Lack

I am not terribly worried about whether or not people follow my religion or whether or not they follow ANY religion. The most important thing (to me) is whether or not people are kind to each other. 

Please note that being kind is not the same thing as being nice. Niceness is the art of being pleasant or pleasing in a way that doesn't ruffle feathers. Kindness is being considerate of and helpful to others. Sometimes being kind means telling someone there's something nasty hanging out of their nose, rather than politely ignoring it.

The ability to be kind to others comes from an inner feeling of abundance: a feeling that we have all that we need...and (probably) even more than we need...in a particular area of interest in our lives. When we feel flush with cash, we are more likely to give to others; when we feel flush with knowledge, we wish to share it with those who lack. And when we're feeling pretty good about our own selves and our standing with our friends, we are comfortable with telling them that have that thing hanging off their nose.

The wonderful thing about many (most? all?) religions, is that each provides a system for bringing people closer to an experience with God (or whatever it is your culture calls the underlying, creative force of the universe). Which is something that's rather hard for us to do otherwise; the physical senses of the human body are not built to perceive the underlying structure and energy forces that make up reality We cannot "know" God in the way we can know our next door neighbor. But through religion we can find a way (or system) that can lead to connection...if you choose to believe.

And why is that "wonderful?" Because only by experiencing (or "connecting") to God can we experience true abundance...the feeling that God (i.e. the universe) has our backs, always, every day, in every way. God gives each of us what we need...with kindness!...at all times. Sometimes, it doesn't feel much like kindness ("Thanks, God, I really didn't need cancer today..."), but there are underlying reasons that are often unknowable to us until years later...and possibly never, depending on how reflective we are as particular individuals.

When we can cultivate that feeling of abundance, it makes it impossible to suffer from lack. Lack is the feeling of, well, lacking in something, i.e. not having it. We can feel a lack of wealth, or a lack of love, or a lack of comfort, a lack of food, a lack of friends. Dungeon Masters might feel a lack of players (or, more often, a lack of "good" players) for the campaign they hope to run. This feeling of "lack" which EVERYONE has felt (and probably continues to feel) at some point or another (in some arena or another) is what leads to desire, called the "root of suffering" by Buddhists. 

[eh...there's a little more to it than that (gross understatement!) but I don't really want to get into Buddhist philosophy at the moment]

Desire can be a symptom, a signal to us (if we notice it) that we have a perceived "lack" of something. We desire a person because we feel a lack of closeness and intimacy in our lives. We desire the trappings of wealth (big house, fancy cars) because we lack the the prestige and status associated with these symbols. We desire a different job because we lack satisfaction in the one we're doing (for any number of reasons: lack of compensation, lack of "fun," lack of fulfillment, lack of pleasant coworkers, etc.).

To be clear: none of this is to say that a person should not change jobs or go on dates or acquire "stuff." Just to be wary of desire when it stems from a feeling of lack...and to be self-reflective and aware of this.

[as I type this, I am reheating cold coffee on the stove top. This is not done from a "desire" for hot coffee, based on a sense of "lacking" the same. I drink cold coffee at times, and I have the means to brew a hot pot if I choose. However, in this moment I have a preference for hot coffee, and I have the means to make it so]

Feeling "lack" in our lives is caused by a limited perception of who and what we are in the universe.

HOW STUPID IS THAT, JB!  I hear some people scream at me.  I AM LOCKED IN PRISON...AIN'T NOTHING "PERCEIVED" ABOUT MY "LACK" OF FREEDOM. Or how 'bout... I JUST GOT LAID OFF FROM MY JOB, MY SPOUSE IS ON MEDICAL DISABILITY AND WE'RE ABOUT TO LOSE OUR HOME. HOW DOES GOD "HAVE MY BACK" OR THAT OF MY KIDS?!

To which I must answer: I don't know. I could speculate, but I don't know the answer. I am not God.

It is (yet another) gross understatement to say it is far easier to "trust in God's plan" when our lives seem to be going well. When we're not impoverished or dying of some disease or living in a war-torn state or watching our economy tank under a wannabe fascist dictator. It is difficult enough to tear our minds away from our "normal" suffering (physical, mental, emotional) and "count our blessings;" how much more difficult is it to feel...and act...from a feeling of abundance in such times of real crisis?

And yet, I do trust in God (EASY FOR YOU, JB! Yes, yes, I know...). I have faith; I choose to believe. And because of that choice...my choice...it is easier (not easy! easier) to operate from a sense of abundance rather than lack. To have gratitude for what life's given me, rather than bemoan the things it hasn't.

Every moment I've lived in my life has led me to this moment. I am sad about some of the choices I made, but I regret nothing.

As you go forward with your week, I hope this new Spring (well, it's Spring in the northern hemisphere) is filled with many sunny, beautiful days...and just enough rain to keep things green and growing. I hope you can feel a true sense of abundance, and I hope you can be kind to those you encounter...to the best of your abilities. I wish you nothing but the joy and fulfillment that comes with such acts of kindness. My love to you all.

[my Sunday morning reflection]