Truth reveals itself in your every word, thank you.
Today, grace, humility and gratitude are spurned by those in power. But, they still stir in our hearts, urging us to awaken and give them voice once more. I believe, I hope, they will guide us back to our better angels.
I suggest we keep watch, as I suspect your turn of phrase that you're "desperately grasping at dopamine-fueled Substack refreshes for validation" may well turn out to be part of the shovel-load of context-free bilge that will be used when Substack comes under attack by those very forces seeking to evade the very self-reflection you write of with such deftness by shutting down venues such as this where we can still give vent to our outrage without commercial imposition or censorious muting.
That’s the sermon America keeps skipping. Grace wasn’t written for victory laps or campaign ads. It was a man admitting he was the monster and asking to be remade.
Your comments still echo though my morning. I am increasingly aware (and cringe that that awareness) of my own "ego" (just Latin for "I") and am aware of people I admire who advise getting out from under that entirely. I don't feel ready to do that, but I do sustain some effort to be more broadly aware and more authentic. I don't relate so much to "wretch" as "fool", and even thinking of the recognized heroes of history, I see a blend of wisdom and folly. I feel like I woke up at birth on a moving train to some undisclosed destination without enough of a map. My sense is of having muddled though youth and middle age, I'm still muddling. I think everyone is. That said, some behaviors are unacceptably harmful.
I am learning more and more to respect humility. To accept that I muddle and other do too. Reality is filled with beauty, fruitfulness, tragedy and terrors, and acceptance of what is real, met with some degree of awareness and finesse, can give us an edge, but not certainty. We are all vulnerable, and some of our strategies for handling that can be our species' own worst enemy. We confess fault, but also confess our love.; our hidden vulnerability. We are often clever but unwise, and more prisoners of fear that we readily admit; but life, overall, is a precious gift.
The fact that you are not ready to get out from under ego entirely is not a weakness it’s just being human. Hunter gatherer societies relied on shamans who provided the template for ego death for members to feel it vicariously or directly via a religious experience brought on by the shaman. The modern day equivalent of the shaman is today’s artists to include of course. writers. (And thank you for your support JL )
I think our sense of individual self has a place so long as we are "sufficiently" (and I can only guess at what that means) self-aware of how much the sense of being "me" is whirlpool of interactive circumstances I can barely trace.
I experience, therefore I am, but my own realm of private experience becomes a prison without interaction with others, and comparison of notes. Resonating with people, animals and things. Without that resonance, without compassion, ego can go sideways into actual evil; aggressive sociopathy. Malignant hubris. Humility would seem to enable actual, durable self-esteem. It seems to me that the arts are a particularly fruitful way to exchange and share the stuff of human experience. The taste of honey. The "rosy fingered dawn" dimension of incoming photons. The warmth of sunshine on my shoulder. Even shared abstractions that exist only in the mind. Even states of "the heart". Perhaps even transcendence.
I was responding to JL Graham /who says: I think our sense of individual self has a place so log as we are "sufficiently" (and I can only guess at what that means) how much the sense of being "me" is whirlpool of interactive circumstances I can barely trace.
Sufficiently what? Sufficiently [aware of?] That would work!
There are errors in it of a kind I have made all of my life and try (often unsuccessfully) to catch. I said "log" when I mean "long" and after "me" I think I meant to say "self aware of ", so I can understand the confusion.
That really resonates with me, too. I am reminded of the song sung by Judy Garland in Meet Me in St. Louis, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas. Its a sad song. The line that comes to mind is "... until then, we'll have to muddle through somehow."
I got to thinking about the word "grace", which refers to the "grace of God" in the song, and ( I think) refers to being loved for what we are; which is what the most meaningful sense of the word "love" surely has to be. We also use the word "love" to mean "enjoy", as in "I love chocolate" but we can enjoy and yet be solely centered on self, even be sociopathic. We value, but are not necessarily pleased, by what we love deeply.
the word "grace: is also applied to the beautiful, the movements of a large cat, or ballerina. Perhaps there is a core of integrity in those things we recognize as graceful, as seen in a flower or a highly mastered motion in sport or dance. Also of integrity of character. Not that I believe that there is only one way to define that for anything as complicated as a human life; but think it involves a search for and admission of truth.
I'm surprised there aren't more "likes", I love this. Maybe it will be a way back for some of the ICE and MAGA folks to get back to moral lives. It's a great concept, but they would need to read and understand it.
This is stunningly beautiful and thought-provoking. I am one who was drawn to you through the Heather Cox Richardson/WaPo piece, and I am grateful to have found your work.
I'm not so sure that evil, hateful, racist people deserve any grace from me. "Those" people who truly seek God's love will find grace. Until then, I will not condone or sympathize with hateful behavior. I think you were right to call out WP and the cult of MAGA. This kind of sentiment may make me a bad person, but so be it.
Truth reveals itself in your every word, thank you.
Today, grace, humility and gratitude are spurned by those in power. But, they still stir in our hearts, urging us to awaken and give them voice once more. I believe, I hope, they will guide us back to our better angels.
Tour de force!
A powerful piece.
