Our regular daily emails have not gone out for the last several days because I have been ill and unable to set these up. I hope to resume them tomorrow. We will have to “catch up” the mailings that you have missed, so for the next few days you will probably receive more than one message each day, until we have caught up with the current date.
Also, a word about the audio recordings. I decided to “test” these for a month or so and see (1) how much time it would take me to do them and (2) what the response would be from readers. The response has been good, but the time was more than expected. So I have decided not to try to do these this year. I plan to start recording “Diligently Seeking God” and “Reaching Forward” at the start of next year, and then do the “Enthusiastic Ideas” recordings the year after that.
Thanks for your patience during this illness. Last weekend, I got vicious case of food poisoning in a well-known fast food restaurant and have been pretty well incapacitated for most of the week. I am doing a little better, but still have a ways to go. Please say a prayer, since I am scheduled to start a speaking engagement in Atlanta on Sunday.
“Man unites himself with the world in the process of creation” (Erich Fromm).
WE’RE BORN INTO A PRE-MADE WORLD, BUT WITHIN THAT WORLD WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO MAKE MANY NEW THINGS OURSELVES. The cynic might say that we can’t make anything really new; we can only do new things with the raw materials that were already here. But what wonderful reorderings of the raw materials we’re capable of! Our creativity is a truly fascinating force.
Because it’s so powerful, our creative urge needs to be carefully managed. Among those who’re seriously involved in creative work, we often hear it said (by artists, musicians, writers, etc.) that the only reason for their work is to allow the creators to “express themselves.” But in a world where we’re all connected to one another, that can never be the case. Not everything that a person might “express” needs to see the light of day, and before I create anything, I need to ask myself the question: will this expression of myself make a POSITIVE CONTRIBUTION to those around me or will it POLLUTE them? Will it HELP or will it HURT?
Our ability to create happens to have a rather serious stewardship attached to it, and in our present culture, there may be some doubt about whether we’re handling that stewardship responsibly. “We live at a time when man believes himself fabulously capable of creation, but he does not know what to create” (Jose Ortega y Gasset).
When we take a wise approach to the creative act, however, magnificent things can be accomplished. Our creativity can bring a much needed FRESHNESS to our own lives and to those of others. And not only that, we have it within our power to create things that will continue to do good long after we’re gone from this world. Few of us are going to be remembered by succeeding generations, but the question of what we’re going to leave behind is still significant. We’re at our best when we’re using our creative powers to do lasting good. It doesn’t matter whether the history books are going to give us the credit for it; it only matters that we’ve created something good that will continue to live.
“Creativity is not merely the innocent spontaneity of our youth and childhood; it must also be married to the passion of the adult human being, which is a passion to live beyond one’s death” (Rollo May).
“The most gifted members of the human species are at their creative best when they cannot have their way” (Eric Hoffer).
ONE OF THE MOST AMAZING THINGS ABOUT US IS OUR ABILITY TO FIND SOLUTIONS WHEN WE’RE FACED WITH PROBLEMS. Nearly every day we see evidence, either in our own lives or those of others, that the old adage is true: “necessity is the mother of invention.” When our path is blocked, we find an alternate route. When we’re frustrated, we find a way to make progress. When no tool exists that will serve our purpose, we invent a new tool. We’re a creative species, and seemingly, there is no end to our inventiveness.
Unfortunately, human beings have not always used their inventiveness to good ends. Many of the most harmful contrivances in the world have been conceived by geniuses whose creativity was allowed to run loose, unfettered by true principles or worthy values. And so we need not think that inventiveness is a good thing all by itself. If true goodness is to result from our ingenuity, our creative powers must be harnessed and disciplined. When we answer the call to be inventive, it must be in the pursuit of goodness only and never evil.
The world would be a better place, for example, if we would use less of our inventiveness to get what we want for ourselves and more of it to help supply the needs of those around us. If we could manage to be even half as ingenious and clever in helping other people as we are in helping ourselves, the world would be improved radically.
And speaking of our relationship to others, the most inventive force in the world is LOVE. Whatever it is that needs to be figured out or accomplished, love will find a way. It doesn’t really matter what the hurdle is, if a person is in love, the hurdle is likely to be cleared!
Since the things and the people we love cause us to be so inventive, we need to be wise in deciding what those things are. Almost inevitably, we move in the direction of our aspirations, creatively getting around every problem that stands between us and what we want. So, as the old-timers used to say, we need to be careful what we want, because we’re apt to get it! Our inventiveness can be counted on to get us to our goals; the only question is whether our goals are worthy.
