Aug
4
Deafening Silence
Filed Under Notes From Charles
Thanks to all of you who viewed or signed last month’s blog entry. As you could probably tell, the fourth of July brought up some hard feelings for me with regard to the casualties of war. I am often disturbed by the deafening silence of the masses in the face of such violence and death. Perhaps I have just never fully acclimated to the human condition. But I know I am not alone. I am reminded of David Wilcox’ lyrics
“Hopelessness always comes easy
But easy does not make it right.
Courage can push past that surface
But fear will still put up a fight
Then I get scared and scattered
And I don’t know where to begin
Why even care, it doesn’t matter
Why fight when you know you can’t win
Its easier just to give in.”
from Underneath by David Wilcox
In the past, when voicing my distress about the “state of the world”, I have often felt that kind of hopelessness. In the Roots of Change offerings I find the balance that allows me to feel those fears and face that distress as signals rather than reality. There is hope to be discovered when you grow in self understanding or experience the kind or revelations found in ROCs group processes. In fact I have to say that, while these groups encourage open expression of fear, anger and distress, the majority of the encounters seem more about excitement and enjoyment. Isn’t that what we long for the most?
In his treatise on Creation Spirituality, Matthew Fox wrote:
Blessing is politically dangerous; the art of savoring is politically suspect; pleasure is too often a route to sharing pleasure – which is justice-making. And justice-making conjures up passionate criticism of what is. As W. H. Auden put it, ‘As a rule it was the pleasure-haters who became unjust.’ The prophets and others who disturbed the status quo did not seek only justice. They sought blessing, blessing for the many, not just for the few.” from Original Blessing by Matthew Fox
I have recently had the opportunity to see an amazing movie that captures the transformative nature of enjoyment. The movie, As it is in Heaven, was made in Sweden and to my knowledge has not been released in the US except for a screening at the Angelika in Dallas. It is available to purchase in the foreign formatting but will not play in a domestic (ntsc format) DVD player. I have found places that sell or rent the European formatted DVD players however, and I have shown the movie to many friends. I highly recommend viewing it as an experiment in the power of enjoyment to transform ourselves and our communities.
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