I suggest we keep watch, as I suspect your turn of phrase that you're "desperately grasping at dopamine-fueled Substack refreshes for validation" may well turn out to be part of the shovel-load of context-free bilge that will be used when Substack comes under attack by those very forces seeking to evade the very self-reflection you write of with such deftness by shutting down venues such as this where we can still give vent to our outrage without commercial imposition or censorious muting.
No doubt my friend.
This is an awesome,beautiful piece.Our country needs less condemnation,finger pointing and hatred,and much more grace and mercy.
That’s the sermon America keeps skipping. Grace wasn’t written for victory laps or campaign ads. It was a man admitting he was the monster and asking to be remade.
Amazing. (Pun intended.) I'm duly impressed by your writing, your insights, and your elegant thought process.
Thank you for this :)
Excellent and very moving piece. You gave us a new meaning or vision of Amazing Grace.
Thank you for speaking the truth!
And thank you for reading and commenting!
Your comments still echo though my morning. I am increasingly aware (and cringe that that awareness) of my own "ego" (just Latin for "I") and am aware of people I admire who advise getting out from under that entirely. I don't feel ready to do that, but I do sustain some effort to be more broadly aware and more authentic. I don't relate so much to "wretch" as "fool", and even thinking of the recognized heroes of history, I see a blend of wisdom and folly. I feel like I woke up at birth on a moving train to some undisclosed destination without enough of a map. My sense is of having muddled though youth and middle age, I'm still muddling. I think everyone is. That said, some behaviors are unacceptably harmful.
I am learning more and more to respect humility. To accept that I muddle and other do too. Reality is filled with beauty, fruitfulness, tragedy and terrors, and acceptance of what is real, met with some degree of awareness and finesse, can give us an edge, but not certainty. We are all vulnerable, and some of our strategies for handling that can be our species' own worst enemy. We confess fault, but also confess our love.; our hidden vulnerability. We are often clever but unwise, and more prisoners of fear that we readily admit; but life, overall, is a precious gift.
The fact that you are not ready to get out from under ego entirely is not a weakness it’s just being human. Hunter gatherer societies relied on shamans who provided the template for ego death for members to feel it vicariously or directly via a religious experience brought on by the shaman. The modern day equivalent of the shaman is today’s artists to include of course. writers. (And thank you for your support JL )
I think our sense of individual self has a place so long as we are "sufficiently" (and I can only guess at what that means) self-aware of how much the sense of being "me" is whirlpool of interactive circumstances I can barely trace.
I experience, therefore I am, but my own realm of private experience becomes a prison without interaction with others, and comparison of notes. Resonating with people, animals and things. Without that resonance, without compassion, ego can go sideways into actual evil; aggressive sociopathy. Malignant hubris. Humility would seem to enable actual, durable self-esteem. It seems to me that the arts are a particularly fruitful way to exchange and share the stuff of human experience. The taste of honey. The "rosy fingered dawn" dimension of incoming photons. The warmth of sunshine on my shoulder. Even shared abstractions that exist only in the mind. Even states of "the heart". Perhaps even transcendence.
Are there some missing words in your first paragraph?
Just checked no why do you ask?
I was responding to JL Graham /who says: I think our sense of individual self has a place so log as we are "sufficiently" (and I can only guess at what that means) how much the sense of being "me" is whirlpool of interactive circumstances I can barely trace.
Sufficiently what? Sufficiently [aware of?] That would work!
There are errors in it of a kind I have made all of my life and try (often unsuccessfully) to catch. I said "log" when I mean "long" and after "me" I think I meant to say "self aware of ", so I can understand the confusion.
That really resonates with me, too. I am reminded of the song sung by Judy Garland in Meet Me in St. Louis, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas. Its a sad song. The line that comes to mind is "... until then, we'll have to muddle through somehow."
what a truthfilled piece empowered by grace...with thanks I write!
I got to thinking about the word "grace", which refers to the "grace of God" in the song, and ( I think) refers to being loved for what we are; which is what the most meaningful sense of the word "love" surely has to be. We also use the word "love" to mean "enjoy", as in "I love chocolate" but we can enjoy and yet be solely centered on self, even be sociopathic. We value, but are not necessarily pleased, by what we love deeply.
the word "grace: is also applied to the beautiful, the movements of a large cat, or ballerina. Perhaps there is a core of integrity in those things we recognize as graceful, as seen in a flower or a highly mastered motion in sport or dance. Also of integrity of character. Not that I believe that there is only one way to define that for anything as complicated as a human life; but think it involves a search for and admission of truth.
I'm surprised there aren't more "likes", I love this. Maybe it will be a way back for some of the ICE and MAGA folks to get back to moral lives. It's a great concept, but they would need to read and understand it.
Thank you so much for the kind comment :)
This is stunningly beautiful and thought-provoking. I am one who was drawn to you through the Heather Cox Richardson/WaPo piece, and I am grateful to have found your work.
I think if I said your writing is to words what Aretha’s voice is to notes, you’d be humbled. Then again, you already are.
I'm not so sure that evil, hateful, racist people deserve any grace from me. "Those" people who truly seek God's love will find grace. Until then, I will not condone or sympathize with hateful behavior. I think you were right to call out WP and the cult of MAGA. This kind of sentiment may make me a bad person, but so be it.
Not a bad person per se, just human.
Powerful words.
Thank you for the kind comment:)