August 9th 2009
Today I worked at the store. The pace was steady. I stocked the rolling cart full of toys, which feels oddly fulfilling. You start off with crates that are full of what was last weeks overstocked product, and when you’re done, the crates are nearly all empty. In the crates is a hodge-podge of items that is completely random and unpredictable. It is a challenge to try to quickly find the right place to put whatever presents itself next. It is also rewarding to figure out what to do with the things that don’t yet have a home on the shelf, in a way that fits well into the overall presentation. Pretty simple.
You might be saying to yourself… “Mike... you work at a pet store.” I’m thinking the same thing. In fact, I’m wondering if it’s a good idea at all for me to share with you the fact that working on getting shelves stocked can be a kind of meditation in its own strange way. If I can keep my mind completely focused on the simple task at hand, without getting side-tracked by whatever is or isn’t happening in my life outside of the moment, I can walk away from a day at work feeling mentally rested, and intellectually ready to learn new things and move forward.
I read a great article today in the most recent issue of Aramco World, on the history of Chess. It included some interesting anecdotes, including the story about the caliph Harun al-Rashid and the Byzantine emperor Nicephorus who played a chess match through correspondence around the year 800, which ended in a real-life war. According to the story, Harun’s son al-Amin later died when his forces were under seige in Baghdad because he wouldn’t pause from a chess game that he was close to winning long enough to direct the forces defending the city. In the 16th century, Akbar, the grandson of Babur who had conquered northern India and founded the Mughal empire, built a life-size chessboard in a courtyard which used dancing girls and courtiers as pieces, and played from the apartments above.
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Thoughts inspired by “What the ‘Bleep’ Do We Know?”
I’m watching the movie “What the ‘Bleep’ Do We Know?” It’s an intriguing movie that pretty much says that everything that we assume to be true about reality is not what we think it is. I was moved by the idea that thought alone can substantially change our reality. The photos by Mr. Imoto of water molecules that appear to have been structurally changed by mental stimuli, such as a Zen-Buddhist blessing, and having words taped to their containers overnight, made me think a lot about how our bodies, which are 98% water, might be affected by the thoughts that we have about ourselves or the labels that we think are being put on us by our colleagues.
An interesting little side-note that was mentioned in the movie is that an outside observer looking at our brain as we’re thinking sees something very similar to what a thunderstorm looks like when looking down on the earth from outer space. That outside observer can’t tell what we’re thinking, but they can see evidence of the process. The analogy of a thunderstorm just made me envision the earth as a big brain, with some form of unseen consciousness, unable to be understood by us as outside observers, but experiencing some kind of coherent awareness nonetheless. Just an idea that was inspired by the dialogue… now you know without a doubt that I’m crazy!
On the subject of right and wrong: The movie stated that there is no right and wrong, but rather there are actions that will evolve us, and other actions which won’t. The movie left me pondering whether any action that contributes to my spirit’s growth can be considered bad. Taking the view of the movie, if there is a relationship between me and everything else in the universe, then my choices will affect each and every part of that universe. Each part has its own unique perspective on my actions. One part might see my actions as good while another sees the same actions as bad. It all depends on the perspective and the point of view of that part as an observer. In the end I believe that there probably are a great number of actions that I could take which, while they might lead to my own individual evolution, would also most likely be judged as “bad” from the point of view of the greater interconnected universe as a whole.
Here are my favorite quotes from the movie:
“I am much more than I think I am. I can be much more even than that. I can influence my environment, the people… I can influence space itself. I can influence the future. I am responsible for all those things. I and the surround are not separate; they’re part of one. I‘m connected to it all. I’m not alone…”
“Our purpose here is to develop our gifts of intentionality, and learn how to be effective creators.” “We are here to infiltrate space with ideas.”
“To acknowledge the quantum self, to acknowledge the place where we really have choice, to acknowledge mind… when that shift of perspective takes place, we say that somebody has been enlightened.”
