2023.07.09 Is Freedom Wisdom or Folly? Lyn G. Brakeman, Spiritual Lemons, blog post

I do not think one can be truly free unless one knows how also to be wise, how to practice  the loving-kindness most religions advocate, and most religions fail to practice. 

I know that sounds harsh. May I suggest a good book called Religion Gone Astray. What we Found at the Heart of Interfaith by Pastor Don Mackenzie, Rabbi Ted Falcon, and Imam Jamal Rahman. It was published in 2011, dedicated to  the memory of M.K. Gandhi who continues to illuminate the path to peace in a pluralistic world. 

These three men have honest and eye-opening conversations. They admit to great discomfort with patriarchal stances in all religions and their scriptures. Yet they together conclude  “As we awaken to our spiritual identity, it is simply obvious that equality is already real, even if not yet reflected in the world we share.”  Their egos flush with success as many people in interfaith gatherings nod agreement hearing their message that spiritual equality is already extant. The sweet odor of success soured at one such gathering of about 250 people, when a young woman raised her hand, spoke into the mike that was passed to her, and said “in a tone that carried as much as her words did,  Why isn’t one of you a woman? The energy in the room shifted. Our euphoria evaporated.”  (p. 107)

Of course interfaith spirituality is wise. Is it foolish to share it?  No. It might be foolish, however, to assume that the world of Religions today is ready to hear such a unitive message. On the one hand, the escalation of our present Armageddon-like world culture looks like a sign of disaster. On the other hand, it might  be a sign that the more we actually do begin to listen, to help each other on the streets and in our homes and with our international politicking, then the more people’s hearts are moved. It might, in fact, be unwise today to assume divisiveness is a sign of the end, when Wisdom points elsewhere—new jobs, new love for our Democracy, new respect for the iconic Lady Liberty Herself with her torch still ablaze and calling—not only y’all come, but y’all let your hearts be transformed.

  

According to Dean Andrew McGowan of Berkeley Divinity School at Yale, true Wisdom is not an “it,” a body of knowledge to be acquired and manipulated, but a person, whose nature is revealed by his practice, and by extension our relationship with that person and our following him—or her.  Many will know that this divine Wisdom with which Jesus identifies himself was not only personified (see Proverbs 9), but that in both Hebrew and Greek was feminine in gender. This becomes the basis, both in scripture and tradition, of imagining Her as a generous host whose hospitality is offered to those who seek Her.  

In the last parish where Dick and I concelebrated Holy Eucharist we used the ancient Hebrew words of blessing and occasionally held up the consecrated elements of bread and wine to invite people to come and share, using these expansive welcoming words in the Wisdom tradition of the Bible: 

Come, eat of my bread,

and drink of the wine I have mixed

(Proverbs 9: 5)

Was that wise? I don’t know, but I know that as soon as the next priest came it was eliminated. Did people miss it? I don’t know, but I do know that some remember, and some hearts were moved. Speed isn’t always wise. It is always sure.  

 

2015.09.20 Introverts In An Extroverted Culture

You might find us in corners of large rooms at huge social events or cocktail parties. We huddle together and talk with one or two others as if no one else was there, which is what we wish. 

Some people think we introverts are snobs, or antisocial. We’re not, though we may be shy. I can be shy, somber, silent and serious—as well as humorous and impish. My mother, the extrovert, called me “sourpuss”. She was right. I thought of her as trivial, exaggeratedly fluffy, phony, and wearing one of those smiley faces—all the time. We didn’t always get along.  See what I mean?

 


Nevertheless, the world is full of introverted types—about half of us as a matter of fact.

Psychoanalyst, Carl Jung, defined us as types/temperaments who derive basic life energy from within. Extroverts get energy from interaction with people, lots of them—too many for me! Introverts like connection, which is not the same as interaction. We aren’t too noisy about things. We love deeply, have big hearts, and good humor, and, contrary to appearances, we love people, just not too many at once. Often we are smart, even wise. Not all of us are monastics, although the best things happen in our hearts and minds when we are in our “cells”— silent and in solitude. We love silent retreats.

Some fish actually do know when it's overcrowded. We jump back and forth, in and out.

Unfortunately, American culture is one in which forced extroversion is the ideal. Being outgoing and super-extroverted is the way to be popular, to get jobs, get into colleges, collect friends, be successful, get ordained. The more people around, the better it is for extroverts. (Though I’ve learned to manage, coffee hour after church is my least favorite time—except for the cupcakes if they’re there:)  

The book Quiet by Susan Cain details a full picture and deep understanding of introversion, its wonders and its difficulties, both socially and individually. She tells stories, including her own, of how hard it can be to try to keep up among the effervescent, sunny and buoyant. Dale Carnegie was an introvert who designed his courses to help himself and other introverts navigate the social scene. Such an introverted thing to do, and make money on it, too. There are many more stories like his in this fine book. Even better........Karl Jung said that, although introverts will essentially always be introverts, as we age we pick up more qualities of extroversion. So I'm a blend now.

The same is true for extroverts. That's why my dearly beloved husband tells me to stop talking so much and leave him alone with his meditations.  OMG...Love conquers all differences.

 

Hi Dad. You were 104 on your August 25th birthday. Happy Birthday, Dad. I think you were an introvert and I wish you were still alive. 

Mahatma Gandhi, one of the world’s greatest agents for liberation and spiritual transformation on a large scale, was an introvert—politician no less. He wrote this manifesto.

MANIFESTO FOR INTROVERTS

There’s a word for “people who are in their heads to much”: thinkers.

Solitude is a catalyst for innovation.

The next generation of quiet kids can and must be raised to know their own strengths.

Sometimes it helps to be a pretend extrovert. There will always be time to be quiet later.

But in the long run, staying true to your temperament is key to finding work you love and work that matters.

One genuine new relationship is worth a fistful of business cards.

It’s OK to cross the street to avoid making small talk.

“Quiet leadership” is not an oxymoron.

Love is essential; gregariousness is optional.

“In a gentle way, you can shake the world.”?