December 6, 2018

     Yesterday was the state funeral for former President George H.W. Bush. I watched excerpts of it on the PBS Newshour, and have been reading obituaries and remembrances of Mr. Bush from various journalists and former colleagues. I didn’t vote for him, and disagreed with him at times, but I respected him both as a political leader and especially as a human being. Many commentators have noted the stark contrast between President Bush and President Trump: the former an experienced public servant, skilled diplomat, and kind-hearted and thoughtful man, and the latter possessing none of those attributes. 

     At the state funeral were former presidents Carter, Clinton, George W. Bush, and Obama, along with Trump. Of those, the one I respect the most is Jimmy Carter. Not a great president, but a good president and a good man. Humble, living a simple life, still volunteering at age 94 as a carpenter to build homes for low income people, and not trying to take advantage of his political connections to enrich himself. 

     Both George H.W. Bush and Jimmy Carter were fiercely competitive politicians, as you have to be to reach that level of political power, and each of them said and did things against their opponents that were sometimes less than charitable, to put it mildly. But both of them remind me of Mr. Rogers, the TV personality who it turns out was every bit as kind and compassionate in his real life as he was on his children’s show. Bush senior and Carter probably can’t match the saintliness of Fred Rogers, and I doubt that it’s possible for any political leader to do so. Politics is a game of hardball, especially nowadays. But Bush senior and Carter still managed to convey a sense of decency,  civility, and integrity that is becoming increasingly rare in the political class. 

     On my bulletin board I have what could be described as a rogues gallery of small photos of men I don’t like: North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, Russian president Vladimir Putin, and Donald Trump. Why would I choose to have such pictures on my wall? As a reminder that even ignorant men corrupted by power deserve compassion. That’s why I also have a photo of the Dalai Lama in between the photos of the deluded three, to symbolize the positive energy and wisdom needed by those three and by all of us.  Interestingly, I also have photos of myself as a slim young man on that same bulletin board, to motivate me to stay fit. Knowing my shadow side as I do, I could easily qualify for someone else’s rogues gallery, especially if I had gone into politics as I once intended to do. As it is, my photos are inches away from the nasty trio’s photos, a possible reminder that I may not be as far from their egoism as I might like to believe. 

     I appreciate people like George H.W. Bush, Jimmy Carter, Fred Rogers, and the Dalai Lama. They are good role models for all of us, in spite of whatever shortcomings they might possess. As for messrs  Trump, Kim, and Putin, I believe that they are learning lessons the hard way about karma, not as punishment but as teachings about the law of cause and effect. Good luck to each of them on their soul’s journey. I don’t envy them the consequences of their actions. As for Presidents Bush and Carter, Mr. Rogers and the Dalai Lama, congratulations on lives well lived. Character matters. 

     December 5, 2018

     Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, 
     there is a field. I’ll meet you there.
     When the soul lies down in that grass,
     the world is too full to talk about. 

                    Rumi, translated by Coleman Barks

     But since I’m not currently lying down in that grass, I’m going to talk about it. The field, that is. And the world. 

     Oh, I’ve visited that field many times, in my waking reality and in dreams. But most of the time I’m too busy or distracted to go there. It’s a place of serenity and joy, confidence and hope. A place where I can let go of my opinions, judgments, and resentments. A place where I actually  believe the words of a Qi Gong teacher, “All is well and getting better in all dimensions.”

     Where is this wonderful field? Within the deepest levels of my (and your) psyche. How do we get there? Asking. Prayer. Meditation. Nature walks. Whatever works. Just longing for it seems to help. 

     So if it’s so wonderful, why don’t I go there more often? Why doesn’t everyone go there more often?

     Most people don’t seem to know that it exists. Me, I have no excuse. I know it’s there. I love hanging out there when I take the time to visit. I guess I just need to prioritize a visit over the more mundane aspects of my life, like working for a living. 

     Yesterday I met someone who seems to have the same problem that I have, i.e. busyness. I was driving on the freeway going to work when a guy in a black Jeep SUV starts tailgating me. I looked in the rearview mirror, and to my amusement saw that his large vehicle had, attached to either side of the roof, a pair of reindeer antlers, with a large red ball for a nose attached to his front grille. I was being tailgated by Rudolph the Rednosed Reindeer! I guess I didn’t have enough holiday enthusiasm, because he soon gunned his engine and roared past me. But to make the encounter with Mr Christmas Spirit even more surreal, when he raced past me and abruptly cut in front of another car, THAT car had reindeer antlers on the sides of ITS roof! I should have laughed. But instead I was curious: what if anything would the driver of the second reindeer car do once he/she was so rudely cut off? Give Rudolph the yuletide finger? Alas, it was not to be. Maybe the second reindeer car heeded the words of the song about Rudolph: “All of the other reindeer used to laugh and call him names.”

     I wish I could feel morally superior to Rudolph. But I recognized in him my own qualities of impatience and aggressiveness. He and I suffer from what a Catholic priest once described to me as “hurry sickness.” 

     I don’t know about you, but I want to slow down this holiday season. In fact, I need to slow down almost all the time. Why? Because I want to spend more time where it really matters: in my inner field. And if you want to join me, I’ll meet you there.