Faith Venture

Who am I? What am I?

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I introduced The Art of Possibility by Roz and Ben Zander. It’s a set of 12 practices brought to life with wonderful stories. One is the practice of being a contribution

Instead, life is revealed as a place to contribute and we as contributors. Not because we have done a measurable amount of good, but because that is the story we tell.

When I began playing the game of contribution, on the other hand, I found there was no better orchestra than the one I was conducting, no better person to be with than the one I was with; in fact, there was no “better.” In the game of contribution you wake up each day and bask in the notion that you are a gift to others.

The practice of this chapter is inventing oneself as a contribution, and others as well. The steps to the practice are these: 1. Declare yourself to be a contribution. 2. Throw yourself into life as someone who makes a difference, accepting that you may not understand how or why. The contribution game appears to have remarkable powers for transforming conflicts into rewarding experiences.

Are we a contributor to the good of society, of those around us? Or are we following our selfish passions unaware and uncaring about our impact upon those around us? Am I spreading a virus because I want to have some beers with friends? Or to gather in my house of worship?

Or—maybe I am finding ways to contribute to health and justice and peace?

As always, first comes awareness and then comes decision.

Yes.

Many people exhibit the point of view that everyone is out to get them. It’s a “dog-eat-dog” world. “Do unto others before they do unto you.”

Check social media out. Step back so as not to get caught up into the maelstrom and just observe. Begin to sort out whose posts are almost always reflecting this worldview.

While greed and pride are sometimes drivers of this, you will find the base emotion almost always is fear. Some people are afraid. They wake up in the morning fearful of what might happen. During the day, they are afraid someone (usually of a different religion, race, ethnicity) is going to take what is theirs.

Some of these people consider themselves to be Christian. But you’ll find no ethic of Jesus there. More likely a misinterpretation of the Hebrew Scriptures seeing a vengeful and harshly judgemental God.

A short interlude. Yes, there are times to be afraid. That is often a survival emotion. I’m talking about something quite different—an orientation toward life and everyone in it based on fear.

Thankfully not everyone is like that. They have a possibility mindset. They jump in and help where needed. They reach out to the poor, the stranger, the oppressed, someone in need (no matter how small).

The fundamental emotion is love—an overused word in English. While realizing evil exists and that people have many sometimes conflicting emotions, they also see the possibility that God loves them and therefore they also need to practice an act of love, acceptance, service.

You can find examples of this attitude on social media, as well. But it’s more of a whisper compared to the shouting (many times literally using all capitals) of others.

Should you begin to reflect on yourself and begin to realize the fear inside, you can begin to change. This post is too short to delve into an area that large books cover. The first step is realization. The next is to seek out those with a possibility mindset and orient yourself with them.

It’s a practice. It takes time. It is possible.

“You criticize people while they are alive, and pray for them when they’re dead.” Line from a TV show, Midsomer Murders, during a conversation between two elderly sisters. One has a bit more experience with the world; the other completely old-school religious.

It is so easy to criticize. For some it’s an integral part of their personality type. For the rest it’s a way to make ourselves feel more superior, more correct.

School starts us off ranking us into the good and the bad (students, but also behavior). Many religions sort us between the sheep and the goats. And we are to be the superior sheep rather than the goats consigned to hell.

There are people who, without thinking, react to almost everything said to them critically.

This is learned behavior that can be changed. It’s probably a coping mechanism learned in childhood to survive whatever dysfunction affected them in the family. It can be unlearned with new habits.

Awareness helps. When we are aware of how we react to others, we can set ourselves a cue when we feel the urge toward criticism.

Somehow this reminded me of something Linus (a character in the comic strip Peanuts) said. “I love humanity. It’s people I can’t stand.”

No matter what lofty ideals we may have, it is in the world of individual people that our true selves manifest.

Maybe we pause before hitting send on the next social media post. Consider if it is merely a critical reaction we’re sending into the wild, or if it is an uplifting thought or story helpful in its intent. Maybe we just delete.

We have two deep-seated orientations toward life.

