THE NEW PURITANS

 Anne Applebaum is such an extraordinary person with a brain that does not quit and seems to never forget anything she read or knew. Every time I read her articles that range through the spectrum of issues effecting humans throughout the world, I am enthralled by her brilliance.

Her latest article in the Atlantic Monthly, The New Puritans, epitomizes the breadth of her knowledge. I am forever lamenting the political dichotomy effecting our nation, albeit not just in the United States. I am nonplussed when reading the views of those with whom I disagree. I find it difficult to consider that their views merit consideration, but I suppose that if I cannot give their views such consideration, I have to keep quiet. Fortunately, I can write in my blog with the awareness that it would be read, if at all, by those who would be biased in my regard.

Anne’s article focuses on the “growing illiberalism” that has shattered the careers of many educated people who voiced observations that were viewed antagonistically by the listeners. She has captured the many incidents in business and higher education where someone makes a statement that is slanted, if not purposeful, against a view shared by listeners that resulted in major results, e.g, loss of position or firing. 

While I am aware of the need to be aware that my views may be considered a cause of alarm to others, as I react to what I read in printed or internet media by others. I cannot imagine how I could survive in this environment. I recall in my earlier career when my religious views as a Catholic priest resulted in my being a major delight for many, but not enough to overcome the anger of those who were frightened by the perspective of a more liberal understanding of the Divine. I can only imagine what they would think if they knew my current understanding of the Divine!

Meaning of Life

  The search for the meaning of life is important. Admittedly, organized

 religion is not meeting the needs of many people, resulting in their

 departure from their prior commitments to a specific religion. The

 traditional avenue used is joining and aligning oneself to Christianity,

 Buddhism, Confucianism, Hinduism, Judaism, Shinto, or some

 indigenous religion. There seemed no other way even though it resulted

 often with understanding that the “other” may not achieve “eternal life”.

 People often considered “their way” as “the way”. Surely, I recall in my

 younger years feeling glad that I was a Catholic and, at times, sorry for

 others.

 Starting with Pierre Theilhard deChardin, I became energized reading

 about the Divine in the context of evolution. As I written before, for me,

 the Divine or the Spirit is present in the Universe from the beginning and

 will remain forever.

 The recent column by Richard Rohr epitomizes this understanding.

  “Understanding the Divine was The good news of an incarnational

 religion, a Spirit-based morality, is that you are not motivated by

 any outside reward or punishment but by participating in the

 Mystery itself. Carrots are neither needed nor helpful. “It is God,

 who for God’s own loving purpose, puts both the will and the

 action into you” (Philippians 2:13). It is not mere rule-following

 behavior; rather, it is our actual identity in God that is radically

 changing us. Henceforth, we do things because they are true and

 loving, not because we have to do them or because we are afraid

 of punishment. Now we are not so much driven from without (the

 false self method) but we are drawn from within (the True Self

 method). The generating motor is inside us now instead of either

 a lure or a threat from outside us. This alone is a converted

 Christian, or converted anything.”

Moments of Agony

 One may wonder why I cannot stop reading virtually everything I can access. I read newspapers (Boston Globe, NY Times, Washington Post), magazines (Foreign Affairs, Harvard Business Review), NPR, Real Clear Politics, BBC news, PBS, and then likes of Politico and the Atlantic Monthly. And yet, it so depressing to recognize the blistering dichotomy in our nation and the world. I can share my concerns of the lack of what is happening in this world with few because I am not willing to enter an argument without any hope that there will be a reconciliation.

This leaves me with the burden of thinking about the future. Surely, I have no need to worry about my personal future. But it is the future of my children and theirs and theirs that is my greatest worry.

GLOBAL WARMING is sticking in our faces. One does not have to live in the West where their precious trees are burning or areas are flooding such as in Louisiana and now the Northeast, to know that we are experiencing Mother Earth differently. Glancing though the world, we recognize the famine in parts of Africa and elsewhere where crops cannot flourish due to the lack of water. The data only confirms that today’s problems are an omen of a more difficult future.

POLITICAL DICHOTOMY is becoming a huge problem in the United States. To think that the latest suggestion is the need to create four political parties, as in many other nations. One can run through the problems such suggestions could create by thinking of the current elections in Germany or the problems of developing a coherent government in Israel where all of the splintered parties epitomized by the latest election of two elected leaders who do not share the same political views. It would be like Biden and Trump being elected to run our nation! Of interest, the only nation that appears to have its act together is Ireland, the home of my mother. After years of all sorts of problems, they have become inclusive where Irish Pubs are owned by the Polish and the recent Taoiseach was a Muslim! Ireland is such a desirable nation that their biggest problem is dealing with the homeless that cannot afford the prices of housing. Political dichotomy is a road to disaster!

RACIAL AND SEX INEQUITIES are such a nightmare. For anyone who believes in the Divine, however identified, we understand that we are all equal. If the Divine loves all, how is it that we cannot at least try to share that perception. I personally can be in tears thinking that one can hate another only because of their origin or color. My mother was aware that her brogue was a negative telltale, but she did not complain. I could not understand, though, why my mother never talked to me about her nation and experiences, until we watched “Out of Ireland” in a movie theater in 1994 in Dedham Massachusetts. It was then that I found out that if you were a woman who did not marry a first born male, you had no hope of surviving the famine. Your only hope was to immigrate, but the word used by the Irish to express this turn of events was “Exile”! So it is not just racial inequities, it is sexual inequities also where males have tended to exercise control over females. It surely is evident today when reading the news.

I cannot deny that I want to be hopeful. I want to see signs of improvement even though my daily reading seems to overwhelm me. And so, I have adopted for the last several years a method that enables me to live in peace each day. I live in THE MOMENT! It sounds simplistic because it is. I cannot undue my stupid decision to destroy crabgrass without more direction. I got rid of the crabgrass while destroying the good grass! Every once I think of my stupid action even though I know that in the fall I can have the problem rectified. And so, Living in the Moment, will not let me perseverate over my stupidity. Nor will it allow me to think about the future of an old man. I know that my ending will come, but why think about it now, in this Moment, I treasure living with Joan and our beautiful dog, Maggie Mae. I treasure our family and friends. I treasure that my body works, running, biking and swimming. Today is great and that it is the Moment I am living!