“Welcome to the kingdom of heaven, without judgment, without hate, without testing, without anything… that we simply are allowed this reality that we call ‘real,’ from the power of intangibility, to pull out of inertness action, chaos, and hold it into its form, and we call it matter.”
The core of what I took away from the movie is this… if we say that reality is constructed in our own consciousness, then we instantly become more responsible for the reality that we experience. Mathematics can describe potential realities, but quantum physics is telling us that we each create the world that we experience from among myriad potential truths. “At the deepest, sub-nuclear level of our reality, you and I are literally one.” This makes me think that whatever we do affects each other. I need to consider my actions not because some god has decided that they are right or wrong, but because they will affect you and everything else in the universe. I guess it all comes down to the golden rule.
I'm listening to the Speaking of Faith program from June 5th 2008 on my iPod. That program is titled: The Spiritual Audacity of Abraham Joshua Heschel.
I feel a bit ignorant for not already knowing all about this man... but I am deciding today to read his writings and listen to his words in the future. His words speak strongly to my understanding of God and to my own responsibilities.
I went to the church this morning that I created when I was 9 years old. I described a church just like this one in a manifesto that I wrote at about that time. In this document, which I still have, I described what my church would be like, how it would operate, how it would treat people, and what role it would play in its community. I detailed how it would be filled with metal or plastic chairs instead of hard-wood, intricately carved pews, I determined that its sole purpose would be to bring people to a real understanding of the true message that Jesus had given to the world. Music would be a vital part of the spiritual being of my church. People would be energized by the love and enthusiasm apparent all around them. They would be uplifted by inspiring modern music. Everyone would be required to wear their most casual clothes. Jeans and T-Shirts would be the preferred apparel. No one would be allowed to wear suits or expensive clothes. This would encourage even the poorest in the community to attend and feel relatively comfortable. The building would be simple, the landscaping would be all indigenous plants, the money saved on the grounds and construction would be spent helping the poor families in the local area. Today I attended a church that seemed in many ways to be modeled after my church. I found the church. Now all that's left is to find God.
The following comments were posted as a response to a friend's post discussing Unitarian Universalism and Buddhism entitled: "A Buddhitarian?" I thought that it would be fitting to post my comments here as well, because I've never really taken the time to write this anywhere else before. Read the post on his fantastic blog (linked above) for the background on this discussion.
Here goes:
I am drawn to many aspects of Buddhism and find that the philosophy is generally in line with what I've found to be true about life in my own experience.
I love the fact that people whose personal beliefs lean towards Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Paganism and many other religions can come together in one place, to acknowledge a shared search for individual truth. I almost wish that the UU church didn't have its roots so deeply immersed in Christianity. Then, at least, its origins would be more in line with its current diversity, and its greatest credential, which is that anyone, from virtually any background, with just about any conceivable set of well-guided beliefs, can participate in a truly meaningful way as a member of the church, provided that they are guided by the seven principles of the Unitarian Universalist Association.
Unitarian Universalism works best for me when I think of it as less of a religion, and more of a "Way". A "Way" for like-minded individuals from any religious background, who are able to accept and overcome their differences and work together for the common good of all of humanity.
I haven't found any other avenue that provides as much freedom for diversity and differing views within a framework with as much potential to positively affect the world we live in. At the same time, I do yearn for more spiritual mentorship and guidance, and I may have to go elsewhere to find it.
** Now that I've copied the comment I made, I would change the last paragraph to read:
"I've found no other avenue that provides as much freedom for diversity and mutual discovery within a framework that displays as much potential to positively affect the world as I understand it. At the same time, I do yearn for more spiritual mentorship and guidance, and I may have to go elsewhere to find it."
The great thing about the Unitarian Universalist church is that if I do discover a new spiritual truth that has meaning to me, there will always be people in the congregation who will want to hear about it, and who will rejoice with me that I've learned something that is true for me, regardless of whether or not they would identify the same thing as being true for them.
That there is no great truth may be the greatest truth, greatest fear, and greatest disappointment of them all... but only God knows the answer to that one, and they are the greatest keeper of secrets.
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