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This week: Let's Meet in Rumi's Field Edited by: Sophy  
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Hi, I'm Sophy ~ your editor for this edition of the Spiritual Newsletter.
The Rev. Scotty McLennan, author of the book Finding Your Religion, compares humanity's innate need for spiritual searching to climbing a mountain. In his view, we are all endeavoring to climb the same figurative mountain in our search for the divine, we just may take different ways to get there. In other words, there is one "God," but many paths. I honor whatever path or paths you have chosen to climb that mountain in your quest for the Sacred.  |
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Meeting in Rumi's Field
This week I invite you to consider who the “others” are in your lives – the people whose practices, beliefs, values, appearance, or abilities are sufficiently different from your own that you locate them in different categories. Our minds instinctively separate experiences – including social experiences – between those that appear safe and opportune from those that seem unimportant and maybe even risky, so we intuitively classify people into “them” and “us.” It’s a survival skill favored by evolution. Those able to identify and congregate with family, while isolating themselves from enemies or predators, are more likely to survive to pass on their genes to the next generation.
This has served us well throughout human history. However, humanity is at a point in the trajectory of our evolution where such behavior is no longer helpful or necessary for our survival, and tends to cause more problems than it solves. With 7.4 billion people in the world and counting, the costs of competitive, adversarial, tribal thinking are expensive and dangerous. We need models of social thought and behavior that enable us to identify with one other, cooperate in solving problems, minimize threats, and share resources – not to build walls and threaten annihilation.
How do we accomplish this? When we consider who the “others” are in our experience – who it is difficult for us to forgive, trust, or identify with – many people probably come to mind for most of us. That is the easy part – identifying those we experience as “other” – them – those people. The challenge occurs when we contemplate how to go about experiencing the conversion of being able to recognize someone who we identify as “other” as becoming part of me, part of us, part of my group. How do we make the “other” into one of us? Or maybe more to the point, how do we transcend categorical thinking altogether?
Martin Buber’s concept of “I and Thou” can be helpful here – this concept distinguishes between two types of relationships between people. In one model, “I-It,” we relate to others as members of categories or as instruments of achievement. “Egos appear by setting themselves apart from other egos,” Buber wrote. Donald Trump comes to mind as someone who operates within the realm of "I-It." In “I-Thou” or “I-You," we relate with the entirety of our being to another whole person.“Persons appear by entering into relation with other persons.” Pope Francis comes to mind as one who operates within the realm of "I-Thou."
For Buber, this was more than a way of relating to others; it also shows us how we can, a bit at a time, experience God’s presence in the world. But again … how do we accomplish this? How do transition from the powerful ego to the personhood aspect of I-Thou? There is a Rumi quote that offers an answer for me – it points to a place in our minds and hearts where we can all meet if we are willing to let go of ego and move beyond pigeonholing each other as either right or wrong, us or them. “Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field. I will meet you there.” In Rumi’s field, ideas of right and wrong are set aside, and we are able to meet at a deeper, more intentional level.
The “us vs. them” mentality is as old as humanity itself; it is the basis upon which every war has been fought — and is generally founded upon fear – the fear of not having enough of “something” or fear of losing “something,” which, in turn, leads to anger, resentment, division, defensiveness, name calling, and power struggles. While argumentative behavior may not be as physically devastating as actual war, it encompasses the same anger and divisiveness, and is based in some sort of fear. It is also driven by ego, which thrives on separation, judgment, and external power and control. Taking sides – arguing passionately with someone about an issue we care about – can be compelling, invigorating even. But it can also be draining, and ultimately separates us and creates divisions. One can look no further than the anger fueling our current presidential election process. There are such deep divisions on both sides – the name-calling and angry rhetoric gets worse every day.
Of course it is not just the presidential elections and politics that have these sorts of divisions. They can occur on other levels as well – within families for instance, when members have not spoken to each other in years because of a disagreement and lack of forgiveness – we all know instances of that happening. Divisions also occur in our workplaces, and even in religious congregations. Anytime people have strong feelings there can be harsh words and hurt feelings - unless we are willing to meet in Rumi’s field and set notions of winning and losing, rightness and wrongness aside, avoiding inclinations for “us” and “them” mentality.
