The Social Hermit

   “Loneliness expresses the pain of being alone and solitude expresses the glory of being alone.”

― Paul Tillich 

I am never alone. We are connected by virtue of living on the same planet. What connects or separates us is our attitude of connectivity. Everything is connected, but if we cannot acknowledge that in our own minds, we fool ourselves into thinking we are alone, and thus suffer loneliness. 
We are a bunch of collected molecules interacting in a sea of molecules, some of which we see, and a lot that we don't see. Air is not nothing. It is an ocean of  gases and particulates in which we move and breathe and sense the world we live in. The air I touch right here connects through a string of molecules to the air Pope Francis breathes in Rome. That alone proves our uber-connectivity to all things.
So, the hermit who chooses to live alone stays connected to the world and all its life by virtue of an attitude: I am not alone. I am connected to the world I live in, the home and neighborhood I live in, the people I pray for, and the Life in all that is. Sela.

Generations

Generations have passed and this is a new generation. The moon is always the same, only the water changes. Justice remains the same justice, learning the same learning, as people and nations change.

Generations have passed; the true meanings stay constant and are eternal. The water in the stream may have changed a million times – the reflection of the moon and stars stays the same.

- Rumi

Living Fully

I've come across a number of references in media lately which point to the fact that this earthly life is really a hell for another dimension, or another world. There's even a show - The Good Place, which acts out the analogy. The intensity of this life, the innate, violent human nature, the violent universe, making one another suffer  for one thing or another - all very telling activities which we are always struggling to balance, trying to do away with "evil" and "injustice", yet they speak of a suffering which is the bottom line of this life. Hence the "religious" urgings to retreat from the surface of this world into the world which is our home - maybe changed? maybe healed (spiritually)? 

And in the end, it is all the Beloved, because it's all God's Life, all God's thoughts, all God's promptings, all God's experiencing through every one of us - an unfathomable thought, and one which can only make me smile.

And still, in the end, the love you get is equal to the love you give (Beatles). 

"Live out the drama as best you can, and marvel at it" is all the advice I want to give anyone now.

Uuuu - new political leadership begins today - or maybe Monday - hmmm .....   let's see what he does when the earthquakes start. 

Don't live only on the surface - keep connected to the Source, to the Beloved - observe and do what you can.

Blazing Life

Everything is burning

with desire,

with lust,

with violence.

But that is the drama

of this universe.

It burns

because I want it to evolve.

It is filled with lust

because I want to be

ecstatic with desire.

It is filled with violence

because I want

to feel it intensely.

It burns because

I AM.

Quiet the mind

to see the truth,

but you cannot change it.

You are here to live it.

agd

Participation

From my calendar:

"Every day passes whether you participate or not." - Deng Ming-Dao

What does it mean to pariticpate? Think of it as truly inhabiting each day. Meditation is one way, proven through centuries of use, so here's a brand-new year to start a practice if you haven't already.
Participation can also mean to pay attention, to be responsive, to listen actively to life around you or when when others speak, and to answer from the heart, not from a place of anticipation.  (adapted)

Salvation

It is easy to forget that God is in ALL of us, in all of creation. Jesus is not the only "divine" being. We are all divine beings living in material forms. That's the nature of this material universe. Jesus understood this perfectly, and was in sync with the divine energy (God) which permeates all things. 

Jesus' promise of salvation comes from each of us discovering that God is in us and allowing God to manifest in all we do .... that we are, so to speak, "children of the Most High" (Psalm 82; John 10; Gal. 3)), therefore of divine lineage. Salvation is being saved from being duped by the illusiveness of this world, discovering your true self, and opening your minds to the complexity of Creation in all its dimensions. Salvation is not a "free ride." Jesus teaches us HOW to be saved - it is our own work, our own discovery of the nature of Life. We choose, we live.

It was said ...

“See that you not be deceived,
for many will come in my name, saying,
‘I am he,’ and ‘The time has come.’ 
Do not follow them! 
When you hear of wars and insurrections,
do not be terrified; for such things must happen first,
but it will not immediately be the end.” 
Then he said to them,
“Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. 
There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, and plagues
from place to place;
and awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky.”

Luke 21

America's Future

Education should not be a "business", but an opportunity for any American to develop their full potential. Society should fund the education of its children in order to provide for the future, generations of inventiveness, educated leadership and progress in every human milieu.

Health Care should not be a "business", but a funded service to keep America in good health so that we do not lose the possible inventiveness and leadership which disease and malconditions steal away from every generation. I recieved a bill, charging $573 for two sessions of PT (physical therapy), during which hardly anything more than consultation was accomplished. This is obscene.

Economics is the bane of this period of civilization. If the wealth of this nation is not shared, providing opportunities for everyone to excel, or just to live without financial stress, then economic inflation will eat away the good we have built like a cancer, and society will collapse. There must be ways of balancing costs with income so that everyone can live free of financial stress. But greed rules the day -  mostly out of a desire for power and control.

Be vigilant

Luke 17:

Then he said to his disciples,“The days will come when you will long to seeone of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it.There will be those who will say to you,‘Look, there he is,’ or ‘Look, here he is.’Do not go off, do not run in pursuit.For just as lightning flashesand lights up the sky from one side to the other,
so will the Son of Man be in his day.

Culture More Important Than Politics

These words dissolve my apathy and soothe my confusion. Sela

"Our society would collapse without the 65 million volunteers and 22 million entrepreneurs who engage in pragmatic problem solving every day.

Importantly, it is the groups outside of politics that lead the nation and create a better world. Change always comes from outside the world of politics. Positive change comes when everyday Americans use the freedom to work together in community.

No matter what happens on Election Day, the hard work of moving America forward will continue in our communities. Politics have failed, America will not."

Scott Rasmussen, editorialist. Thank you, Mr. Rasmussen.  www.rasmussenreports. com 

Culture More Important Than Politics

These words dissolve my apathy and soothe my confusion. Sela

"Our society would collapse without the 65 million volunteers and 22 million entrepreneurs who engage in pragmatic problem solving every day.

Importantly, it is the groups outside of politics that lead the nation and create a better world. Change always comes from outside the world of politics. Positive change comes when everyday Americans use the freedom to work together in community.

No matter what happens on Election Day, the hard work of moving America forward will continue in our communities. Politics have failed, America will not."

Scott Rasmussen, editorialist. Thank you, Mr. Rasmussen.  www.rasmussenreports. com 

Culture More Important Than Politics

These words dissolve my apathy and soothe my confusion. Sela

"Our society would collapse without the 65 million volunteers and 22 million entrepreneurs who engage in pragmatic problem solving every day.

Importantly, it is the groups outside of politics that lead the nation and create a better world. Change always comes from outside the world of politics. Positive change comes when everyday Americans use the freedom to work together in community.

No matter what happens on Election Day, the hard work of moving America forward will continue in our communities. Politics have failed, America will not."

Scott Rasmussen, editorialist. Thank you, Mr. Rasmussen.  www.rasmussenreports. com 

Culture More Important Than Politics

These words dissolve my apathy and soothe my confusion. Sela

"Our society would collapse without the 65 million volunteers and 22 million entrepreneurs who engage in pragmatic problem solving every day.

Importantly, it is the groups outside of politics that lead the nation and create a better world. Change always comes from outside the world of politics. Positive change comes when everyday Americans use the freedom to work together in community.

No matter what happens on Election Day, the hard work of moving America forward will continue in our communities. Politics have failed, America will not."

Scott Rasmussen, editorialist. Thank you, Mr. Rasmussen.  www.rasmussenreports. com