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We live in an odd and unbelievable world. Nothing seems normal, and distinguishing the truth from lies is an increasing challenge. The news is like a five-alarm fire. It rages and feeds on our concerns and fears.
How do we escape the information ecosystem that pours like a fire hose, viral clips into our lives? Fear or anger is the currency of the day. Anxiety grips our souls as we proceed through each day. We long for the simpler days of the past.
Can we even know what to believe when confronted with AI intrusion in our video feeds?
We bounce back and forth between these emotions in an unsteady way. We are exhausted and sometimes sad. Why is it so difficult to walk away?
In 1961, there was a musical called Stop the World I Want to Get Off. The storyline shows us that ambition and fame cannot satisfy us. Littlechap, the main protagonist, would utter these words each time he became disappointed with the outcomes of his life.
Despite this, he pursued wealth and women in an attempt to achieve happiness. Only in his old age did he realise he always had what he needed to be happy.
His desire for “more” is different from that of Oliver Twist. The latter was the victim of harsh socio-economic circumstances. Littlechap thought he could get happiness by accumulating more and more and being lovingly embraced by other social climbers. He could not.
Maybe we should look closer at Jesus in His last week before His crucifixion. There may be helpful approaches that we can adopt.
Before we do so, we need to accept our limitations. Nobody is perfect. Forget the curated images on Facebook and elsewhere. Real life is chaotic, and we may not smile every day. Life can be burdensome.
The other element worth our consideration is the examples of poets of long ago. Or, if you wish, the gushing reception our pink poui trees received this year.
(Copyright Dennis De La Rosa.)
Did you see the brilliance of the bougainvillaea? Our spirits were lifted: some saw our experience and compared it to those countries with cherry blossoms and other trees worldwide. Someone described it as our spring.
“Organ music,” wrote John Milton in the 1630s, “could dissolve me into ecstasies and bring all heaven before mine eyes.”
Omeros (1990), an epic poem reimagining the Trojan War as a Caribbean fishermen’s fight, was Derek Walcott’s effort to touch every aspect of the Caribbean experience.
(Copyright Ghansham Mohammed/ GHS/ Wired868.)
In a 1986 interview in The Paris Review, Walcott said: “I have never separated the writing of poetry from prayer. I have grown up believing it is a vocation, a religious vocation.
“What I described in Another Life—about being on the hill and feeling the sort of dissolution that happened—is a frequent experience in a younger writer.
“I felt this sweetness of melancholy, of a sense of mortality, or rather of immortality, a sense of gratitude both for what you feel is a gift and for the beauty of the earth, the beauty of life around us.”
(via The Hindu.)
Do we possess a sense of gratitude for what we have? Or are we constantly griping and wishing for something someone else may have, or some promise that somebody offers?
When we consider Jesus Christ on Palm Sunday, we see a man focused on His purpose. He is not distracted by the throwing of palm branches.
The crowd saw Him as a conquering Hero: He knew He still had work to be completed. He understood that His time on earth was to fulfil a purpose. (Matthew 21: 4 -5)
We must be careful not to get caught up in accolades from those around us. From Jesus’ experience, let us learn that crowds and applause from others are fickle expressions. Some only follow because of what they can get.
Earlier, Jesus chastised some, saying they were following for food that would perish, but they should seek the food that leads to everlasting life. (John 6: 26)
Let us remain humble and strive to do what we are called to do. Let us not get caught up like Littlechap pursuing the impossible dream because of the applause of opportunistic people. (Luke 22: 24- 27)
(via KPBS.)
When we examine the events of Palm Sunday, we see that Jesus was challenged by the establishment. His very identity was questioned. (Matthew 21: 10) Some saw Him as the Son of David, while others described Him as “the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee”.
The latter description is essentially pejorative. Can any good thing come out of Nazareth? (John 1: 46)
Jesus chose not to offer a word of clarification on Palm Sunday. He continued healing those in need. The religious leaders tried to distract Him, but He moved on.
(via iStock.)
We, too, must learn not to erect defences or provide explanations to all and sundry. Jesus Himself said that we ought not to cast our pearls before swine! (Matthew 7: 6). The rollercoaster week ended in a plot to kill Him by the religious leaders and His betrayal by Judas. (Matthew 26).
Silence is a powerful tool. In Jesus’ encounter with Pontius Pilate, He made no reply. When Pilate sent Him to Herod, Herod was delighted since he wanted to see Him perform a miracle. But Jesus chose not to engage Herod or address the belittling questions.
It is human to defend ourselves when we feel slighted or insulted. But often, doing so distracts from the core issue. We empower the other party and validate their insults when we answer.
May we learn to ignore those trolls who seek to infuriate us. We should not allow a bruised ego to trigger us into engaging trolls and other folks who are not well-meaning.
The religious leaders or the establishment wanted to kill Lazarus. Why? Because he represented evidence that Jesus was exceptional and could do what they could not. He had raised Lazarus from the dead. (John 12: 17).
Doing good does not mean that others will not try to eliminate you. Those whose fortunes are wrapped up in this life are always prepared to destroy those who challenge them and their way of doing business.
Centuries after Jesus, John Lennon said:
“When it gets down to having to use violence, then you are playing the system’s game. The establishment will irritate you—pull your beard, flick your face—to make you fight. Because once they’ve got you violent, then they know how to handle you.
“The only thing they don’t know how to handle is non-violence and humour.”
Jesus did not play the system’s game.
This was done by Italian painter Duccio di Buoninsegna before Michelango’s ‘Italianised’ version of Jesus.
Finally, Jesus knew the power of retreat. You cannot be constantly fighting. You need to retreat and recharge.
Jesus often went to the Mount of Olives to pray. (Luke 21: 37 -38). He spent the last night in a garden in Gethsemane. It was a night of suffering.
Our salvation came at a significant cost. But He knew and understood that He had a need to retreat and connect with His Source of power.
We, too, need to find a place of retreat when we are going through our demanding moments. Who is our power source that sets us right when things overwhelm us?
The notion of “powering through” is sometimes harmful since we ignore the costs to others and ourselves. It can contribute to our feelings of fatigue and a jaded sense of victory.
Remarkably, chaos entered the lives of humans in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:8-9), and in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus brought us back into union with God (Matthew 26:36-38).
After being taken down from the Cross, Jesus was laid in yet another garden (John 19:41-42). This Garden that shouted Resurrection! What is our quiet space? Do we have a “garden” where we can go to and let nature and God do their healing?
Just as it is today, the garden was a place for reflection in the Bible. Sometimes, people walked alone, and other times, they were with a companion, usually discussing matters of great importance.
In either case, it was a time for thinking, slowing down the body, and clearing the mind.
May we use these lessons of Jesus this Easter to calm our lives. Our lives will be better for doing so.
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