Trump = reflections of Rumsfeld

Curiosity finally grabbed my eye and made me read a little didy (is that how it is spelled?) called 'Pieces of Intelligence - ...Existential Poetry of...Rumsfeld...' , and low and behold the quotes could have come from Mr. Trump's mouth (if one were to add a bit more pomosity!). 

Example: 

'Needless To Say' 

Needless to say,

The president is correct.

Whatever it was he said.

[2003 D.O.D. briefing]

duh?!

PEACE...we are in desperate need of peace with all of our neighbors.

Tears, and an anxious, heavy heart tonight.  

I'm reading, and listening to some of the world's current public conversation, the back and forth of 'love the Muslim' and 'kill the Muslim', 'love the enemy' and 'kill the enemy'. And no sooner do I hear the spiritual whispers to my heart of 'Love your neighbor...love your enemy...love God', then my fears speak up and say 'protect your family', and what would I, should I, do 'IF'?  

Will I regret NOT being armed, physically and emotionally, and ready to waste the enemy that threatens my family? Could I live with myself if I thought I had sacrificed my daughters, my grandsons, my neighbors to violence, evil violence? But for my lack of preparation, but for my lack of backbone, but for my lack of rational, realistic, hard-nosed manly human 'protect your tribe, your species' instincts?  

I'm not a Christ. I'm not dying to save the world; to lay down my life for … my enemy … Confusing.  

So confusing, so torn. At the same time I, my contrarian self, want to rail against those who are so quick to judge, so quick to instantly react in principled defensive posture, so convicted and RIGHT in their view, their right to live, their responsibility to armor themselves with self-righteousness, to muster an Old Testament spirit of CONQUER and protect MY land, MY covenant, MY God's will …  

Wait, stop, breathe … FEAR WILL NOT RULE ME … the darkness will not take over my heart, please God, help. Easily said, stumblingly practiced, to gird myself with peace, love and joy in defense against fear. 

At some point in every day I remember that each breath is a gift, that each moment is precious, and so much more precious than I am deserving of.  

How do I react? I am forgiven, by my Father, my Creator, however I act, react … or be still. And however pounding my heart drums, however surealisitically crystalline my mind wavers from fuzzy to focused and back. Clear and then muddy, and then clear, and then muddy. God is here, in the clear and in the muddy; and I am forgiven; I am child; I am creature created by Creator; I am loved. 

Precious moments, sure, and yet only a blip on the human timeline, only a vapor – then gone. I'm not the most important being on this planet, or even in my moment.  

Once again, I'm chasing down another and another and another rabbit hole of diversion, distraction...so much to be conjured up from yesterday. 

How do I Love My Neighbor? How do I Love My Enemy? How do I Love God? 

Lord, bring peace to our neighborhood – your amazing creation, this mystery you breathed into existence.  

PEACE

Though not using the word 'nondual' (I don't think), Rosenhagen's narrative of the three Abrahamic faiths, his review of the history of the term Judeo-Christian in the U.S., and then positing the possibilities of peaceful collaboration between Christians-Jews-Muslims certainly rings of such an inclusive view. 

If the WWII opening of a nondual view regarding Jewish and Christian faiths (tribes) was accomplished. And this in spite of significant us versus them history that would have suggested only an intransigent dualistic view would survive. Not to mention the protestant versus Catholic dualism. Then why not hope for a next nondualistic step, the door a bit wider, to include Islam? 

Kind of a 'three-in-one' view? Oh dear me! That will be offensive to some, and most certainly is not a traditional application of the concept. However, sometimes the correlations are ironic at least, and maybe, just maybe, spirit driven as a best case. Do you hear any whisperings of God's breath?

http://www.christiancentury.org/article/2015-11/one-abraham-or-three?nocache=1#.Vl4KO7Vp1WQ.twitter

Read, and pray. 

Peace...

Rohr Meditation 3

12 Steps to spirituality? How humility and nonviolence brings one closer to God.

"...similar to Jesus who told us without any hesitation that we had to "deny" ourselves (Mark 8:34) to go on the journey..."

I meet with several small Bible study groups each week and it's very interesting the interactions among the diverse (well, somewhat diverse) people. One group has an octogenarian (the elder) who I watch struggle with, and re-think his religious history - a rigid, conservative, fundamentalist, protestant Christian upbringing (I'm sure I've only scratched the surface with these labels!). He now and for the last decades desires more open, loving and non-judgmental relationships with his people and his God. The elder's world has been, and continues (as does mine) to be confused as he struggles to understand much of the spiritual, including: is heaven now and here, or is heaven somewhere and sometime else?  

Confusion further occurs, more recently, because another member (the younger) of his study group, 30 years or more the elder's junior has been given pretty much a short term end of life prognosis; the younger's illness may end his earthly life in several months or a year. Now the elder has an unbalanced weight to his world view. His much younger friend may beat him to the grave, beat him to heaven (traditional view), and will be experiencing some of those near death issues that the elder has tried out in his mind for the last several years. 

[SIDE NOTE / CONTEXT: The elder has avoided all funerals for years - visitations, yes, funerals, no - something about fear of what the preacher will say, and how the elder will hear it.] 

And now, these questions about 'nearer-the-end' self that the elder has; can he ask them of the younger? It has become something of a vague, misty elephant in the group's space - though I don't think the younger realized it until the writer mentioned it...and the elder doesn't quite know what is going on either... But there is palpable spirit in the air at the group's table of bible study and discussion. A spirit of concern, haltingly spoken questions, and then momentary silence followed by a return to 'normal' conversation. All this in the ironic context of bible study – a study whose topics are wrapped around things not of the earth-dust, but of the spiritual, of love your neighbor, of love your God. 

What does this have to do with dual or non-dual thinking? Well, if the elder is coming from a history of primarily dualistic thinking, but has struggled to become more non-dualistic in thinking recently, then this adds a complication to that experience. How does one grasp, how does one contemplate with hope, the paradox of the here and the there, the now and the then, of heaven? While dealing with a friend's pain and so soon so short a journey to an end? A non-dualistic view? Peace now, and peace tomorrow. Love now, and love tomorrow. Mercy now, and mercy tomorrow. 'Rejoice always', 'be anxious for nothing', 'the peace of God...will guard' - Paul, just how easy was this for you to write to the Philippians? [my rhetorical inquiry of the moment]. I'm not trying to force the dual vs nondual conversation, but it is a slippery fish to hook!

What is 'true...honorable...right...pure...lovely' when passing through this life? When among friends and believers? Is it any different than when among all others?

In one way a sideline listener (ease-dropping ?) would hear a question from the elder to the younger, and if listening with dualistic ears might hear judgment and implied criticism. However, the elder is asking from the heart, out of curiosity and concern; wanting to know what the younger is feeling and thinking, so that the elder could maybe feel or think the same. Not necessarily motivated by a need for a conclusive 'right' or 'wrong' answer/conclusion. [...this task-of-feeling-caring-loving is difficult for many men of my tribe...]. At least so the elder desires more food for thought about his own steps towards end of life...

And then, another great question arises. Is this an end of life, a beginning of life, a great leap into a holy (eternal) realm of peace and streets paved with gold? And how will the transition, the passage, the from here to there be made? Especially in light of the elder's recent avoidance of most travel – he stays close to home. These are conversations that all good curious godly people are likely to have? And should be able to discuss with their friends and family and church. Discuss in a variety of settings and moods and feelings and experiences - not all of which need to be sad or frightening or lonely.  

PEACE to all...