Eckert Tolle points out in his book, The Power of Now, “You cannot have an argument with a fully conscious person.” Dennis Merritt Jones adds: “It requires two or more people to have an argument about who is right and who is wrong and if you are fully conscious you can choose not to be one of them. Let me say that again – if you are fully conscious you can choose not to be one of them. Can you imagine how it would feel to going to bed tonight knowing that this day you transcended the need to judge others or yourself as being right or wrong? It begins with making a choice to stay conscious and be present in the moment. The payoff is immeasurable. As increasingly more people choose to consciously and proactively engage with one another, creating a safe space to respectfully agree to disagree, we’ll discover there really is a field beyond ‘us vs. them’ where compromise, peace and understanding await us all. Regardless of whether we are talking about our country’s political leaders or our own personal lives and relationships, when we can agree to meet in the field that lies beyond ‘right and wrong’ we’ll be far more likely to find the middle path that honors us all. Metaphorically speaking, it will require us to follow that path and cross a bridge which opens to the field which lies directly in front of us every moment of every day. The path is our intention to transcend the belief that our way is the only way… and the bridge is our conscious awareness of our oneness as Human Beings. If that field is calling to you, I will meet you there. Who knows? Maybe it will catch on — and right now that would be a beautiful thing.”
Certainly our differences make life interesting, as diversity helps define and express who we are as individuals in addition to making life more colorful and rich. But we need to learn how to work together and find our common ground in the midst of that diversity in order to move forward with respect, civility, and kindness. This is why I find the image of the field so very helpful when I consider the situations of disagreement in my own life – whether it be a silly squabble with Mr. Sophy or a deeper dispute with a friend. It may be a challenge to get to the field, because we have to set aside ego, remain fully conscious and in the present moment, aware of our oneness. And that can be daunting, especially if we are caught up in the heat of the moment. Because whenever we become zealously enmeshed on “our side” of an issue, we are prone to emotional shortsightedness. But if we are able to step back and view the larger picture – it becomes a bit easier to cross that bridge and meet in the field.
We are all citizens of humanity. Whether that citizenship is as part of a country or state or town, part of a workplace or congregation, part of a family of origin or family of choice – whatever communities we are part of – as citizens of humanity we need to be able to affirm that we are worthy of treating one another and being treated with, at the least, civility, and even better, with kindness, respect, and forbearance. Being part of any community, we all owe each other that discipline of self-restraint and good judgment, and the experience of Rumi’s field may just be what helps us to shape those abilities in the first place.
I will close with another quote from Rumi: “Not Christian or Jew, Muslim, not Hindu, Buddhist, Sufi, Zen. Not any religion or culture system. I am not from the East or the West, not out of the ocean or up from the ground, not natural or ethereal, not composed of elements at all…I belong to the Beloved, have seen the two worlds as One and that One call to know, first, last, outer, inner, only that breath breathing-Human Being.”
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Below you'll find some spiritual offerings from other WDC members. Please let the folks know if you read their piece by leaving a thoughtful comment or review. I realize I post mostly poems, but that is because it is tough to find other types of spiritual writing on the site (most are poems). If you have something you would like me to highlight, please do share it with me, thanks!
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Here is a response to my last newsletter "Spiritual Newsletter (May 4, 2016)" about a Brief Leave of Absence:
From Mia - craving colour 
Hi Sophy. I'm relieved 'A Brief Leave of Absence' didn't refer to what I thought it might. I'd miss your articles.
Lovely the way you captured the anxiety of leaving a a 'plugged in' life behind for a while and the ease with which you slipped into (and could appreciate) slipping back into a quieter and more relaxed existence.
On another note: Thank you for highlighting "Invalid Item" in this newsletter. Much appreciated.
Thank you, as always, for your kind words - sorry to have given you a scare! 
      
From Quick-Quill 
Thank you for highlighting my story.
Whether its a mountain or a beach getaway, any time you can ignore the media's distraction you can become introspective. Those times when you dwell in nature peace can be obtained. Then spirit can reach you and minister to your soul.
Exactly - and it is such a gift to be able to do so.
Please keep your comments and suggestions coming! Until next time! Sophy |
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Spiritual: June 01, 2016 Issue [#7665]
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