I am drafting a brief piece of writing for submission to a periodical and would welcome any reactions or comments. I will offer it to you in a few parts, covering seven days. It is titled, in the Greek: Aeon, Caritas, Agora - Oikos Day 1 When you still the body of its incessant doings and calm the heart of its unending feelings and quiet the mind of its perpetual thoughts, that is, when you stop being busy, upset and worried, this may allow you to begin to see the beauty of the world that God created. It is true that there are some moments like this for me, for instance, at the end of the day when the sun has gone down and the stars are not yet out, when even the world seems to have stopped and emptied itself of all form and feature. In such moments of quiet emptiness, if I sit quietly enough without disruption or distraction, I may begin to sense the awesome, wonderful and beautiful nature that God sculpted, if I know how to do so. To look at a beautiful painting we are told to notice the color, texture and lines. In order to appreciate a good wine we are told to attend to its fragrance, smoothness and sweetness. But what of our personal view of the world, our special relationships, and the relations among our selves, others and the world around us? What are we to note and how are we to do so? If I am balanced within myself, I am ready to enter into a good relationship with another person. If, and only if, I can get along, harmonize, with another person, with each other person, then, and only then, am I ready to engage in social situations with many more persons in the best way. This is a natural sequence and order - first starting by balancing within myself, then harmonizing each of the important relationships with people I care about, and then synchronizing these relations among many others. First the one must become one, then the two can become one, and, finally the three can become one. This is how I can begin to become whole. And if each one of us does this process well, we discover what our primary challenges are at each stage of growth, development and maturation. How are we to enact this sort of layered story of health and well-being within ourselves, with one another, with many others in small groups and communities ... and, at the same time, with the waters and winds, Land and Life about us, that sustain our living together? Day 2 Human adaptations to habitats and environments begin when we are very young children, as adjustments to the mother we are born to, who supplies us water and milk early on, as well as to our father, siblings and relatives, who help to feed us more substantial food a little later. We are kept warm and safe from the forces of a world we are not yet ready for, nurtured through others by the resources of the land they supply to us. While these resources help the child to grow and develop from within in ways that are uniquely personal and biological, the child also adapts and adjusts interpersonally and psychologically to those who are close and nearby. If this all flows well, as the child physically becomes and emotionally belongs, he or she moves outward beyond the boundaries of family into the social benefits of community and learns how to believe in others who are not so close. I recall that my brothers and I played in very many ways: We jumped in mud puddles; we built small dams during the spring snow melt; we climbed big oak trees and sat in the grasses on our backs and watched the clouds; we caught butterflies, grasshoppers and snakes, and frogs in nearby ponds and swamps; we drew maps and pictures in the sand; we caught fireflies outside and brought them inside my grandmother’s home and let them go in the darkness, caught them again and let them go outside; our whole family travel out in the worst of the rainstorms to see the flooding water in the streets; and always it was messy and surprising and full of laughter and fun. This was my direct contact with the Land – watching, touching, moving slowly, gently and quietly, being still, being caught by Beauty and allowing Beauty to come to me, becoming Beauty – and most often this contact with the Land was with others – my brothers, my cousins, my parents and grandparents, my aunts and uncles, our guests and neighbors. I recall that my brothers and parents, my family, had much contact and connection with the Life that lived upon the Land. We often cared for injured birds (I remember the woodcock, the owl, the grosbeak and nuthatch) or injured/abandoned animals (I remember the little raccoons whose mother had died, and the fox kit who had lived under the couch in the living room above the bakery one summer). This led eventually to my passion for falconry, as did drawing the various grasses when I was young led in a roundabout way to my passion for prairie and savanna restoration. This was our and my connecting with Life - carefully watching, mending and tending, calmly and comfortingly, being caught by Love, allowing Love to grow in me, belonging Love, and, always it was my family, my parents and grandparents, aunts and uncles, my middle brother Jay, showing me how to love the Land and Life well. I recollect that my family and extended family and neighbors also showed me the appreciation and value of common purpose. We picked blueberries together in the proper season; dug, peeled and boiled potatoes (and rutabagas), dug for worms, hunted sharp tails, deer and fished, respectfully, appropriately preparing and cooking the game; we built campfires; we planted gardens and flowers and shared the results of these common labors among us. This was how I learned to be considerate and make contribution to family and community concerns - carefully watching, listening attentively to the rules and roles best suited for the particular common cause of the moment, being caught by the Truth, allowing lawful, natural, community and family relations to be learned and practiced in a way that ‘trued’ me, believing truly in myself, in one another, and in all of us together. Day 3 [to be continued]
Posted on: Tue, 01 Oct 2013 02:38:03 +0000
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