For the Joy of the Journey

So Much to Think About

George February 26, 2021 Notes Anthology 0 Comments

the bifurcation of attention
“the bifurcation of attention.” It goes like this.
The 30-minute sitcom television show is dying. Meanwhile, 45-second Instagram videos and seven seasons of Game of Thrones are thriving.
The classic dramatic film is dying. Meanwhile, Youtube videos and the eighteen thousand sequels of the Marvel Universe are thriving.
Classic magazines and newspapers are dying. Meanwhile, Twitter and non-fiction books are thriving.
Taylor Pearson

There is a vast gulf between believing in good things and doing good things. One is easy. The other is really, really hard.
David French

Converted Life
The life-converting experience is not the discovery that I have choices to make that determine the way I live out my existence, but the awareness that my existence itself is not in the center. Once I “know” God, that is, once I experience God’s love as the love in which all my human experiences are anchored, I can desire only one thing: to be in that love.
Henri Nouwen

Persuasion
…the necessary posture of persuasion is one of deep humility. We can take little credit for our virtues. We’re often imprisoned by vices we can barely comprehend.
True persuasion is much more challenging than winning a debate. Sweeping away a falsehood is of little use unless you can replace the lie with a meaningful and empowering truth. You cannot yank a person from their community and then leave them homeless. Do not pretend we can replace something—no matter how malignant—with nothing.
David French

The PhD
Suppose a superstar of knowledge moves into your house as a boarder. With three PhDs after his name, he sits at your supper table each evening dispensing information about nuclear physics, cyberspace, and psychoneuroimmunology, giving ultimate answers to every question you ask. He doesn’t lead you through his thinking process, however, or even involve you in it; he simply states the conclusions he has reached.
We might find his conclusions interesting and even helpful, but the way he relates to us will not set us free, empower us, or make us feel good about ourselves. His wisdom will not liberate us, it will not invite us to growth and life; indeed, it will in the end make us feel inferior and dependent. That’s exactly how we have treated Jesus. We have treated him like a person with three PhDs coming to tell us his conclusions.
Richard Rohr

True joy
know that true joy comes from letting God love me the way God wants, whether it is through illness or health, failure or success, poverty or wealth, rejection or praise. It is hard for me to say, “I shall gratefully accept everything, Lord, that pleases you. Let your will be done.” But I know that when I truly believe my Father is pure love, it will become increasingly possible to say these words from the heart.
Henri Nowen

Being a truth teller
If your role in another person’s life is (as you see it) the “teller of hard truths,” then you’re at an immense disadvantage when contending for a family member’s heart with the people who share the same lie, but also love them, accept them, and give them a sense of shared purpose.
You? You just make them feel bad.

“When everyone around us is right, we deserve little credit for conforming. When everyone around us is wrong, we’re also likely to fail.”
David French

Epitaph for Modernity: I came, I shopped, I died.
Fr Stephen Freeman

Social Media & Polarization
Jonathan Haidt and Tobias Rose-Stockwell’s 2019 article that presented various reasons social media leads to polarization. They identified a Pew study showing Facebook posts with “indignant disagreement” received twice as much engagement as other kinds of posts. They specifically pointed out the dangers of Facebook’s algorithm based on engagement, which can keep any kind of post near the top of the News Feed regardless of its divisiveness or truthfulness.

A Christian culture that puts all the stress on belief, which cannot be seen, and has very little expectation of change in Christ-likeness this side of heaven, will inevitably create lots of Ravi Zachariases.
Matt Redmond

Let me keep my distance, always, from those
  who think they have the answers.

Let me keep company always with those who say
   “Look!” and laugh in astonishment,
   and bow their heads.
Mary Oliver

The true purpose of all spiritual disciplines is to clear away whatever may block our awareness of that which is God in us. . . .
Howard Thurman

View from the lanai
Most likely this will be my last post before we return to Wilmore. I am truly grateful for the opportunity to enjoy Florida in the winter. This is the 18th year we have spent extended time in Florida during January and February. The severe winter at home this year has made it even more of a blessing.
We are scheduled to receive our covid vaccination next Thursday. Hopefully, that will begin a move toward more personal interactions. We will proceed with caution.
I am looking forward to getting home and opening the front porch. I expect 2021 to be a year of renewal and adventure.

