7 April 2024

 

An Elder’s View Of Our Journey

Life has, as we know, its bright side and its dark side. On the dark side, much transpires in work and family, politics and governance, education and church which is difficult to comprehend, often unsavory and, at times, reprehensible. Logic and common sense are befuddled by inexplicable decisions our leaders sometimes foist upon us with stumbling illogic. The head and the heart are often assailed by contradictions; good will seems useless.

When I am frustrated, I tell myself that if I were a saint (or at least an angel) I would not have a problem with all this. I would have the celestial vision to see above and beyond forgivable errors, manipulative tactics and rank indifference. But sainthood eludes me, and I am not (as far as I know) temperamentally suited for the life of a cherub.

So, I keep rummaging around in that zone between my hopeful ideals of resurrected spirituality and the mundane habits of daily life. Thus, I gratefully deal with the human side of life while I also attend to the divine elements in Creation – i.e., aspects of life which are mysterious and yet familiar to us all, because they’re revealed to us constantly in those mundane habits of daily living and in the world around us which we so often take for granted.

Happily, life also has an up-side, including the benefits of aging. In fact, elderhood reveals to me the abundant consolations life affords us all. Of course, I still cope with my vulnerabilities and temptations, but my Faith and my Hope reassure me that this - here and now - is the path upon which I belong.

Let me elaborate…

The Bright Side

So, while life is all-too-human, we often forget that, at the same instant, life is also a Divine reality which is cloaked in God’s own sense of mystery and Creation’s obedient ways … from the shimmering leaves on every tree to the colossal events which Creation involves.

Everybody’s life is, at some time, tinged with uncertainty and devoid of solace and clarity. The reasons are rarely evident, because mystery is (if we take an honest look) everywhere around us and within us.

Despite life’s mystery - with its bouts of ambiguity and times of disappointment - we are often blessed by people who brighten the dark corners and bring smiles to our soul merely by their presence; persons whose simplicity or silliness or attentive greeting or sheer goodness is refreshing beyond expectation.

Of course, some people do not see life this way. For example, some people (young and old) seem wedded to a stream of complaints. They gripe on cue about their ailments and aching appendages, as they regularly beweep “their outcast state and trouble deaf heaven with their bootless cries” (as Shakespeare puts it).

But … if we were to peer behind their façade of crotchety self-pity, we might recognize their discontent as a covert way of seeking some sign of human concern, even from strangers who might – however briefly and without distraction – extend to them the gift of attentive listening.

Without doubt, attentive listening is a precious gift which people can bestow upon one another; a gift of immeasurable value, even amid the day’s humdrum chores.

Listening attentively to another person is a gift, freely given, which soothes the pangs of isolation and, in that moment, eases the darker side of life’s mystery. Why? Because the gift of attentive listening says, “I am here; I am with you.” It is a gift from the upside of life which we can offer one another.

The Grace Of Being Human

Why is attentive listening so valuable?

Because one of the abiding truths about our shared human nature is that we are all born with a profound need for inclusion and acceptance, for concern and intimacy, for genuine affection. We all possess the need to be loved and, somehow, told so … that “moment eternal,” as Browning calls it.

Even jaded people who bask indulgently in the elegance of their spiffy possessions still have that yen to demonstrate their achievement and flaunt their stuff, as if to say, “Look at me, World, I’m a winner!! Here I am, worthy of your admiration …”

So, no matter what facades we construct or what distractions we hone, the most valued indication of true concern for one another is that we 1) listen, and 2) are listened to with eyes as well as ears, with a patient heart as well as a calculating head.

Let me be clear: I am NOT referring to the destructive fad of DEI, i.e., Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. For an expose of the dehumanizing effects of the DEI craze, see this essay: https://www.catholicleague.org/blowing-up-the-dei-agenda.

Attentive listening imparts the gifts of acknowledgement, respect and reverence, of concern and recognition from one person to the other. It is a grace - a gift, freely given - which we bestow upon one another simply by choosing to do so … unless we dismiss the fact that we can indeed confer grace upon one another … or we are numb to our shared human condition … or we disregard our inherent dignity which the mystery of Creation bestows.

Problems may arise when some people seek attention inappropriately. Maybe they’re too awkward or too demonstrable, too loud or too demanding, too serious or too flippant. And some people are deliberately cold, uncivil and mean. Clearly, we may dislike the way these people behave. However, despite the disdainful few, we are still wise to keep in mind that the search for understanding and the need for kindness propels most people.

An Experienced Guide

Through my years, the principles of the Catholic Church have been (and are) my guides for making sense of Creation’s demands; for seeing beyond churlish encounters which chafe my ego and intrude on my serenity; for recognizing that Creation’s rewards enlighten its mystery and assuage its wonderment.