“We are more ready to try the untried when what we do is inconsequential. Hence the remarkable fact that many inventions had their birth as toys” (Eric Hoffer).
DELIGHTFUL THINGS OFTEN OCCUR WHEN WE’RE WILLING TO TRY SOMETHING NEW. Perhaps that is why children’s lives are so full of joy: their natural sense of playfulness encourages them to turn things upside-down and inside-out. Young people’s lives fairly bristle with innovation, and the discoveries they make are often of benefit even to those much older and “wiser” than themselves.
As grown-ups, we often find it hard to get the right balance when it comes to innovation. Sometimes we go to the extreme of worshiping whatever is new, and we foolishly toss overboard anything that has any age or tradition to it. When we’re in this mode, we need to be reminded that there’s nothing inherently valuable about newness; it’s value depends upon its context, and we need to think twice before we smash a tradition that can’t be recovered once it’s destroyed.
Yet we often go to the other extreme as well. We become so wedded to the status quo that we reject innovations that would be truly helpful. The apple cart becomes so sacred that we dare not touch it. Yet, as Frank A. Clark suggested, “Why not upset the apple cart? If you don’t, the apples will rot anyway.” It would be foolish to blindly apply that thinking to every situation, obviously, but there’s no denying the value of the question itself: WHY NOT UPSET THE APPLE CART?
Even in our personal relationships, there is a sense in which we need to be wholesomely innovative. No matter what the problem or project, if others can count on us to bring a fresh and helpful perspective to the undertaking, that’s a very fine reputation to have.
Whatever may be our individual talents and abilities, these were meant to be USED — energetically and even innovatively. If we’re actively engaged with life, we’ll make some delightful discoveries in the course of trying out new approaches to old problems. We’ll be willing, at least once in a while, to EXPERIMENT . . . just like the curious child who says, “I wonder what would happen if you did it THIS way?”
I will work out the divinity that is busy within my mind
And tend the means that are mine.
(Pindar)
“Hold every moment sacred. Give each clarity and meaning, each the weight of thine awareness, each its true and due fulfillment” (Thomas Mann).
THERE IS TOO MUCH FUZZINESS IN MOST OF OUR LIVES. What should be sharp and clear is often indistinct and cloudy. We need to bring some clarity to the business of living, and also of loving.
CLARITY IN OUR THINKING. Since our actions are the consequence of our thinking, we need to think clearly. Sometimes, however, we don’t work very hard at doing this, even on important subjects. Alfred North Whitehead once spoke of a certain philosophy as “an adventure in the clarification of thought.” If you know the philosophy of which he spoke, you may doubt whether it made things any clearer, but still, his expression, “an adventure in the clarification of thought,” is interesting. How long has it been since you’ve embarked on an adventure like that? How recently has your thinking been clarified?
CLARITY IN OUR RELATIONSHIPS. Sometimes our relationships lack quality because they’re ill-defined. We haven’t made the effort to know the other person CLEARLY, and we haven’t given them the chance to know us CLEARLY — so things are a little foggy. How much better it would be if we clarified things with openness, humility, and courage!
Perhaps we find it difficult to think and speak and relate to others clearly because we don’t EXPERIENCE things clearly ourselves. And maybe that’s because so much of our experience now is “synthetic.” Cut off from the clarity of things in the natural world, our minds are fed primarily by the flickering images on computer monitors, televisions, and movie screens. As wonderful as these media are, they can never present more than a vague representation of “original” reality. Out of touch with sharply defined reality itself, it’s no surprise that our thinking loses a bit of focus. So we would do well to “clear up” our intellect and our imaginations more often by DIRECTLY EXPERIENCING the creatures and creations that call to us outside our doors. Things that are clear in themselves can help keep our minds clear.
There is a poignancy in all things clear,
In the stare of the deer, in the ring of a hammer in the morning.
Seeing a bucket of perfectly lucid water
We fall to imagining prodigious honesties.
(Richard Wilbur)
“A man cannot enter into the deepest center of himself . . . unless he is able to pass entirely out of himself and give himself to other people in the purity of a selfless love” (Thomas Merton).
ONE OF THE GREAT IRONIES OF LIFE IS THAT WE “FIND” OURSELVES BY “LOSING” OURSELVES. If we’re so obsessed with what we’ve accumulated for our own enjoyment that we won’t let go of any of it for the sake of others, the result is not a richer life but a poorer one. (Think of Scrooge on Christmas eve.) On the other hand, if we put less emphasis on what is ours and embrace the idea of sacrifice, what we find is that we’ve gained more than we’ve given away. (Think of Scrooge on Christmas morning.) We find what we’re looking for only after we start looking for something else. We get a “self” not by self-CENTERED-ness but — believe it or not — by self-LESS-ness!
