Sunday, June 29, 2008

All Things Wise: Needed: A New Vision

Christ by Mikhail Alexandrovich Vrubel


Almost without realising it, a spiritual myopia has afflicted us; we are not seeing life clearly because we do not see God clearly. A right perspective on God gives us the right perspective on everything else - life, work, money, service, relationships and so on.

The reason our problems often seem overwhelming is because we allow the things of time to loom larger in our gaze than the things of eternity. The tiniest of coins, when held close to the eye, can blot out the sun.


Life works better when we know how to glance at things but gaze at God. Seeing Him clearly will enable us to see all other things clearly. Often, we look up only when something happens that knocks us flat on our backs. How sad that sometimes earthly securities have to be removed before we can see the glory of Him who sits upon the throne!

Pieta by William Adolphe-Bouguereau

Source for images: illussionsgallery.com

Thursday, June 19, 2008

All Things Wise and Wonderful: ESCAPE ROUTES


The changes sweeping our world are not merely political developments to be quickly scanned in the morning newspaper and then casually debated among friends. Those who have ears, let them listen. And look around, for the answers are indeed blowing in the wind. They can be found by anyone who truly starts searching.

Most people say they believe in God, but how many of them do anything about Him? Sure in moments of danger, bereavement or personal crisis almost everybody turns to God, but on a day to day basis very few bother. Instead, they believe they can be good human beings and have no need for God. But can humanism ever be the answer for our ailing society? There is the popular notion that man can do anything if he puts his will to it. This was once my own credo, and I know it works, but it needs to be governed by the will of God for our lives, if we want true happiness. Having seen the ups and downs of life, I can no longer subscribe to the view that I alone am the master of my destiny. I need my Creator; I need friends with whom I can honestly share my failures as well as my successes. Much more, I need someone with whom I can comfortably relate and share every goal and dream with passion and devotion...someone who is always there no matter what and can be relied upon as a pillar of strength under every circumstances.

This way of thinking sounds cliched for many people, I can almost hear the comments, "Oh, this girl has become religious!" But for me it is a question of taking stock and a fresh start of putting my life in order, a renewing of my spirit. With all this has come a surprising sense of freedom and exhilaration, which gets dulled whenever I go back to my old ways of thinking. I am determined not to lose the edge

Too many of us are defensive, inward looking, lacking in social concern, cowardly about discussing moral issues, and reluctant to face the truth. But the fact is that if we believe and acknowledge the existence of God, a personal relationship with our Maker should be the most normal thing for a human being. But attitudes like the above have become a stumbling block, that have succeeded in making God someone incredible and inaccessible, to be called upon only in times of need for supernatural intervention.

What intrigues me is that people like this who acknowledge their dependence on God at times of need are all too ready to dismiss everyday faith in their Creator with a wave of the hand and are unwilling to face up to the challenges that a life of conviction and truth calls for. They are too afraid to make the commitment, or too lazy and indifferent. They have not cared to personally examine the evidence about our origin or destiny, the purpose and meaning of life, or the value of fellow human beings.

On matters of such vital importance they are content to be guided by distorted media reports, half-baked ideas of equally confused friends or scraps of information remembered from childhood experiences with religion, or discouraging experiences with hypocritical members of religious institutions. (There is a saying however that if a hypocrite is standing between you and God, it is the hypocrite who is actually closer than you to God!)

The fact is that apathy like this is nothing but escapism. If you are afraid of facing up to the challenge of proven Godly standards of behaviour for your life, your attitude is one of hiding behind fear. The fear of having to be reminded about God you would much rather forget; fear of letting your life be scrutinised and spring-cleaned, fear of what other people would say if you appeared to be goody goody, rather than macho man or sexy woman. It's much easier to run away and escape. I'm not saying that people necessarily make a conscious attempt to run away from God, but many are in such a mess in their lives, and looking around them, they see what a mess our world is in, and that often drives them to take refuge in a fantasy life.

The escape routes to this are many in today's world.

Sex used to be a very popular route in the 60s and the 70s, until the AIDS epidemic came along and dampened people's ardour. But radio, television, books, magazines, movies and the cyberworld continue to tantalise us with erotica, only now we are advised to be cautious of the company we keep and the methods we employ. If free love and sex is indeed the panacea for all human ills, what we have to show for it? A scourge like AIDS, the likes of which the human race has never seen before since the great plagues of the Middle Ages and a society rife with problems.

If reports can be believed we have only seen the tip of the AIDS iceberg. And while the media continues to glorify promiscuity, millions of children are murdered by abortion and countless are victims of sexual assaults and millions more are the product of broken homes all over the world. From their number, something like 80 percent of all criminal offences combine to create the highest crime rate in the history of mankind, which daily continues to climb. All of it being the results of people seeking an escape into the promiscuous wonderland of a selfish and irresponsible lifestyle which doesn't work.

The same two charges of irresponsibility and selfishness apply to another notorious form of escapism, the growing drug epidemic.

Talk of people who are hooked and you will see they do not care about anyone else - their only concern is where the next fix will come from. They are running away from the harsh realities of life into the cosy world of make believe and the pleasant state of euphoria inducted by the drugs they use.

Gambling, smoking and alcohol can be added to the above list, but there are other forms of escapism too, which are less extreme perhaps but nonetheless equally effective in keeping us from a right relationship with God and our fellow man.

Some people practice a form of meditation which withdraws them from the concerns of daily life by helping them to feel calm, and peaceful, and totally disregard other people and the world around them, so that they have nothing to worry about. Others become conformists and place their faith in basic decencies and the contemporary ethical scene. they are even quite religious without having a clue about what they really believe in. Some try to escape the condemnation of their own conscience by great acts of generosity or going to work in the depressed areas of the world. (I'm not putting it down, not if it's not being done for the right reasons, it's escapism all the same). Running away from God by trying to be decent is a very old expedient.

The most popular escape route is the time honoured rat race. Finish your college and find a good career. Move up the ladder, and get more status and more money. Buy a new car, buy a house, get a wife/husband, build the family, get a bigger house and another car and another and another....Ensure your pension and an ample savings account..fill up your life to the full, before you die. Whatever you do, don't allow yourself time to wonder what life is all about, it could depress you!

Looks stupid when you put it down in writing, yet that's the way we live.

There is a better way.