The Church makes sense to me, even when it does not make sense, even when a few of its ministers act shamefully. It makes sense when my Hope is tested, when contradictions abound, when ungrateful others nettle my soul and test my patience.

The truth (a difficult truth for many to handle) is that the Church does not miraculously remove our foolish foibles or cure our harmful self-indulgences, nor shield us from calculated effrontery. But Catholicism’s message is clear and insistent: Believe in the love of God, then share God’s love as best you can, in whatever ways you can. Stay on this path; stay the course….

Faith and Hope lead to a revelatory moment - perhaps decades in the making - when ambiguity becomes sufficient and we finally experience a disposition of openness which paves the way for our reconciliation with mystery and affords us a dram of practical wisdom … gifts which exceed what we may ever achieve on purely human terms.

These gifts impart a calming clarity. Little by little, we are granted a clearer sense of Faith’s practical necessity. To quote an old cliché, “Less is more.” Less clarity on human terms becomes far more filling to the soul than unaided human nature can supply. The upside of life reveals the reality of the divine all around us, as the sacred becomes evident.

The Hidden Benefit Of Suffering

Of course, clarity does not eliminate suffering. Suffering is an inevitable and universal human experience which brings not merely loss and anguish but (if we choose to see it) opportunity and promise – even when the innocent are involved.

If we accept personal suffering with a disposition of gratitude rather than angry resentment, suffering then becomes a credible path to growth in mind and spirit, character and virtue.

With the proper disposition, suffering peels away our hubris, reveals to us the folly of denial and casual amorality and, most of all, imposes upon us the unguarded simplicity which befits God’s children. We are wise to accept suffering as a gift, not as a curse.

Suffering is, therefore, of immense value -- if we choose to see it so.

Through suffering, we are made humbly aware that everything we have in this life - including life itself - is a gift we are freely given. This insight can elevate and inspire our human experience … IF (and it is a Big IF) we do not indulge anger and resentment which often accompany pain and loss.

Finally …

When I read the Psalms, I read not merely the words but the context and meaning embedded in the poetics. The Psalmist’s themes of awe and gratitude for God’s fidelity are reassuring themes which recur time after time.

Of course, some psalms speak in images unfamiliar to us. But beneath-and-within the words, the themes of awe and gratitude reassure us that God’s concern is our constant reality throughout human history, not merely a figment of distorted need.

This theme of divine fidelity is lovingly expressed, for example, in Psalm 91 which speaks of God as our refuge and our stronghold. The Psalm emphasizes the care of God, Who protects us from dangers which beset us.

Despite our fears, God is our shield. God bestows His care and concern upon us in these words: “Since you cling to me in love, I will free you and protect you, for you know my name.” And when we call out to God, He says, “I shall answer you and say, “I am with you.”

God’s promise is unforgettable, for we are assured of His love when He says to us all: “I am with you.”

“I am with you.”

I do believe Him.

23 March 2024

 

Getting It

Years ago, a colleague lost his Beloved in a dreadful accident. One evening shortly thereafter, he spoke with me at length from his saddened, suffering heart. After a while, blessed fatigue finally drained him. As we parted, he voiced that inevitable question we all ask at some time in our lives: “Why must we lose our loved ones? Why must we bear such suffering and grief? What is it really all about?”

We all wonder about the point and purpose of life, its occasional joys and sorrows, its moments of rapture and remorse. Indeed, we are all stymied by the mystery and wonder of Creation and our place in it.

Surely, then, it is fitting that we ask: “What’s it all about?” It is fitting that we seek to understand the persistent mystery of it all.

--------------------------------

I visit my parish church each day. I rest in the small side chapel and reflect on the benefits of my life. I often give thanks for my endless blessings - as I was taught so long ago by the nuns, whose lessons and example have lasted a lifetime. My moments of serenity afford me a sense of balance and perspective on the mystery of life, as my elder’s years mount with insistent regularity.

My reverie also helps me reconcile myself to the often-awkward adjustments which age imposes, for the aging process, I have learned, is an inevitable ingredient of life’s mysteries.

So, as my years accumulate, my visits reassure me that there is a point and purpose to my life … and, truth be told, to all life…

A Visitation

Let me offer a small example. During one of my recent visits, a young woman entered the small chapel where I sat. She was pushing a baby carriage from which a newborn infant’s tiny, stockinged feet protruded. The baby gurgled infant-sounds, and the Mother looked at me as if to apologize for intruding. We exchanged brief smiles as the baby peered over the edge of his carriage and stared at me with curious intensity.

I smiled at this little infant while his Mother knelt in prayer. Then, of a sudden, the overwhelming beauty and dignity of the image before me … this Loving Mother in prayer and her Innocent Child … became quite vivid to me, and the image remains.