If we haven’t come to terms with it already, it’s high time we recognized that we’re happiest when we’re giving ourselves away. That’s just the nature of the reality that we happen to be a part of, and we can no more change it than we can amend the law of gravity. To try, as many do, to gain happiness by selfishness rather than selflessness is an effort doomed to failure. C. S. Lewis said it this way: “What is outside the system of self-giving is not earth, nor nature, nor ordinary life, but simply and solely Hell. Yet even Hell derives from this law such reality as it has. That fierce imprisonment in the self is but the obverse of the self-giving which is absolute reality.” Selfishness is an assault on reality, and reality can’t be successfully assaulted.
This doesn’t mean that we have no self-interest at all. It would be an unhealthy person indeed who had no concern for his own wants and needs. But selflessness means that we’re willing to SACRIFICE for the good of others and that our own desires are FILLED UP only when we’re willing to POUR THEM OUT. There aren’t going to be any good things in the world if somebody doesn’t do some giving, and if we want a share of the goodness, we’re going to have to participate in the giving. The world being as it is, there is no serious gain without significant loss!
“Every man brings an egg and every one wants an omelette — but without breaking his own egg. That poses a most difficult situation” (Frank Mar).
“What reinforcement we may gain from hope . . .” (John Milton).
NONE OF US IS SO STRONG THAT WE DON’T NEED SOME OCCASIONAL “REINFORCEMENT.” In particular, we need the kind of reinforcement that comes, as Milton suggests, from HOPE. As the days come and go, our energies wane, our commitments weaken, and our courage fails. Fairly frequently, we need to receive a reinforcement of hope. We need to be buttressed with fresh strength.
But here is what I want you to think about: the best kinds of reinforcement are those that add A DIFFERENT KIND OF STRENGTH than what was already there. As in the physical world, the things that do the best job of reinforcing are those that add strength FROM A DIFFERENT ANGLE!
OLDER AND YOUNGER. Do you want some serious reinforcement in your life in a hurry? Just go find somebody whose chronological age is very different from your own. Interact with them. Listen to them!
MEN AND WOMEN. A major part of the beauty and mystery of life is the difference between the unique strengths of men and women. To be truly strong, masculine strength needs to be reinforced by what men can learn about strength from women, and vice versa.
RICH AND POOR. One reason for our weakness nowadays is that we cut ourselves off from any real contact with anyone outside our own social and economic niche. But “inter-niche” contact is reinforcing!
Each of us is a UNIQUE being, made up of strengths not found in any other person IN EXACTLY THE SAME COMBINATION. What that means is that all of us have the ability to add true REINFORCING strength to other people’s lives. Because we’re different, the strengths that we impart to one another will always come from a different “angle” than what was already in that person’s life. And ultimately, that’s why our gifts have been given to us, whatever they may be. Our endowments are not for our private enjoyment alone; they’re meant to be used in the work of reinforcement. And we use our “various” gifts best when we use them “to charm, to strengthen, and to teach.”
But the great Master said, “I see
No best in kind, but in degree;
I gave a various gift to each,
To charm, to strengthen, and to teach.”
(Henry Wadsworth Longfellow)
“The true scientist never loses the faculty of amazement” (Hans Selye).
WE USE THE WORD “AMAZEMENT” IN A DIFFERENT WAY THAN IT WAS ORIGINALLY USED. In its older sense, “amazement” meant bewilderment or perplexity (the kind of feeling one has when lost in a “maze”). Shakespeare used the word this way in Act IV of King John: “I am amaz’d, methinks, and lose my way / Among the thorns and dangers of the world.” Today, however, to be amazed means to be in a state of extreme surprise or wonder. Most of us already know that, but is there anything about this word that would make it a “good word” to meditate on? I think there is.
There is some value and some virtue in keeping our hearts open to the extent that we can be amazed. If we’ve seen so much, or perhaps grown so tired, that nothing amazes us anymore, then I believe we’ve suffered a sad loss. As far as the objective reality around us is concerned, there is very much in the world to be amazed about. Several times a day, most of us encounter something that should fill us with “surprise and wonder.” If our antennas are not up, however, the astonishing qualities of these things will be lost on us.
I would even go so far as to say that we are benefited by being amazed in the older sense, at least once in a while. Many of us have gotten so confident in our modernity that it would do us good to suffer some occasional “bewilderment or perplexity.” It’s healthy to get lost in a “maze” sometimes — and to be reminded of our fallibility.
