I Choose Voices

My preferred method of communication is voice to voice, a conversation with the individual. Texting and emails are very efficient and give you a record. They are extremely popular today, even with emojis as a response to communicate an emotion. Nevertheless, I would prefer to talk with the person. If a person and I are talking, we can hear the emotion. One of the things that I miss about my parents and brother, who are all deceased, is the sound of their voices. I am not able to recreate their voices in my head. I miss hearing them. A person’s voice is unique. There may be voices that sound alike, but each voice has unique qualities. Texting, emails, even with emojis, are not unique. One day in the future my voice and the voices of family and friends will be silent. Until then, whenever I have the option, I choose to hear their voices and for them to hear my voice.

In a conflicted time, I will continue to pray for our nation, even President Trump.

This is a conflicting day for me. I celebrate the memory of Rev. Dr. Martim Luther King, Jr. I grieve the reality of Mr. Donald Trump, Jr. becoming President. I fear that Donald Trump will seek to undue the progress that our nation made under the leadership of Dr. King, Jr., and others. I hear Rev. Franklin Grahams’ prayer and wonder if his father was ashamed as he continues making self-glorification of his Father’s heritage of serving God and others without prejudice. In my therapy practice I have learned to notice body language. I noticed that Mr. Trump neither closes his eyes nor lowers his head during the prayers. Folks may interpret that as they may, but I see at least a lack of reverence and surely much more. President Trump’s speech was a clear example of narcissism, i.e., that God ordained him to be President, as he belittled and criticized others who dare to disagree with him. In a conflicted time, I will continue to pray for our nation, even President Trump.

Appetites Which Can Never Be Satisfied

Alan Watts in his book, The Wisdom of Insecurity, writes that we have, “… appetites which can never be satisfied—so designed that if you try to allay them finally and fully in one big ‘bust,’ you get sick.” (p, 39-40). Evagrius, the 4th century monk, spoke of 8 passions, with which we need to be cautious, and the first one he mentioned was gluttony. Those ‘appetites’ or ‘passions’ are not only related to food; they also involve our appetite or passion for money, power, influence, security, safety, etc. That list is endless. It is not that these things are bad or evil in themselves; the problem with them is that they can never be fully satisfied. If we are not careful with them, their drive, push, pull, etc. can make us ‘sick’ not only physically but, also, mentally, emotionally, socially, financially, spiritually, etc. Out task, so it seems to me, is to discern ‘how much is enough.’ That question of ‘how much is enough’ is a soul question rather than an ego question. When we have a sense of how much is enough, contentment and peace become a gift.

Our Controlling "Stories"

I have been reading and studying about the “stories” that control our lives. Our “stories” may have been true at one time but not now. For example, a person grows up in poverty and continues to believe that story even though he/she has more than sufficient money at present and little likelihood that they will someday run out of funds. Another example, a person grows up in a family that filled him/her with dreams of exceptionalism. That individual still believes he/she is an exception and now acts as if he/she does not need to keep the rules because, after all, he/she is the exception. It is difficult to move beyond our former “stories” that helped frame us with an identity. Those former “stories” whether true or not continue to have an outsized influence on our lives unless we learn new “stories” about ourselves and our lives.

Trusting my Dreams or Unconscious

I received a note from our County Clerk that I had failed to put our automobile registration forms in with our request for renewal of licenses. I was puzzled. I looked in the place where for years we have always kept those papers and they were absent. I went to our autos, and they were not there either. I was puzzled. I went to bed. Sometime during the night, I was informed by my unconscious in a dream-like-state that those papers were with our last year’s tax reports. Why they would be there is also a puzzle and a place I would never think to look. The next morning, however, I pulled out our tax forms and those registration papers were there. This experience reinforces my belief that my unconscious mind knows more than either my conscious or subconscious mind is aware of. I continue to want to trust and be aware of my unconscious mind and its message to me via those dreams or dream-like-states.

Fear and Greed Have Won This Election

The election is over, and, in my assessment, fear and greed won. From the news it seems as if the major issue motivating the votes, was the economy. There is not sufficient money to go around. Everyday prices of groceries and gasoline are going up. Those at the top of the economic systems are taking too much of the money and not sharing it with those workers in the middle or at the bottom of the systems therefore, we have strikes. Strikes reveal an unfair economic system of organizations. I would think a more equitable distribution would be the answer. We have forgotten the lesson we learned in kindergarten which was to share. However, organizations only raise the cost of their product which cycles the inequity. Those old desert fathers and mothers wrote about greed and said that the underlying issue was fear of insufficiency. Unfortunately, I do not believe Churches have a good word to say about this situation because Churches seem to think that bigger is better, even when their getting bigger means that small neighborhood or parish Churches, like small, neighborhood businesses, must close their doors. This election troubles me because I think it reveals fear, and greed has possessed us like a demon. Fear and greed have won this election.

What Is Happening?

This election discourages me. Not only the candidates, or at least one of the candidates, but the anger that is being demonstrated in our nation. We are the most blessed country in the world in terms of jobs, access to healthcare and education, housing, etc. There are no bombs being dropped onto our cities. There is no national war on our streets. Our nation is a peaceful nation. Of course there are issues. I am concerned about climate change. I am uncomfortable with so many military type guns on our streets, especially among young adults. I think there is too much prejudice, etc. I ask myself, “So, why are we so angry?” Have we grown numb to our blessings that we take those blessings for granted? I am reminded that St. Aquinas wrote that the most dangerous temptations are internal, and they are the seeking of power, along with wealth, pleasure, and honor. Maybe we are so angry because we do not know how to manage power, wealth, pleasure and/or honor.