living it the reflections of glory


I was reading Thomas Merton, well actually a book he had put together on the wisdom of the desert fathers (and mothers). And one thing led to another I came up with a whole host of things on the web, quotes from a lot of people. One was something about ‘if you are going over things that have happened then you are living in the past, if you are worrying about what is to come you are living in the future, but if you concentrate on what is happening to you in the now you are living in the moment’. 

I thought about this for some time and can see some truth in it. I know that I will often not so much worry about things I am going to do but “big them up”, over think them and then become disappointed that they will never meet my expectations. So, I don’t do them. This seems to be over living through the future in not just living in a future. 

I would like to think that I do live a bit more in the moment than that but probably don’t.

I also came across a challenge to not be in any way critical for twenty-four hours. I thought his quiet simple but realised that it also meant not being self-critical, which I think is much harder. Sure I can be both critical and cynical about other people and situations, particularly with those people I don’t agree with. It is easy to dismiss others who you don’t share opinions or who you don’t understand. I read a nice way round this as well, simply accept that here is something you do not yet know about. Perhaps once you do it might not seem so unreasonable or at least there might be a reason for it. It is not new in anyway to be saying that this seems to be something that is being lost in today’s society, the ability to ask the other person to explain or expand on what they are saying. In the world of sound bites and text speak things can easily become mantras rather than meaningful comments. 

There is such a rush to respond.

In my own life I often get things wrong, I regret this, I feel shame, I wish I could go back and change things. Sometimes though even given our best intentions things happen we would rather have not. Sometimes these may be the ‘silver lining’ of amazing things that turn out to be difficulties in themselves. I don’t think that we know much of the resulting implications of our actions though our lives either positive or not. The implication of our actions spread like the ripples across a pond or the butterflies wing around the world. We act that is what happens. I would hope that such actions might lead to the better for others, or at least to do no harm.

I am not sure this is living in the moment and surly should not be the limiting factor on a full life, but perhaps by being aware of this it may lead to a more ponderous response.


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