Amazement is certainly one of the keys to LEARNING. As Hans Selye said, “The true scientist never loses the faculty of amazement.” We need to keep our childhood curiosity and sense of wonder as long as we can. When we lose it, we quit learning new and useful things.
Beyond the learning value of amazement, however, we’re simply healthier, more interesting people when there is some amazement in our lives. If I could choose only one life to live, I’d rather be a country bumpkin any day, easily and enjoyably amazed at the simplest of things, than to be a sophisticated man-about-town who’s outlived his enthusiasm for the wonders of the everyday world.
As Tammie glow’red, amazed and curious,
The mirth and fun grew fast and furious.
(Robert Burns)
“Everyone admires a good loser — except his wife” (Anonymous).
FAILURE COMES IN MANY DIFFERENT FORMS. In any situation, there is more than one test we might fail, more than one way in which our conduct might fall below the level of acceptability. Today, let’s think about the test of “sportsmanship.” At first glance, you may not think “unsportsmanlike conduct” is one of the more serious crimes that a person might commit, but don’t be so quick to dismiss it. If you’ll just observe what happens around you for a few days, you’ll see that a good bit of what causes friction among people comes down to a simple failure on somebody’s part to play fair and to be a good loser or a good winner. Sportsmanship has to do with some fairly significant issues — such as justice, honor, and respect for others.
PLAYING FAIR. There would be a lot less stress in the world if we’d all remember what we learned on the playground about old-fashioned FAIRNESS. Despite our sometimes tortured legal arguments, it usually isn’t all that hard to figure out what’s fair. We may, for one reason or another, find it difficult to DO what is fair, but knowing what a good sport would do isn’t as complicated as we make it out to be.
BEING A GOOD LOSER. I once heard someone, probably a coach, say, “Don’t criticize a poor loser — a poor loser’s still a better opponent than any kind of a winner.” Maybe so, but all joking aside, the problem of people acting dishonorably when they end up losing something they tried to gain is a very serious problem. And we’re all guilty of it from time to time. If we wanted to make a positive contribution to the world, each of us could do that by resolving NEVER AGAIN TO ACT SPITEFULLY OR VINDICTIVELY WHEN WE’VE LOST SOMETHING WE WANTED TO WIN.
BEING A GOOD WINNER. In a sense, being a good winner is harder than being a good loser. When we’ve lost, we have to be good sports to keep from being further shamed. But when we’ve won, it’s hardly considered a sin if we indulge in a little well-earned gloating. So as winners, the incentive to good sportsmanship is simply our sense of RESPECT for those on the other side. But what an incentive that should be! Without respect for others, our “winnings” aren’t worth a dime.
“Win as if you were used to it; lose as if you enjoyed it for a change” (Anonymous).
“I have met people so empty of joy that when I clasped their frosty fingertips it seemed as if I were shaking hands with a northeast storm. Others there are whose hands have sunbeams in them, so that their grasp warms my heart. It may be only the clinging touch of a child’s hand, but there is as much potential sunshine in it for me as there is in the loving glance for others” (Helen Adams Keller).
OUR HANDS ARE MORE THAN JUST ANOTHER PART OF OUR BODIES. If our bodies are the instruments through which we do our work in the world, it’s our hands, especially, that do that work. The Book of Ecclesiastes, for example, says, “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might.” Something that has been accomplished by an individual is that person’s “handiwork.” A disadvantage in our work is said to be a “handicap.” And, of course, something that helps us do our work is described as “handy.” No part of the body is more closely linked to the DOINGS of human beings than the HANDS.
Have you ever noticed how much hands say about a person’s character? The hands reveal hardly any less than the face. I once met an artist, in fact, who did nothing but hands. She sculpted hands, drew them, painted them, photographed them, and even wrote poems about them, as I recall. Children’s hands and aged people’s hands. Rugged hands and delicate hands. Friendly hands and hostile hands. The whole gamut of human feeling and experience was powerfully and beautifully portrayed by these hands, artistically rendered.
Most of us have clear memories of hands we’ve known in the past. Can’t you remember your grandmother’s hands? The hands of your piano teacher? Your baseball coach? These images should remind us: we’re remembered for what we DO and not just for what we ARE.
Having healthy, functional hands is not a thing to be taken for granted; it’s a sober stewardship. With these physical extensions of our will we can do either good or evil, and we’re responsible for the choices that we make. What we “hand” down to our descendants needs to be something that will invite thanksgiving rather than regret. And there is not a one of us who can’t do this. No matter who we are, we can do worthy work. With our hands, we can work what is good and honorable and useful to those who are coming along behind.
Enough, if something from our hands have power
To live, and act, and serve the future hour.
(William Wordsworth)
