Greetings! I have been away from the keyboard for over a week now — living . . . and contemplating! Mostly family and dear friends have held prominence in my thinking . . . yet the larger world has crept in filling the gaps as I pondered the personal life pilgrimages on which we all find ourselves.
I’ve spent significant time in a doctor’s office and then in the outpatient testing areas of the hospital with my wife seeking explanation for her "unexplained loss of consciousness" experienced a little over a month ago while driving. I now have an assignment as chauffeur for the next six months — some have injected humor to my situation by allusions to "Driving Miss Daisy" and asked if I have donned my hat! I relish the relief that humor carries in the midst of uncertain times. It lightens both the heart and the mind. I have also had the honor to spend time — both via phone and in person — with my friends, June and Brian. You remember Brian — the gentle soul whose body is ravaged by cancer. I am at a loss for words . . . my heart aches; my soul rocks; my mind reels; my spirit intercedes. With each passing hour, Brian’s transition through the veil draws ever closer — and the aftermath awaits us all! Finally, I like you, have been assaulted by the almost unfathomable multiple economic crises in which we find ourselves! Who would ever have thought? Certainly not I! It seems that our leaders find themselves in the same quandary as they battle to find answers.
Over the past week, a 1919 poem penned by William Butler Yeats in the aftermath of WWI, has bubbled to the surface of my thinking — spurred perhaps by its use in the season opener of "Heroes" last Monday evening. The title of the poem is The Second Coming. Now, if you have ever read the poem, you know that the "Second Coming" to which he refers is not that of Christ! It looks into a troubled and clouded future, anticipating the emergence of a new order yet to be defined — one filled with uncertainty and brutality. I encourage you to Google the poem and Yeats to gather more information about this heavy piece. Needless to say, various lines and phrases from the poem have been extracted by others over time to serve as segues to larger extrapolations of philosophical meanderings about what might lie ahead for humanity.
In addition to the reference in "Heroes," I discovered that Dean Koontz alluded to the poem in his book, Shadowfires. Finally, I was reminded of yet another book launched by the poem when I looked in my study and found Things Fall Apart — a fascinating book written by Chinua Achebe in 1958 depicting 1890’s changes as British influence began altering the known spiritual, cultural and political landscape of Africa. THREE PROMINENT REFERENCES to the Yeats work in ONE WEEK!
"Things fall apart; the center cannot hold" (Yeats). Do you ever feel as if that is the world in which we live now? Certainly our difficult times prove fertile ground for all manner of prognosticators and "prophets" as they apply their unique spin to the state of our planet. Many of our modern day pundits paint horrific forecasts of a future fraught with death, destruction and desecration. They have a real talent for scaring the hell out of people — often with powerful monetary profit for themselves as one of the primary outcomes.
I remember a dearly loved college Greek professor of mine, Dr. Ellis, one day taking a class of "wanna be preacher boys" and literally turning our thinking upside down with a brief conversation in class. Back in the 1970’s, Hal Lindsey wrote his book, The Late, Great Planet Earth — a book that focused primarily on prophecy and the "end times." Now it was common knowledge that Dr. Ellis did not particularly agree with Mr. Lindsey’s positions. On the referenced day one of my fellow students sought to "catch" Dr. Ellis with a "trick question." Dr. Ellis, with his uniquely dry and quick wit, turned the tables on the young man and taught us all a lesson on possible multiple motives of any action. The question was:
"Dr. Ellis, what do you think of Hal Lindsey?
We all knew where the student wished to lead our beloved professor.
He stopped what he was doing and with a mischievous grin responded, "I think he is a very smart man!"
Well, that was certainly NOT the response we expected!
"What do you mean, He is a smart man?’ I thought you didn’t agree with him?"
Dr. Ellis broke into a larger smile and said, "Of course he is a smart man! He has to be in order to get so many people to buy his book!"
We laughed and he went back to teaching, but in that moment, we were exposed to some very important lessons. There will always be indicators and suggestions that life is falling apart. Our world will always have a component of chaos and uncertainty. "Learned experts" will always emerge to paint pictures of gloom and doom — and do so with such compelling authority that people tremble in the wake of such pontifications. There are always alternative perceptions about the possibilities of life!
That final lesson was perhaps the most profound of all!
Things fall apart — routinely! The center does not hold — more times than we can count! What are we to do when we find ourselves in the middle of times that seem to bear the worst of tidings about our future? Perhaps the answer can be found in efforts to focus our energies on purposeful action!
Purposeful action finds its genesis in the belief that all behavior in life is purposeful — we act "in order to" and not "because of!" Personally, I subscribe to this belief. It makes sense when seeking understanding of my own actions or those of others. Often, however, when questioned about particular choices or actions, the response begins with "because." You know the scene: "Johnny, why did you flush your brother’s favorite dinosaur down the toilet?" Johnny responds, "Because he told me I was stupid!" Yep! We have all done something like this at one time or another in our lives — shifting the focus of our own actions to the actions of someone else. Essentially we are saying, "Obviously, I would not have done ________ if she/he had not done _________! I did it because of what he/she did!
What’s the problem you ask? This line of thinking and acting is more insidious and damaging than one might think! What we do when we respond with "because" as the key motivation of a particular action or decision is fall into the trap of "blame shifting" and "personal power give-aways" — certainly not the most mature or useful options!
I challenge you to listen to any network news broadcast and simply count the number of times "because" is used in conjunction with explanations for certain sequences of events. My guess is that that you will be amazed how often it happens!
Essentially what I am saying is that explaining behaviors with "because" is perhaps one of the lamest excuses for determining a course of action! How truly useful can decisions be that are based on what someone else has done? More often than not, "because" explanations are reactionary and hold retaliation at their core.
"OK, Mr. Baldie! What might we do instead?" Glad you asked (even if you didn’t)!
If we begin shifting to the belief that all behavior is purposeful — that is is always "in order to" and never "because of," then we might find ourselves more empowered to work cooperatively with others in finding solutions to our collective challenges. What might happen if we began asking questions of ourselves and others that go something like these:
- Help me understand. What was your thinking when you . . . ?
- What outcome were you hoping to attain when you . . . ?
- Where did you think we might find the most resistance to . . . ?
- What did you hope to accomplish when . . . ?
- How did that work for you/them?
- What other options were considered before . . . ?
- What were the major factors that came into play when . . . ?
- What might we do differently in order to . . . ?
You get the picture . . . right? Arguably, this shift in thinking, questioning and acting is a difficult one — difficult, yes; but not impossible!
Things fall apart — that is a given! Fear and uncertainty abound when disaster strikes — that is natural! Some will convey a "doomsday" message — often with mixed motives — that is a reality! Still, others will choose to step into the middle of uncertainty and live purposefully regardless of the challenges seeking to stare them down — that is the power of possibility!
I have been reminded of just how powerful purposeful living can be this week as I have interacted with June and Brian. Without exception, they can point to the purpose of each and every action and decision they make. The incredible peace and security produced by such work tends to engulf all who encounter them. In the midst of one of the saddest times of life, I find myself in awe of the lessons of purposeful living.
What about you? Are the events taking place around us all scaring the hell out of you? Do you find yourself on the brink of "blame shifting" seeking to justify decisions? Do you perhaps find yourself in a meaningless loop, spinning and spiraling out of control? What would be the harm in working to inject a few of the questions posited earlier? How might your life begin to change by zeroing in on the "purpose" of your behaviors? How much more control might you re-capture from a world seemingly gone mad by determining to live purposefully? I don’t know — but don’t you think it is worth a shot?
Until next time . . . Peace!
Mark
Copyright 2008 Mark E. Hundley
