdu?si=3sHqNDGQTBK5gXjSvo3bUw

Everyday Salvation

“That’s frustrating”

I trained as a student minister for a whole year under a hospital chaplain. He once made the observation that you can respond to pretty much whatever anyone says with “That’s frustrating,” and you will find you have connected with them in a meaningful way. An exaggeration? Anyone, anytime? Yes, that’s an exaggeration—but not that much of one.

I never did actually try it, and would not recommend experimenting with people’s feelings. But I did try for a while imagining what it would be like responding with “That’s frustrating” to what people were actually saying, while responding more authentically (It may sound complicated, but it’s amazing what a mind—even mine— can handle). If you keep that response in mind in conversations you have, you may find it surprising how often it would actually fit the context. I take this as a measure of the level of frustration, or disappointment, anger, and anxiety that are inside us.

Consider the casual encounters we have any given day—perhaps more significant for many of us through a time when there has been a widespread experience of isolation. The words we share then are rarely profound. But do we ever in these encounters, with those scintillating comments on the weather, make eye contact? Probably not. But there is something to try. I have been making a point of this, and it can bring a subtle but important transformation to the brief experience. We communicate much more with brief eye contact (prolonged would be creepy) than with most words. And it may be the only connection of any kind that person might have for the day.  

Faith language uses the term “atonement” for (re)connecting the divine and human. Making connection with another living soul is itself a kind of salvation, overcoming alone-ness. In a real sense, we “save” one another by overcoming isolation. In our everyday chance encounters, there are faces to look into, and people need to see your eyes (so get those shades off).

And maybe check out this song, Searching Faces.

Memories Are Made of Ads

A current ad for a resort on Lake Simcoe, “Friday Harbour,” has as background the song “Sunny Days” by the late somewhat-lamented Canadian rock band, Lighthouse. They were immensely popular in the early 70s when they blasted past the weed-masking flags in university residence windows from Dual turntables and Kenwood speakers into campus pathways. Hearing the music evokes all kinds of memories. Which is why, I guess, music is such an important tool used by therapists in the whole not-much-heralded field of music therapy. 

A number of my classmates from Western (then University of Western Ontario) music class of ‘75 went on to graduate training in music therapy. I observed in pastoral visiting, in my many, many visits with seniors over the years, that the mere mention of some bit of music can change a person’s demeanour and make an opening for delving into important, maybe even healing avenues. So maybe when we hear the next nostalgia-driven musical background to some otherwise-unworthy product or service, we can consider what connection we might make, that we may have been overdue in making, with those who might share the experience, in spite of grievances or silly ideological niceties.

Feeding My Mind for the Next Level

If someone could read my mind, I would be embarrassed. No, not for reasons you might now be thinking. I would be embarrassed at how selfishly mundane my thoughts are at any given time. They would go, “Boy, I could really use a nap.” Or, “I wonder what I should have or lunch.” Elevating stuff like that.

Probably more out of my concern for creature comforts than for social/contemporary issues, I noticed a report this morning that Metro, the grocery chain, is reporting a 10 percent increase in sales from a year ago. I’m happy for them and their employees. It is said to be a sign that during the pandemic people have been eating more at home. I immediately think that’s a good thing, but then, yeah, the restaurants and service industry workers, what about them? Nothing is simple.

“Give us this day our daily bread,” Jesus said we should pray in one way or another (Introducing what we call the Lord’s Prayer he said this is how you should pray, meaning, I think, we shouldn’t be just repeating it without taking it as a kind of template). However we go about it, it seems God wants us to be fed. At the plainest level, God doesn’t want anyone going hungry.

Since we never look at any bit of Scripture in isolation, we recognize that this comes right after, “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Tellingly, Jesus does not get us then to say to the Lord, “And good luck with that.” No, he then says we should pray for our daily sustenance. Implication, as I would take it: God is ready to equip and sustain us for having part in seeing that God’s will is done on earth. Taking an even higher elevation view, we see this is part of the Sermon on the Mount, which begins with the Beatitudes and  their character of compassion and peace-making and love of neighbour on earth.

When I answer my idle mind with its prompting to check what’s in the fridge, I resolve to be reminded what I am really being sustained for — especially with much of what passes for Christianity these days consuming itself with us-and-them-ism.

In Praise of Doing Our Best

Lacking perfect solutions for pretty much anything, most of us do our best. With a new school season upon us, parents, teachers, everyone involved is striving to do what is best, in spite of, in some jurisdictions, politicians who obviously are just doing their best to look out for their own interests. In fact, they don’t give a poop about anything else.

Church leaders I know are doing their best. In most situations I am aware of, churches are going slowly and very carefully in opening their buildings again, even though they are allowed to, with certain conditions. Meanwhile leaders who are not at all familiar with the technology and new approaches are learning new ways. I admire that. They are doing their best.