Listen of the Week
I am putting together a playlist for my funeral. (Not expecting it to be needed soon, just thinking ahead.) Of course, the list is headed up with “Sweet Home Alabama” and, at this point, this song is next up:

Still on the Journey

Getting Back To …

George February 24, 2021 Heading out or Holding On 0 Comments

News and data regarding coronavirus is encouraging. An expression I hear often is: “I will be so glad when we get back to…”. I understand the sentiment but I’m not so sure it is a realistic expectation. Sure, there will some things that we will “get back to”, eating out for example. However, what eating out looks like in the future most likely will not be what we experienced pre-covid. If our mindset is “getting back to”, we are going to be disappointed and frustrated.

I do not believe the events of 2020 and 2021 are temporary interruptions, but are irreversible change, there is no “getting back to”. Responding, personally or organizationally with a strategy to “get back to” is short sighted. As Richard Rohr says in the quote below, we need to “go to a new place”.

The word change normally refers to new beginnings. But the mystery of transformation more often happens not when something new begins, but when something old falls apart. The pain of something old falling apart—chaos—invites the soul to listen at a deeper level, and sometimes forces the soul to go to a new place.
We will normally do anything to keep the old thing from falling apart, yet this is when we need patience and guidance, and the freedom to let go instead of tightening our controls and certitudes.
While change can force a transformation, spiritual transformation always includes a disconcerting reorientation. It can either help people to find new meaning or it can force people to close down and slowly turn bitter. The difference is determined precisely by the quality of our inner life, our practices, and our spirituality.
In moments of insecurity and crisis, shoulds and oughts don’t really help. They just increase the shame, guilt, pressure, and likelihood of backsliding into unhealthy patterns. It’s the deep yeses that carry us through to the other side. It’s that deeper something we are strongly for—such as equality and dignity for all—that allows us to wait it out. It’s someone in whom we absolutely believe and to whom we commit. In plain language, love wins out over guilt any day.
Richard Rohr

Although Rohr’s focus is spiritual, his counsel is profoundly practical. We are at a critical juncture. As individuals or leaders, choosing to “get back to” is not a viable option. It is the responsibility of leadership to to help people find new meaning, encouraging and leading them forward in a new reality. Equally, it is the responsibility of each follower to embrace new realities and resist demanding “get back to”.

These unwanted moments when we cannot change the reality we face offer the most profound possibilities of true life change. It may be precisely because the situation cannot change that everything else can change.
J D Walt

The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.”
Exodus 16:3

Still on the journey

Heading Out or Holding On (4)

George February 23, 2021 Heading out or Holding On 0 Comments

DYNAMIC STABILITY

Today’s post is the last of this “Heading Out or Holding On” series.The subject has not been exhausted, but I am. I want to conclude with some general thoughts and observations about dynamic stability.

Dynamic stability is oxymoronic, paradoxical and counter-intuitive. I think Jesus might have liked the idea. Using metaphors is always risky, they are powerful teaching tools but ultimately break down under the scrutiny of disenchanted, either/or reasoning.
As I have continued to think about dynamic stability, in particular…what is the [spiritual] equivalent of paddling as fast as the water or maintaining dynamic stability?
Then the conflicting idea of anchors comes to mind. I recall much emphasis in my religious heritage about having a solid anchor…

Will your anchor hold in the storms of life
Will your anchor hold in the storms of life,
When the clouds unfold their wings of strife?
When the strong tides lift, and the cables strain,
Will your anchor drift or firm remain?

We have an anchor that keeps the soul
Stedfast and sure while the billows roll,
Fastened to the Rock which cannot move,
Grounded firm and deep in the Savior’s love.

That song, deeply embedded in my soul, is the essence of holding on. I remember countless sermons on anchors, steadfastness, solid rock, et al. The objective of faith as I was taught was to grasp and hold on… firmly. As I remember those years, it occurred to me what a radical contrast the idea of heading out is compared to holding on. Holding on is clearly a biblical concept, as is Heading Out. Our inability to reconcile them reflects enlightenment thinking which requires either/or. I have come to understand the importance of embracing paradox…the ability to hold lightly apparently contradictory truths.

Allowing paradox to exist without trying to explain it away or simplify is a sign of a mature faith. It seems to me that a great deal of heretical thinking begins with a discomfort with tension and a need to simplify, clarify, and reduce complexity. Paradox, like harmony, elevates each distinct idea without calling for a compromise.
Jen Pollock Michel “Surprised by Paradox”

I am increasingly convinced choosing to hold on or head out is a critical juncture in one’s spiritual journey.

[Writing this post has made me realize, my decision to make this the last post in this series was premature , too many side trips to explore . Sorry for the detour today]

I have chosen to head out. Making that decision has not exempt me perils of the journey, ie rapids. Dynamic stability becomes relevant to those negotiating rapids or riding a bicycle.
Having failed as promised in my previous post, my next post will explore dynamic stability in more detail and what it looks like for me negotiating the turbulent waters of these days.