Some people see possibilities everywhere they look. They see the abundance in life. Many look at their situations and discover they have plenty to share. Food. Love. Money.

They discover that the more they have to give the more comes back in return. It’s not that they live in a world of reciprocity. It’s a world of giving. We all know people who give freely yet seem to always have enough.

Then there are people who deeply feel a world of scarcity. Even in a society where the poorest are rich compared to other societies, people feel deeply that there is not enough to go around. Not enough food. Not enough jobs. Not enough love.

They live in suspicion of others. Fear is the motivating emotion. Leading to selfishness, “me-first” attitude, keep others out, not enough to share. Cynicism runs rampant.

Social observers labeled the Baby Boom generation as far back as the early 70s as the “Me Generation”. It’s all about me. I deserve it all. “Hey, you, get off of my cloud.”

But it’s unfair to apply that to every Boomer. Just as many Gen X, Millennials, Gen Y, and whatever other label generations contain perhaps as many exceptions to their labels as conform to it.

It’s a human condition, is scarcity thinking. Even reading ancient wisdom literature from 3,000 years ago you see signs.

But it can be overcome. First with awareness that there is another way. Adjusting our outlook. Start by giving small gifts. Learn that there are blessings in life by sharing. Developmental psychologists tell us it’s a mark of maturity.

Giving is a spiritual discipline. It must be practiced to become one of the foundations of spiritual formation. If you think I’m “full of it”, then you are most in need of the attitude adjustment.

Awaken to the possibilities that God has place before you.

The elderly Mr. Withers leaned over me and whispered, “What? You’ve been practicing it for three minutes, and you still can’t play it?” (Ben Zander’s early cello teacher to the young Benjamin.)

I just finished a couple of good books last week. This quote was from Benjamin Zander in the book he wrote with his wife Rosamund Stone Zander, The Art of Possibility: Transforming Professional and Personal Life. This is not a new book, but it was recently recommended to me.

People, that would be all of us, often try something for a short time, a few minutes, find it difficult, and quit. Meditation, study, eating well, exercising, calming a temper…

The Zanders’ book offers 12 practices for transforming your professional and personal life. “Our practices will take a good deal more than three minutes to master. Additionally, everything you think and feel and see around you will argue against them. So it takes dedication, a leap of faith, and, yes, practicing to get them into your repertoire.

It’s like the old joke about the young man carrying a violin case stopping someone on the street in New York City and asking, “How can I get to Carnegie Hall?” The quick reply, “Practice, my boy, practice.”

How do I grow in spiritual formation? Practice.

I have been thinking more about balance.

You take actions to balance the brain chemicals as I discussed.

Physical balance increases in importance as we age. Falling and breaking bones is a danger to us all, but especially if you’re over 80. You can practice any of a dozen Yoga poses.

Especially in the Western world, we can be overly rational. But sometimes overly emotional. Music is highly mathematical, however it also touches the soul if you let it. Try slowing down to listen to classical or jazz which exhibits both sides.

In India there is a practice called Ayurveda the practice of which aims to achieve balance. There are, for example, six tastes—sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungent, and astringent. If you are out of balance, say anxious or lethargic or scatter-brained, then you can study which tastes in the food you eat will counter that state and bring you back into balance.

Speaking of food, balance every day carbohydrates, fats, and protein. Your body needs some of each. Be careful of your sources for each—eat real food, not too much.

Balance what enters your mind. Read for learning; then, read for enjoyment (although for me learning is enjoyment, but I like murder mysteries, too).

Balance social media with no social media. Perhaps you jump in for up to 15 minutes a day to search what’s happening with a select group of friends who bring you joy and avoid the crap. I mute everyone who simply reposts political memes begun in Russia, and just search out photos of life and updates from family and friends. Although I do use Twitter for business.

Exercise…and rest.

Be with people…and take time alone.

I’m reading in an ancient teaching on discipleship. It uses a parable maybe we would be familiar with. Wine.

When you inspect your wine jars, you don’t bother to check the full ones. That wine will be OK. But the half-full ones, well, check those, because they are most likely to have gone sour.

