What Are You Afraid Of?

Death. That is the answer from Pulitzer Prize Winning author, Ernest Becker, in his famous book called, "The Denial of Death." Why of course (spoken in definite tone). Our biology dictates this to us every single day. Your amygdala tells you to "survive." Beyond biology is psychology, and this is where Becker shines. He says mankind is like a small god that defecates. You read that correctly. Now think about it. And, this actually parallels nicely to Psalm 8, "What is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings." We are small gods, beings, or "a little lower than the angels", but we are inflicted with our own consciousness of finitude. No other animal at such an early age knows that we are going to die. What does Becker (who is an atheist) say is the antidote to death for the human being? Heroism. We are driven to legacy, achievement, and heroism. We are ever attempting to overcome our finitude and our consciousness of it. It haunts us. What does this lead to? In Tim Keller's book, "The Reason for God," he quotes Annie Dillard in her riveting autobiography, "Pilgrim at Tinker Creek." Keller cites Dillard in her one year quest to live in the wilderness. She documents, not the beauty of nature, but it's utter violence to itself. Nature is ruled by one central principle, as per Keller--"violence by the strong against the weak." This is the sum total of the book and movie series, "The Hunger Games." This is what Nietzsche called, "The will to power." This is our world. This is reality. It is poetically expressed in Shakespeare's "Troilus and Cressida," as he talks about the universal wolf: "Take but degree away, untie that string, And, hark, what discord follows....Then everything includes itself in power, Power into will, will into appetite; and appetite, an universal wolf, So double seconded with the will and power, Must make perforce an universal prey, And last eat up himself." (I thank Gene Veith for this quote in his book called, "Post Christian: A Guide to Contemporary Thought and Culture.") So, what's the answer to death? What kind of Heroism ought we to consider in light of our proclivity to dominate each other and overcome death? The paradoxical answer in the Christian faith is the Beatitudes: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of God. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who huger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God. [Last, but not least.] Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. ~ Jesus of Nazareth, Sermon on the Mount. When we embrace these values we will be afraid of NOTHING.

What's Your Ultimate?

 

What's your ultimate? This (above) is a picture of the start of the Iditarod Trail Invitational (ITI). This is not the man and dogs sled race from Anchorage to Nome, Alaska. It's a foot, ski, or fat tire bike race that is conducted nearly during the same time of the the famous Iditarod man-dog 1,000 mile race. It's an ultra-marathon. I've run a few, and a couple in Alaska, but not in the winter. What's your ultimate? What is the ultimate for you? From a philosophical and phenomenological point of view, mankind can not help but to determine "meaning" and an "end state" to one's life. Aristotle is famous for underscoring the "telos," the end.  In military operations we need to know the "end state." So, think to yourself, whether you are 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, or 70 years old and beyond, "what is my end state?" Jean Paul Sartre, the French philosopher, would say that your meaning in life continues to change and develop until you die. And, I would say, whatever is your "ultimate," during those specific seasons of life, THAT may be your present g/God. Here's the challenge: whatever is your present ultimate is in competition to become your g/God. And, your ultimate will always CRUSH you. If you are an Olympic athlete, you are at your best on the very day that you compete in the Olympics. Unless you are Michael Phelps that can repeat over and over, you and him are the anomaly. But, probably not. Even Michael Phelps can not stay at the top of his game forever. The toll of being the best of the best brought him to the brink of suicide. His and your ultimate MUST change as time passes and age progresses, and therefore priorities morph. Again, the challenging question is, "Does your ultimate become your god?" The PURPOSE of religion is to assist you in making peace with your God. No other religion but Christianity does a g/God send himself, a Son, to be the offering that ultimately makes peace between you and God. Because...you will never be good enough for your ultimate. That's why there is grace. God's Richest At Christ's Expense (G.R.A.C.E.). What is your ultimate? May it be the God of grace, and that you order everything else after this. He never changes.