Still on the journey.

The Importance of being Wrong

George February 16, 2021 Echo chambers 1 Comment

…technology has unleashed the ever present malevolent potential of echo chambers in ways never imagined. Some would suggest that the existence of democracy is threatened.

The quote above is from the introduction to my essay “Echo Chambers” written in 2018. It seems more relevant today. This post is from that essay.

The Importance of Being Wrong

A whole lot of us go through life assuming that we are basically right , basically all the time , about basically everything : about our political and intellectual convictions , our religious and moral beliefs , our assessment of other people , our memories , our grasp of facts . As absurd as it sounds when we stop to think about it , our steady state seems to be one of unconsciously assuming that we are very close to omniscient .
Far from being a sign of intellectual inferiority , the capacity to err is crucial to human cognition . Far from being a moral flaw , it is inextricable from some of our most humane and honorable qualities : empathy , optimism , imagination , conviction , and courage . And far from being a mark of indifference or intolerance , wrongness is a vital part of how we learn and change . Thanks to error , we can revise our understanding of ourselves and amend our ideas about the world .
… it is ultimately wrongness , not rightness , that can teach us who we are . Schulz, Kathryn. Being Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error

The above quote captures the paradox each of us find ourselves in as we strive for
meaningful and authentic lives. An unrelenting pursuit of rightness is pitted against our incontrovertible fallibility. Amazingly, left to our own devices, rightness will almost always win out.
Our desire for rightness leads us to echo chambers where our “rightness” is amplified and error is filtered out. Like a butterfly from a cocoon, we emerge in the beauty of our rightness, confirmed in our infallibility.

The cost of rightness can be high.
The avoidance of controversial issues or alternative solutions creates a loss of individual creativity, uniqueness and independent thinking. Rightness binds and blinds us. An “illusion of invulnerability” (an inflated certainty of our rightness) can prevail. Stereotyping of, and dehumanizing actions toward, dissenting persons can develop. As true believers we can produce fantasies that don’t match reality. Interpersonal communication outside our echo chamber is stifled. Immersion in the comfortable confines of an echo chamber may result in significant losses, not the least of which, can be family and community relationships.Echo chambers reinforce our natural tendency to restrict our relationships rather than expand our social interactions.
Residing within an echo chamber strips our lives of serendipity and wonder. We trade off the opportunity to engage the endless diversity of the world around us.

Residing within an echo chamber strips our lives of serendipity and wonder. We trade off the opportunity to engage the endless diversity of the world around us.

We are not unlike “an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.” (C.S. Lewis)
There is no price to high to maintain our rightness.

Embracing our wrongness

The most significant human trait that sustains and encourages the proliferation of and participation in harmful echo chambers is our unwillingness to entertain the possibility that we may be wrong. Without awareness and acceptance of our human fallibility, echo chambers will be a natural consequence in a society that is increasingly polarized.

…embracing our fallibility not only lessens our likelihood of erring , but also helps us think more creatively , treat each other more thoughtfully , and construct freer and fairer societies .
Schulz, Kathryn.

The challenge is how do we cultivate a healthy understanding and acceptance of our “wrongness”?

To err is to wander , and wandering is the way we discover the world ; and , lost in thought , it is also the way we discover ourselves . Being right might be gratifying , but in the end it is static , a mere statement . Being wrong is hard and humbling , and sometimes even dangerous , but in the end it is a journey , and a story . Who really wants to stay home and be right when you can don your armor , spring up on your steed and go forth to explore the world ? True , you might get lost along the way , get stranded in a swamp , have a scare at the edge of a cliff ; thieves might steal your gold , brigands might imprison you in a cave , sorcerers might turn you into a toad — but what of that ?
Schulz, Kathryn.

You can read Echo Chambers Essay HERE

Heading Out or Holding On? (3)