When evil thoughts come looking for a home (they used the image of the devil, but not the medieval one), they will avoid the heart and mind of those who are filled with God. But those who have not filled their hearts and minds with God have left room for evil to enter and cause the entire mind to go sour.

And we can know this. When we meet someone, do we see evidence of the fruit of the spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control? Or do we see the results of sourness—cynicism, fear, negativity, anger, impatience, rebelliousness, selfishness?

One way to check on yourself is to honestly and clearly look at the sum of your posts on social media. It’s like looking into a public mirror. You can see yourself as you truly are.

But there is always time to change. Choose how to fill your mind.

You may have seen the classic Yoga pose called Tree. The model stands on one foot. The other foot is pressed firmly against the inner thigh with the knee pointing out toward the side. Both hands are pressed together and lifted straight above the head. The body forms a supple line rooted on the mat and reaching toward the sky.

This looks so graceful. The continued practice of Tree teaches balance.

But balance does not come easily. Your toes are gripping the mat for rootedness. Your abs and lower back are engaged for body stability. Your shoulders are relaxed, for tension destroys balance.

I recently listened to a neuroscientist discuss the impact of various famous chemicals in the brain. Cortisol, called the stress hormone, wakes you up in the morning and gets you going.

The neurotransmitter dopamine (you’ve heard of getting a shot of dopamine when you achieve something) gets you moving forward toward a goal. You finish a 5K run or that paper you’ve been working on and you have reinforced dopamine.

Serotonin, also a positive reinforcing neurotransmitter, activates when you feel the warmth of relationships or bonding. Serotonin along with oxytocin peak within nursing mothers.

Andrew Huberman, PhD, researches these things. He stated that the most successful people are those who can balance the dopamine and serotonin during the day. Drive on dopamine from morning until afternoon to achieve goals. Then go home and play with the kids and activate serotonin.

He discovered through brain chemistry research paired with behavior what the ancient people knew through observing themselves and other people.

Balance is the essential foundation of a successful life.

I wrote yesterday about first-century Christian, Hermas’s, response to his teacher who gave him 12 commandments for life following Jesus. He was overwhelmed considering how to live out all those teachings.

He was told to relax, step back, and not be overwhelmed. You just begin living the life.

Trying to be perfect, especially at the beginning, is the enemy of good.

People hear about meditating. Maybe just for health. Maybe for enlightenment. Maybe just to calm down in their stress of staying home amidst Covid-19.

They then get distracted. Should I get a Buddhist meditation pillow? Do I need to light a candle? Should the room be dark? Is there a special music to play? What if I can’t sit still for an hour? Half-hour? Five minutes?

Jesus suggested to Martha that she was distracted by many things. Calm down and choose the right thing.

For goodness sake, the Buddha meditated under a tree. Brother Lawrence meditated peeling potatoes and repairing sandals. A suggestion—read The Practice of the Presence of God.

You can sit anywhere. Or lie on your back or curled in fetal position. Or while walking (just keep your eyes open). You can touch your thumb to your first finger, or second finger, or not at all. You can burn incense…or not. You can rest for 5 minutes or 120.

My favorite old Zen teaching—Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water; After enlightenment, chop wood, carry water.

There is no perfect. There is just doing. Or, in this case, not-doing.

The Shepherd finished instructing his student Hermas, a Roman Christian of the late first or early second century, in the twelve commandments of discipleship—ways of living the with-God life.

“If you follow these, you will have life,” said the Shepherd.

“But these are hard,” protested Hermas, “how is a mortal man able to follow these.”

“If you propose to yourself that they can be kept, you will keep them easily and they will not be hard. But if the idea that they cannot be kept by a human has already entered your heart, you will not keep them.”

We think psychology and positive thinking and attitude were all invented in the 20th Century. Here it is presented as ancient wisdom 2,000 years ago.

Maintain a positive attitude and living the life of repentance pleasing to God is easy. Think it is impossible, then you will never achieve. Your choice.

This is as true for surviving our current situation as for following God’s way.

Choose wisely.