Joy is what makes life worth living, but for many joy seems hard to find. They complain that their lives are sorrowful and depressing. What then brings the joy we so much desire? Are some people just lucky, while others have run out of luck? Strange as it may sound, we can choose joy. Two people can be part of the same event, but one may choose to live it quite differently than the other. One may choose to trust that what happened, painful as it may be, holds a promise. The other may choose despair and be destroyed by it.
What makes us human is precisely this freedom of choice.
Solitude is the garden for our hearts, which yearn for love. It is the place where our aloneness can bear fruit. It is the home for our restless bodies and anxious minds. Solitude, whether it is connected with a physical space or not, is essential for our spiritual lives. It is not an easy place to be, since we are so insecure and fearful that we are easily distracted by whatever promises immediate satisfaction. Solitude is not immediately satisfying, because in solitude we meet our demons, our addictions, our feelings of lust and anger, and our immense need for recognition and approval. But if we do not run away, we will meet there also the One who says, "Do not be afraid. I am with you, and I will guide you through the valley of darkness."
"All human beings are alone. No other person will completely feel like we do, think like we do, act like we do. Each of us is unique, and our aloneness is the other side of our uniqueness. The question is whether we let our aloneness become loneliness or whether we allow it to lead us into solitude. Loneliness is painful; solitude is peaceful. Loneliness makes us cling to others in desperation; solitude allows us to respect others in their uniqueness and create community.
Letting our aloneness grow into solitude and not into loneliness is a lifelong struggle. It requires conscious choices about whom to be with, what to study, how to pray, and when to ask for counsel. But wise choices will help us to find the solitude where our hearts can grow in love."
My oldest loves to climb & slack-line. Our family received a slack-line for Christmas. Slack-lining is both sport & meditation - it requires a semblance of courage, focus, & balance. I can manage about six steps at best. And then the fall. But perhaps I'll manage six steps more in 2011. Not all of us will cross huge chasms in 2011. But really the question is why not? What's preventing us from doing something remarkable? Something different & out of the ordinary that will move us toward goodness, beauty, renewal, & deep adventure. The honest person will say it is simply fear. The curmudgeon will declare that risk is for fools. The courageous will say that there is no other way to truly live.
Please, please don't opt for predictable living in 2011. Start with one step - keep going - and move courageously & uncertainly ahead as the path unfolds before you.
Very cool stuff from Improv Everywhere - love the expression on the volunteer for salvation army as more & more ringers keep joining the force. Beautiful . . . Enjoy:
Here's a kind of poppy gem on Hanukkah from my favorite Orthodox Jewish Reggae Rapper from Brooklyn - Matisyahu. The video is kind of cheesy on the surface - but dig a little & what emerges is a fun battle between faith & commercialization/secularization. The hockey reference of course is a wonderful allusion to the miracle of the impossible . . . Which of course references itself back to the miracle of the new emergence of reflective faith within a society crumbling beneath the weight of consumerism & greed. Good stuff. Below are the lyrics . . . enjoy & Happy Hanukkah.
Just livin’ in the miracle, candles are my vehicle Eight nights, gonna shine invincible No longer be divisible, born through the struggle Keep on moving through all this hustle Head up, heads down through all of the bustle New York City wanna flex your muscle Look so down, look so puzzled Huddle ‘round your fire through all the rubble Bound to stumble and fall but my strength comes not from man at all Bound to stumble and fall but my strength comes not from man at all [Chorus] Do you believe in miracles Am I hearing you? Am I seeing you? Eight nights eight lights and these rites keep me right Bless me to the highest heights with your miracle Against all odds drive on till tomorrow Wipe away your tears and your sorrow Sunrise in the sky like an arrow No need to worry, no need to cry Light up your mind no longer be blind Him who searches will find Leave your problems behind you will shine like a fire in the sky what's the reason we’re alive – the reason we’re alive… Bound to stumble and fall but my strength comes not from man at all Bound to stumble and fall but my strength comes not from man at all [Chorus] Do you believe in miracles Am I hearing you? Am I seeing you? Eight nights eight lights and these rites keep me right Bless me to the highest heights with your miracle Eight is the number of infinity one more than what you know how to be And this is the light of festivity when your broken heart yearns to be free [Chorus] Do you believe in miracles Am I hearing you? Am I seeing you? Eight nights eight lights and these rites keep me right Bless me to the highest heights with your miracle
"Scientists said Thursday that they had trained a bacterium to eat and grow on a diet of arsenic, in place of phosphorus — one of six elements considered essential for life — opening up the possibility that organisms could exist elsewhere in the universe or even here on Earth using biochemical powers we have not yet dared to dream about." (read the rest here)
(photo of Dr. Felisa Wolfe-Simon at Mono Lake, CA - by Henry Bortman for the NY Times)
According to this article artist Liu Bolin paints himself into the background of urban cityscapes because of the dehumanizing effects of modern society. So rather than paint on paper canvases to portray his disaffection & disconnection with 21st century urban contexts Liu Bolin will literally spend up to 10 hours painting himself (or having his assistants paint him) into the background of certain urban scenes. At once becoming invisible to passersby while becoming a very part of the dehumanization he is protesting.
In the above-linked article Liu Bolin said: "'Some people call me the invisible man, but for me it's what is not seen in a picture which is really what tells the story.
'After graduating from school I couldn't find suitable work and I felt there was no place for me in society.
'I experienced the dark side of society, without social relations, and had a feeling that no one cared about me, I felt myself unnecessary in this world.
'From that time, my attitude turned from dependence into revolting against the system.'
Liu said he was further pushed on with his work when the Chinese authorities shut down his art studio in Beijing in 2005.
He said: 'At that time, contemporary art was in quick development in Beijing, but the government decided it did not want artists like us to gather and live together."
In some ways I suppose Liu Bolin is telling us all, "I dare you to notice me. And I'm going to make it hard for you to notice me. But if on rare occasion you do notice me - you will not be able to ignore me."
And I suppose this is what all true art does. It does not just serve the individual - rather it invites and demands us to twist our heads & see our place in this universe all over again.
What is your art? And what is keeping you from it?
"When my daughter was about seven years old, she asked me one day what I did at work. I told her I worked at the college - that my job was to teach people how to draw.
She stared back at me, incredulous, and said, 'You mean they forget?'"
- Howard Ikemoto quoted in Art & Fear by David Bayles & Ted Orland