George February 15, 2021 Heading out or Holding On 0 Comments

When encountering crisis, or navigating rushing rapids, holding on is not a viable option. As recognized in the previous post, holding on is a natural instinct, avoiding immediate disaster but insufficient for ultimate survival. Our amygdala induced response to crisis overrides rational response. In a previous post, I wrote about dynamic stability. I think the concept is helpful in trying to understand what it means to head out.
Dynamic Stability
When so many things are accelerating at once, it’s easy to feel like you’re in a kayak in rushing white water, being carried along by the current at a faster and faster clip. In such conditions, there is an almost irresistible temptation to do the instinctive thing—but the wrong thing: stick your paddle in the water to try to slow down.
“Why ‘Keep Your Paddle in the Water’ Is Bad Advice for Beginners.” Have you ever stopped to consider what the phrase “keep your paddle in the water” actually means? If you did you wouldn’t ever recommend it to a beginner whitewater paddler. The paddlers and instructors who give this advice are well intended and what they are really expressing is: “Keep paddling to maintain your stability through rapids.” When beginners hear “keep your paddle in the water,” they end up doing a bad version of a rudder dragging their paddle in the water back by their stern while using their blade to steer. This is a really bad position to be in … To enhance stability in rapids it’s important to move as fast or faster than the current. Every time you rudder or drag your paddle in the water to steer you lose momentum and that makes you more vulnerable to flipping over.
The only way to thrive is by maintaining dynamic stability—[a] bike-riding trick …But what is the [spiritual] equivalent of paddling as fast as the water or maintaining dynamic stability?

Kayaking rapids is an appropriate metaphor for our experience of chaos in 2020 and our immediate future.

Heading Out… responding faithfully and creatively to change, dangers and opportunities of chaos.
Another way to illustrate holding on and heading out in crisis is driving an automobile. A treacherous experience driving can occur when you drift to the side and your wheels suddenly drop off the pavement. The immediate, and sometimes fatal, reaction is to jerk the steering wheel hard left to get back on the road. [Hold on] . Survival depends on a resisting panic and using proper techniques to avoid disaster. [Head Out]

What is it that keeps us from succumbing to panic and reacting in dangerous ways? Despite instruction and warnings.
Heading Out… is the equivalent of …firmly grasp the wheel, do not hit the brakes, slow down and carefully return to the road…”

Although the idea of Holding On or Heading Out when faced with crisis, is applicable to everyone, my concern is for Christ followers.
How Christ followers respond to crisis is shaped by our view of faith.
Some, like myself early on, view faith as finite and bounded, something to be achieved and defended. Richard Rohr describes this view of faith well:

“If you surrender to the fear of uncertainty, life can become a set of insurance policies. Your short time on this earth becomes small and self-protective, a kind of circling of the wagons around what you can be sure of and what you think you can control–even God. It provides you with the illusion that you are in the driver’s seat, navigating on safe, small roads, and usually in a single, predetermined direction that can take you only where you have already been. For far too many people, no life journey is necessary because we think we already have all our answers at the beginning. ‘

For them, …holding on… is the only option. There is no capacity to see opportunity, only danger. What results are outcomes described in the previous post. HERE

…holding on… is the only option. There is no capacity to see opportunity, only danger.

Over the course of life I have come to view faith differently, I wrote previously:

I believe our lives are a journey. A healthy life is characterized by growth and change. Each day holds the prospect of adventure and discovery. Life is not defined by seeking a safe place and hunkering down insulated and protected from the world around us. Each of us possesses a deep longing to go home. To find our way to that place that we were created for. The pathway we take is not always pleasant and there are dangers to be dealt with. But, there are many beautiful experiences along the way. Wonderful relationships with people. Beautiful sights and sounds and smells.
We do not travel alone. Our creator leads us and watches over us. He gives all that we need for our journey. We meet many people along the way. Some of them join us our journey. Some we encounter briefly. Some encourage us and offer provision of our journey. Others do not understand and become enemies bent on disrupting our pilgrimage. No matter what happens to us along the way, we continue to travel toward our destination because we trust our creator who loves us and will not abandon us on our journey. He has promised us life.

…thinking about life as a journey reminds me to stop trying to set up camp and call it home. It allows me to see life as a process, with completion somewhere down the road. Thus I am freed from feeling like a failure when things are not finished, and hopeful that they will be as my journey comes to its end.I want adventure, and this reminds me that I am living in it. Life is not a problem to be solved, it is an adventure to be lived.
John Eldridge

It is easy to be deceived into thinking Holding On keeps us safe, but life is dynamic.
Since Adam, when we, God’s created beings, rebelled and lost our home in God, we were destined to be restless wanders searching for a homeland. A thread that runs through the history of God’s dealing with mankind is the reality of their status as restless wanders in this world.
Jesus said, “Follow me”. As he carried out his ministry, he wandered about, without house or home. “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”
Jesus did not say he was “the place” but “I am the Way”

As followers of Christ we have not arrived. We are people on “The Way, we are no longer restless wanders but are pilgrims bound for the homeland. As pilgrims we are “Heading Out”. Restless spiritual wandering becomes a spiritual journey following Christ.

In 2020 and now 2021 we are navigating dangerous rapids. These are times that expose the character of our faith.

The next post will examine the idea of dynamic stability for Christ followers in the rushing waters of our chaotic society.

Still on the journey.