And the realization struck me that simply to behold - with reverence and gratitude - this exquisite scene of Mother and Child was the point and purpose of my life at that moment.

The Reality Of Mystery

We see such heartening scenes every day, many times each day: fleeting scenes of utter simplicity, inhabited by persons we may not know; persons who - in their own fashion - are exemplars of goodness, givers of generous affection in proper fashion. (It is worth remembering that we, too, may be seen as just such a person by others, even though they do not tell us so).

In everyday living, we rarely look at one another as sources of goodness and caring and virtue. Perhaps we are too often distracted by our busied agendas to attend to everyday sources of nourishing hope and benign mystery which are all around us. Perhaps we are reluctant to speak of virtue and kindness, given the culture of conflict which harangues the soul and distresses our unsettled nation. Or, perhaps, we just don’t believe that goodness exists at all.

The truth is that goodness is everywhere to behold. Perhaps it comes in doses so small, so routinely commonplace, that we miss its graceful presence and, thus, we may discount goodness and ignore virtue. In this unsettling way, we diminish our Faith and miss the point and purpose of what we see as merely ordinary events of daily living. And, in the process, we become estranged from the transcendent clarity of mystery in which we constantly live and breathe and have our being.

Don’t misunderstand. I do not deny the abundance of evil and deception to which our race is drawn by our unruly instincts. Evil is readily apparent, so it is well for us also to recognize that the mystery of goodness is all around us, from the incomprehensibly vast Universe to each fluttering leaf on the nearest tree. Mystery is everywhere and, beneath it, there is goodness. To miss this truth is to miss the point and purpose of Creation … and all it holds out to us.

We do not need to plumb the depths of some dreary theosophy to see the point and purpose in the mystery of Creation and, thus, to recognize the point and purpose of our Creator, Who is the final point and ultimate purpose of our lives and our search for meaning.

Making The Simple Complex

At the same time, our shared humanity has limits. So, it is certainly a challenge to mind and heart to maintain our awareness of the transcendent values in life … and the brevity of our days.

It is certainly a challenge for us to keep the point and purpose of our Creation (i.e., the reasons for our own lives) in proper focus. It is certainly a challenge to remember that the insignificant in life is indeed significant.

So, we are wise to remember several truths which enlighten Creation’s mystery and add gratitude to our sense of wonder:

• the mundane and humdrum are the stuff of living;


• we are blessed with the gifts of intelligence and reason, and the grace to persevere despite difficulties;


• we are ever-so fortunate to live in this nation, where so many of our basic needs are met;


• we do not face hunger or homelessness;


• and so many other gifts we take for granted.

Given these gifts we have freely received, it is clear (despite our grumbles) that we are most fortunate persons. The simple lesson is that gratitude should be our first response to the mystery and wondrous reality of Creation.

However, some people find gratitude an alien, even undesirable, emotion. For these people, self-indulgence and habitual self-deception are more appetible than kindness or civility or, for that matter, truth. Even family fidelity, the foundation of our lives and our societies, is compromised by such people when they disparage the fact that goodness resides amongst us, and that we are beholden to our Creator, Who is Goodness itself.

Despite obstacles of temperament or fatigue, despite our self-defeating habits, despite our wearying routines, despite our oft-myopic vision and our selfish agendas, the mystery of goodness is still to be found in many lives, in many people.

Like it or not, goodness is all around us ...

Admitting The Obvious

The simple truth (often forgotten, sometimes ignored) is that we live in two distinct but interweaving worlds:

1. the “here-and-now” physical world, which includes our material selves, our concerns with technical details of economic survival and our daily struggle for “happiness” in our time-limited sojourn upon this Earth; and,


2. the world of divine reality in which we struggle to acknowledge the mystery of the supernatural and the transcendence of our Creator, while we dutifully observe the moral limits imposed upon created human nature.

We are wise to remember that American patriotism, history and culture are historically founded upon Judeo-Christian beliefs. For example, in his Farewell Address in 1796, George Washington summed up the essential need for Americans to honor religious belief and morality:

“Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports. In vain would that man claim the tribute of patriotism, who should labor to subvert these great pillars of human happiness, these firmest props of the duties of men and citizens. The mere politician, equally with the pious man, ought to respect and to cherish them… And let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion. Whatever may be conceded to the influence of refined education on minds of peculiar structure, reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle.”

In keeping with his vision, Washington, D. C., the historic center of American governance, abounds in architecture based in Judeo-Christian realities. For an extensive list, see this summary: CAN’T ERASE OUR JUDEO-CHRISTIAN PAST – Catholic League

Our Transcendent Duality

Thus, at the heart of Creation’s mystery, we find revelations of God and examples of goodness which abound. It is, therefore, disturbing that many citizens (including so many of our church leaders and educators) too often treat truth goodness and virtue as arbitrary or irrelevant ingredients to our nation’s stability. Even the once-unifying bond of patriotism and the pride and responsibilities of American citizenship are disdained by many sources.

