Inappropriate ego
The Franciscans teach about action and contemplation, resting in the midst of a polarized society where both ends have value, yet cannot reconcile. This polarization stems from egos. Egos that are nurtured at birth under particular circumstances and challenge us to harmonize with the great diversity that exists on this planet.
Part of this challenge and the resulting changes, according to this teaching, have to do with four major events that occur for all humans, those being; detachment from others, separating life from death, splitting your mind from your soul, differentiating your unacceptable self from the acceptable self. All these events serve to give you a black and white view of life, and lead you away from their integration into a dualistic place where things are right or wrong, good or bad, and makes it difficult to live in a world where negatives often overshadow positives.
Allowing yourself to accept the two ends of each event as part of the whole, releases you into the greater mystery and truth, and peace of creation. I am myself, a part of all that surrounds me, including the parents I was born from, even though I have issues with them. Like the thorn in Paul’s side, we cannot deny it and perhaps we may even be able to make something good of the pain.
Pain… my new partner in life. I am not sure if this is a long-term commitment or not. These next few months will tell. It is ironically somewhat like a difficult marriage, hampering my way at times, requiring my attention at inconvenient times, but I have learned a lot from Pain. I know that if I give it the attention is requires, if I take measures to care for it in the right way, it is manageable and can even lead to Healing. There is no delight in pain, there is adventure, however, creativity, spontaneity, and challenge - all leading me into a new, different and needed mode of existence. I can’t say I like Pain, but I can say it has been engaging getting to know it. Like Pain and Healing, Life and death are also very compatible in the end. One seems to morph into the other, particularly with the gift of faith.
Our minds and souls are so interconnected, yet academically and professionally we are taught to fit a particular mold, to see a certain way. May we always seek to give unique life to our vocations, and may we always be able to pursue what is inspired by passion in the extraordinary way we were created to, in spite the inappropriateness of our egos.
