Consider this/ Einfach zum Nachdenken

October has arrived and with it beautiful autumn colors here in Michigan. I was running in a State park yesterday, and was amazed at the breath-taking beauty of red, yellow, gold and brown leaves all along the path. Even the most hardened city-slicker will find such sights uplifting and beautiful. But how good are we at discovering beauty in the more mundane of life’s settings: the purple glow of an aubergine, the smile of a child in the park, the music of raindrops upon my roof? Or, to take it step further, wet asphalt in the city center, the toothless grin of your homeless friend, ants running in and out of your trash?

The Japanese have a word for things which open our eyes, which jar you with their brilliance: mezamashii. Such things or people jump out at you, shake you by your shoulders and say “wake up”. But this also requires a certain practiced awareness not to let the moment pass you by. This is why most religious traditions urge their followers to practice some sort of meditation: not to navel-gaze, but in order to develop an ability to perceive, to see and hear beyond the drone of daily life. Meditation, prayer, reflection- those things clean our nerve-ends so we are fully aware and alive to what is going on around you.

I have never worn night-vision equipment, but I imagine it to be quite an experience. You put on those goggles and suddenly you manage to see what was previously hidden from sight. Your vision is so heightened that when somebody turns on the lights you are temporarily blinded even. Now imagine you could develop such night-vision for daily life. Suddenly your partner’s comments would not just be small talk, but words which yearn for a deeply felt response; your co-worker’s struggle would turn from somebody’s blunder into an invitation to serve and help; and the cacophony of your city’s noises would reveal the aspirations and hopes of a human community.

One of the Biblical prayers, Psalm 95, says: “If today you hear his voice, harden not your heart”. The implication is that some days we hear God speaking, and on others we don’t; but not because God is fickle and so only occasionally graces us with his word. Rather that we often lack awareness of his voice, and so miss it. Life, creation, relationships are all seriously mezamashii- brilliant, eye-opening. Every day there are miracles out there, prophecies to hear, revelations to behold. The question is whether we have practiced awareness. So put away this computer of yours, and meditate: you will discover the beauty of sunflowers, children, birds, yes even of your own living room. Good day to you!