September 26--Harmony is a Necessity

Because we all share this planet earth, we have to learn to live in harmony and peace with each other and with nature. This is not just a dream, but a necessity. 
--Dalai Lama XIV

    Clearly, the current disharmony and distress we are living in is not working. Our leadership has taken us on a path of destruction, both in interpersonal relationships and in treatment of our earthly home. It is heart-breaking and gut-wrenching, because this disharmony is not our natural God-given loving state. Bringing things back into harmony is a necessity, because as we can plainly see, the other path leads to more and greater destruction. 

    The following comes from a daily meditation by Richard Rohr of the Center for Action and Contemplation (CAC): 

From Richard: Today, I introduce you to my friend Adam Bucko, who is a devoted Christian contemplative, Episcopal priest, activist, and friend to the poor. He collaborates with spiritual leaders across religious traditions and mentors young people, helping them discover a spiritual life for the 21st century and live in the service of compassion and justice. Here he reflects on what he sees as a spiritual awakening in younger generations.

For younger people, many of us, it’s very clear we see God as present in all of the traditions. . . . Not only do they believe that there is one underlying reality at the foundation of all major world religions but they are also convinced that different traditions and their unique approaches to God complement each other. . . .

But it’s also important to say, a lot of young people don’t actually identify with a tradition any more. . . . Many of our churches, synagogues and mosques are freaking out when they hear this, thinking that young people are no longer interested in the sacred. But to me it is clear that young people are not necessarily rejecting God, they simply feel that many religious organizations lost touch with reality and are too concerned with money, power, self-preservation, maintaining the status quo, and ‘having right beliefs’. As a result, they tend to view them . . . as organizations that are spiritually bankrupt, that are no longer able to speak to and address some of the big questions of our time. And it takes deep insight and spiritual courage to see that. It is for this reason and many others that I don’t think of the rise of the ‘spiritual but not religious’ among our youth as a sign of spiritual decline but rather a new kind of spiritual awakening. . . .

We have to acknowledge that when people hear about spiritual and not religious people, they often immediately think that these are people who are just shopping around and not really that committed. . . . But when we look at some of the people who come from that group, we realize that actually many of them spend more time [in spiritual practices] than regular churchgoers.

From Richard: I can honestly say that I have observed many of these same things in my work with young people at the CAC. I do not see a lack of spirituality and good faith in many seekers of the next generation, but an abundance of it and a deep desire to live with integrity and in alignment with their values. Such people are not satisfied with a faith simply handed to them by an institution or the previous generation. They insist on investigating what is truly important for transformation and a more just and compassionate world.

    This writing describes me, even though I'm not a "young person." I have a very rich spiritual life and no need for any religious organization. In speaking with my son last night, I told him I see so much promise in his generation, because I see there "a deep desire to live with integrity and in alignment with their values," as Richard states. I believe that will ultimately lead us to living in harmony and peace.
    Lastly I share a line I wrote to a friend this week: Isn't it comical to think that some of us come from one god, some of us from another, and THEY come from THAT god. Humans are dense sometimes 😉

    In joy,

        Leta