Take Your Life Back: How to Live in a Pre-9/11 World

If you do a quick Google search you will see many book titles that use the phrase: take your life back. It's a good phrase. It's a phrase that I think many ought to reflect on. I'm so there. I just returned from a Saturday morning breakfast trip to a restaurant in a historical section of a town next door. It's famous for it's breakfasts. The area is spackled with classic cars from the 1950s lining the streets. They are permanent fixtures. There was a time when the 50s were romanced until the retractors came along. Well, since the 50s are out of reach, how about a Pre-9/11 world?  This month is my one year anniversary of not carrying a "smart" phone. I've been carrying a dumb, flip phone. No apps. Hard-to-text. I call people and leave voice messages. Most of all: I'm present. I was fully present with my family around the breakfast table today. It was a wonderful feeling. Not checking, checking, checking, or fighting my own biological wiring and chemistry to desire a "check." Perhaps there can be a movement to ditch the addictive technology that Big Tech and our social systems pressure you to own and rule your life. Here's an idea...take back your life by reflecting on how we once lived in a pre-9/11 world. Re-innovate to simplicity, serenity, and presence.

Where Do You Belong?

 

Where do you belong? This is a question that people ask regularly. "Do I belong here?" Belonging is a tremendous protective factor against forces that could degrade our well-being. In Jean-Paul Sartre's famous novel, Nausea, he unfolds the story of a protagonist who has lost his sense of belonging, and is experiencing psychological nausea. Geography is much less important than the question, "To whom do I belong?" Family. Work colleagues. Gym buddies. Schoolmates. Church community. Affinity Group. Friends. If you think about it for a second, people derive their IDENTITY from the groups they belong. Belonging has tremendous power. Am I in, or out? Am I one, or not? Am I accepted, or rejected? When that internal indicator of anxiety or depression starts to go off it may be that we're disconnected and vulnerably alone. Western cultures highly values personal agency, individualism, and freedom. Naked freedom can not operate alone very well for extended periods of time. We're designed to belong. On one side of the spectrum is autonomy, and the other is belonging. Belonging provides meaning, significance, and personal identity. Belonging is a tremendous protective factor against forces that could degrade our well-being. Belonging has the potential to regenerate our spiritual core, our soul, enabling us to hold onto the values that we hold dear.

Feeling my Irish today, celebrating St. Patrick's Day. My great grandfather, Patrick Lynn (1845-1897) immigrated from Mayo, Ireland to Scranton, PA where I'm from. Like many of the Irish they became coal miners in Scranton. He died in a mining accident. His son, John "Jack" Lynn did as well. It was a way of life, and death. Reminds me of the Cross, but just the opposite: it's a way of death that leads to life. Happy St. Patrick's Day.

 

Are you a Knight of Faith? Christian Philosopher Kierkegaard describes people in three categories: Aesthetic, Ethical, and Religious. The aesthete is simply someone who lives for sensuality and pleasure. The ethical, who he calls the "Knight of Resignation," attempts to live a moral and ethical life, but stops short of discovering the true meaning of life because he or she continues to run straightway into the Absurd, and fails to overcome it. The absurdity of life is an event thrown at us from unknowable causes, flawed systems, or sinful actions. Sometimes there are never any really good answers. The Knight of Faith, the religious, supersedes the mysterious uncaused cause, the dubiousness of flawed systems, and the effects of sinful decisions by doing something. What does he or she do? When he encounters the absurd, when nothing else makes sense, he takes a leap of faith, touches the Transcendent and firmly lands on his or her feet.  We all need a touch of the transcendent. The Knight of Faith is a tremendous model.

The Cross: Trauma to Triumph

As a therapist I will utilize the best of every modern resource available, that I'm confidently trained in, and can apply to client's situations. As a theologian I know of no better way to reframe the theodicy, and the victimization that occurs at the macro-level of community, and micro-level of individual trials than by translating the understanding of the power of the Cross. It defines and REFRAMES our trauma for infinite possibilities about personal identity (how we see ourselves) with transcendent outcomes. Only the sacred can do this, not the secular. See this: "...Jesus Christ, God's Son, has by his most holy touch consecrated and hallowed all sufferings, even death itself, has blessed the curse, and has glorified shame and enriched poverty so that death is now a door to life, the curse a fount of blessing, and shame the mother of glory. Suffering has been touched and bathed by Christ's pure and holy flesh and blood and thus have become holy, harmless, and wholesome, blessed, and full of joy for you. There is nothing, not even death, that his passion cannot sweeten." ~Martin Luther. The spiritual/transcendent IS the greatest resource--a relational Being (God), that has the power to change trauma into triumph and new possibilities.