March 17, 2023
Irish identity is valid, but it’s only a tiny part of the equation. Montgomery Bray
Human consciousness is the last frontier. Montgomery Bray
This morning, on a beautiful sunny green flowery California day of St. Patrick, my longtime friend and comrade Montgomery called to say hello. We share an American Irish Buddhist heritage, so it was only natural that we discussed the meaning of this day that honors Ireland’s patron saint.
While we both appreciate the multifaceted aspects of what it means to be Irish, we agreed that our Celtic identity is transient, as is our gender, nationality, religion, and whatever else we might think sets us apart from other people. Yes, we can celebrate Irish music, dance, literature, storytelling, and conviviality, but whether we have multiple lifetimes, as I believe, or whether we live on in some other way, as Montgomery might suggest, our personalities are temporary constructs. So it is limiting and foolish to think that we are only what we seem to be in the present moment.
But since we are here in the present moment, we might as well enjoy it while it lasts.
And if we are male or female, black or white or brown or yellow (or green, in my case), unhealthy or healthy, rich or poor, Catholic or Jewish or Muslim or atheist, German or Argentine or Indian or Moroccan, that is what we have to work with this time around. So it behooves us to make the best of our current circumstances, and learn whatever we can from our fortunate or unfortunate situations.
Still, it begs the question: who are we?
So much of the suffering in the world comes from a limited understanding of the nature of our selfhood. Maybe we are Democrats or Republicans, or straight or gay or something else, or young or old. It’s totally understandable that Ukrainians resent Russians, or Koreans have a problem with Japan, or Tutsis in Rwanda hold a grudge against their Hutu killers. And it’s hard to escape those dramas if we find ourselves in the middle of dangerous or life-threatening events. So I don’t want to judge those who suffer from existential threats or psychological or emotional traumas.
But my intuition tells me that Shakespeare was on to something when he said in As You Like It, “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players.” These lives we live are temporary roles we have taken on, in order to grow and evolve and experience life from many different perspectives. No one wants to suffer, but suffering and joy both offer their own lessons. I prefer an easy life, and complain when things don’t go my way. But I have to admit that I’ve learned a lot from my stupid mistakes. Still, if I’m an actor on a stage, I’d rather be in a comedy than a tragedy. Maybe we’re all in both.
In my last blog essay, Adventure With a Purpose, I mentioned Abraham Lincoln’s reference to the “better angels of our nature,” which I said are aspects of our inner wisdom. One of the archangels I named, Sandalphon, has a channeled 17 minute video on YouTube which I find inspiring (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwRyFYj7qoo). I use it as a meditation video, but Sandalphon says a number of things that I believe are worth considering. He claims that humans are divine light beings who have forgotten who we really are, and that it is time that we remember our true identity as being children of Mother Earth. This video might sound too Christian or too Buddhist or too New Age for some of my readers, but if you are open to a different way of seeing yourself and the planet, it might be worth 17 minutes of your time.
Either way, however you choose to see yourself, and whatever your identity, La Feile Padraig go shona duit: Happy St Patrick’s Day.
David Wigginton 