We are on the road this holiday, spending time with family, so I am not doing a new blog post this week. Instead, here's a re-post of one from September, because I am thankful for the gifts of the present.
I don't want to bash religion - people believe what they believe - but it seems to me that there are too many people around who say they love God (or Allah, or Buddha, or Zeus, or Nature) but ignore the gift of this wonderful world.
Focused on the future and following rules, they tell us that evil lurks behind every little worldly thing, like sex, food and drink, art and laughter. One must ignore the here and now and look forward to a heavenly perfection. Get the big picture.
Well, if people make the mistake of being short-sighted, they can also err by being too long-sighted.
Creation, however it came about, is beautiful, from the majesty of a rainbow to the intricate segments of a sand crab's legs. It provides pleasure: the free feeling of a dance, the sweetness of a mango, the buzz of alcohol, the aroma of coffee. To ignore these things seems ungrateful and churlish.
Sin? That would be overdoing any one thing, or harming another being in the process of taking enjoyment in the world. (Isn't that what those Ten Commandments are about?)
Not everything in our world is benign or beautiful, but there is so much that is. We need to keep our eyes open, hear the music, feel our bodies move and accept the gifts we have.
I don't want to bash religion - people believe what they believe - but it seems to me that there are too many people around who say they love God (or Allah, or Buddha, or Zeus, or Nature) but ignore the gift of this wonderful world.
Focused on the future and following rules, they tell us that evil lurks behind every little worldly thing, like sex, food and drink, art and laughter. One must ignore the here and now and look forward to a heavenly perfection. Get the big picture.
Well, if people make the mistake of being short-sighted, they can also err by being too long-sighted.
Creation, however it came about, is beautiful, from the majesty of a rainbow to the intricate segments of a sand crab's legs. It provides pleasure: the free feeling of a dance, the sweetness of a mango, the buzz of alcohol, the aroma of coffee. To ignore these things seems ungrateful and churlish.
Sin? That would be overdoing any one thing, or harming another being in the process of taking enjoyment in the world. (Isn't that what those Ten Commandments are about?)
Not everything in our world is benign or beautiful, but there is so much that is. We need to keep our eyes open, hear the music, feel our bodies move and accept the gifts we have.
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