Speaking of church, in that setting you may have encountered people with pet ideas or projects or worship elements they have an interest in that you recognize right away really do not fit with your organization’s stated mission. They may say, “Well, God can use it.” Yes, God can. But this is what I call a “sun is hot” argument. You know, someone arguing something says, “Would you agree that the sun is hot?” You say, “Uh, sure.” They say, “Well then, you must also agree that …” Silly? Sure. But there are persuasive, influential persons who get away with this kind of argument all the time. 

We are to offer our best, not just count on God to make the best of what we do. That is an insult to God, and to people who are really struggling to do their best in very trying circumstances.

This is no time for an “Oh well” attitude, or “I guess this will do” approach to anything. You are doing your best. It’s worth it.

But What Does That Really Mean?

The news is exhausting. Not just all the pain and stupidity. It’s that everything requires interpretation. Even if and when someone in public is being straightforward in their speech, we might be forgiven for suspecting they are not. We are not unjustified in assuming everything we are hearing is spin.

You may find you suffer from this same sort of fatigue from dissembling, obfuscation and manipulation at work as well. I sure hope not (been there, and it’s awful). We would pray and work at, for sure, not wanting this kind of experience among those we count as friends, and most certainly not family. But it happens.

We can at least all resolve to let what people experience in us be authentic. In another, I will take flaws, oddballness, even monumental screw-ups over interpersonal dishonesty or double-speak.

Jesus said, “Let your word be ‘Yes, Yes’ or ‘No, No’; anything more than this comes from the evil one” (Matthew 5:47 NRSV). People had debased the practice of oath taking by using it in an attempt to cover their insincerity and deceitfulness. Better to just speak plainly.

Save us, Lord, from spin narratives with one another. We see enough of it on the news. May we not devolve into a world where everyone has to guess about everyone else.

Collective Craving, Shared Hope

So as of this coming Friday, July 17, most of Ontario will enter Stage 3 of reopening, meaning, while still socially distanced, we can dine in restaurants, go to the gym, and more. Along with more practical reasons for happiness at this, there is probably an expel-a-long-breath sense of relief at being able to be a bit closer to other specimens of our species in something like a more everyday sort of way.

Maybe at some level there is a similar appeal, even craving, involved in a flurry of extra terrestrial connecting. Three nations are launching scientific missions to Mars this month (there’s a window for that now). And some of us are excited about comet Neowise, visible in the early morning sky.

If as a species we go to some lengths to explore possible proximity (relatively speaking) with other parts of the universe, it seems really not much of a big deal to do the very simple things that will help move along to being closer to one another again right here: You know, the distancing, masking, hand washing. How can any of this be an issue?

Some basic efforts about basic things are worthwhile, in all kinds of ways. I for one want to keep this in mind in a world where it easily can seem that only selfish, I-am-my-own-little-cosmos evil-influenced people succeed.

Mitigating Chaos

It’s easy enough to do. It is easy enough to fault powers-that-be for not being powers- that-do when it comes to being prepared for foreseeable trouble and acting on it. Not to excuse anything, but it is also true that the powers-that-be exhibit human geared-for-failure traits that we share. Or I know that I share.

There is the present. In the present there is this reality, global pandemic, that for decades, decades, has been predicted clearly, plainly, and loudly by highly competent and credible people. Will we humans learn from this? There will, after all, be another one. 

There are other threats, so it is said. They can all be prepared for, or at least mitigated in their impact. The chance of an inadvertent nuclear exchange can be lessened if the people who can do so would pull back even a bit from their readiness for intentional insanity. Or so I hear (via Economist podcast). Some put at 50/50 in this decade the chance of solar activity that would down satellites, and fry world-wide communications and power, maybe for years. Maybe forever. Even with that, it is said, there are things that can be done to lessen the impact (though it will still be horrible).

There is, however, little will to do anything about “low probability, high impact” events, even when the probability isn’t really low, and even when the cost of doing something now is relatively cheap.

There is this human thing, isn’t there. We will ignore or deny facts until the last possible instant, and maybe not then. Instead, deny, blame, make excuses. And everyone around the denial goes down with the denier.

That podcast I referenced made mention of three simple steps we can encourage (which really might mean instilling some courage) our leaders to do to help be prepared for disaster. First scan for present and potential danger. Second, develop a plan. Third (it has to be said), have the will to enact the plan.

Those, it seems to me, are good steps for all of us when it comes to work, the organizations we are part of, family and personal matters. Scan and plan. I say this as one who knows too well the impact of my own failures in such things.

We can lift one another in such realities as, or before, they arise, with a “You can do this” kind of genuine en-couragement.