NOT JUST FOR KIDS The classic childrens book, The Phantom Tollbooth (1961), tells the story of a young boy named Milo. One dull, rainy afternoon Milo receives the anonymous gift of a cardboard fold-and-cut tollbooth. Bored Milo builds the tollbooth and drives through it with his toy car. Immediately Milo disappears from his room and finds himself traveling along a strange road in a new land. But despite this miraculous relocation, as the road continues on and on, and the countryside rolls by and by, Milo begins to grow bored again. He spaces out and begins to be completely oblivious to his surroundings. He doesnt even notice as his car begins to go slower and slower and then finally coasts to a complete stop. Rousing lightly from his stupor, Milo finally notices there are strange little creatures draped over the hood of his car, snoozing on his head and shoulders, snoring on his dashboard. When the boy demands to know what is going on the sleepy creatures inform him that they are Lethargians and tell Milo that he and his vehicle are now firmly stuck in a place known as The Doldrums. Of course literally the doldrums is actually an old nautical reference to a dead zone - a place where there is no wind to fill up the sails, no strong currents to guide a vessel along. Getting out of the doldrums takes a purposeful expenditure of energy, a muscle-powered desire to move forward. Unfortunately it isnt just sailing ships or bored little boys on rainy afternoons who can find themselves stranded in the doldrums. Whole movements can find themselves stranded in the Doldrums. Whole countries, cultures, and churches can find themselves so mired in spiritless monotony, in the security of sameness and status, that they fail to notice they are going nowhere and are accomplishing nothing. I hope you are not there!
Posted on: Tue, 29 Oct 2013 12:18:45 +0000
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