Over my lengthy lifetime I have witnessed the ascendence of radically secular trends which now threaten America with moral oblivion. It is now evident that many people (including some in governance) no longer value moral ideals such as goodness, truth and virtue.

Obedience to the laws of God and society are increasingly demeaned. Self-restraint is replaced by distorted notions of freedom. Patriotism is dismissed. The individual is seen as a disposable commodity, whose God-given value is lost in the morass of hard-core, self-serving individualism. Deceptive slogans replace critical reflection. Innocence is eradicated. Yet the truth abides that we have one foot in Creation and one foot in Divinity. Our point and purpose are (for starters) threefold:

1. to discipline our wants and honor the moral limits of Creation, including the dignity of all life, especially the unborn;


2. to be faithful to God’s directives, which come to us through Revelation and tradition; in other words, obedience, even when the cost is high and we are asked to give rather than take;


3. to persevere in fulfilling the virtues of Faith, Hope, Charity, Prudence, Justice, Fortitude and Temperance, by which we introduce divine influence into human experience.

Finally . . .

Everything in life - including Nature’s astonishing variety - is a Revelation of God, our Creator. The problem for many of us is that God’s motives are unclear to us, especially when pain and loss are thrust upon us. We get angry when God does not do it our way. We forget that His ways (not ours) are the core of the mystery of living and of Creation. Thus, it is unwise to expect God to behave as we would dictate.

So, let us be clear: Unraveling the mystery of life and understanding our point and purpose requires that we do NOT live in egocentric denial about the fact that God created us … not the reverse. Certain axioms follow:

• We are wise to listen to God's loving messages in our heart-of-hearts, in our soul, with gratitude – and to listen on God’s terms, not ours.


• We are wise when we express our gratitude, not our arrogance, as our response to the mystery of God’s Creation.


• We are indeed wise when we strive to bring goodness and virtue into our world through the blessing of own lives.

And we are wise to recognize that it is the seemingly insignificant moments in life which are truly significant.

How do we introduce goodness and virtue into our world? It starts by our treating others as we wish to be treated - with courtesy and civility, with empathy and kindness, ever kindness. This is surely the way we bring goodness and virtue into our world.

And, finally, we must then ask: Is there a greater point and purpose to my life than my perseverance in goodness and virtue?

7 February 2024

 

A Few Lessons Learned

We are told that “age has its prerogatives,” one of which (true or not) is that we Elders (not “Old Folks,” please) are worth listening to. The assumption is that we Elders have accumulated a measure of Wisdom over our years.

Happily, I qualify as an Elder. My “four-score-and-ten years” is a pleasantly Lincolnesque way to acknowledge my length of days and lay claim to the assumed Wisdom knocking about in my head.

So, for what it may be worth, I here summarize several of my hard-won life-lessons. Some folks will surely disagree with me. Nonetheless, I rely on the patience of my readers … as I herewith express some insights I’ve absorbed during my fleeting decades.

For Starters

I learned long ago that there are unpleasant aspects to everyone’s personality and behavior. We all have personal quirks and foibles, fits of temperament and defects of character to which we are sometimes blind, often by choice.

Everyone knows about them … and maybe we do, too, but we don’t want to admit it. They’re painful to acknowledge, and we get sensitive about our foibles, so we protect ourselves from the truth, often for a lifetime.

Why? Because our egos do not wish to admit faults. In fact, our egos are attuned to defend us against threats, both real and imagined. Nature equips us to protect ourselves from perceived (note: perceived) dangers, hostile slights, barbed insults and ill-meant ridicule, as well as dangers to limb and life.

Perception is crucial. Our values, our beliefs and our personalities are formed by our perceptions. When we perceive a threat (real or imagined), this automatically ignites our stress response and triggers in us a variety of “fight-or-flight” reactions, both physical and psychological. We do not think about it – it just happens because our perceptions (right or wrong) are so deeply ingrained.

Perception Is The Key

Our instinct to protect ourselves from threat is innate, instilled by Nature. It’s healthy, beneficial, intended for our survival. BUT the ways we perceive, define and evaluate people and events can either be 1) healthy and appropriate, or 2) unreasonable and unhealthy, even toxic to mind and body.

As we get older, the range of our perceptions widens. We learn (emphasis on learn) to perceive an array of threats, but some of our learned perceptions distort reality and can be harmful. Thus, our mis-perception of what is – and what is not – a threat becomes problematic, even dangerous, when we “perceive” threats which exist only in our mind, not in reality.

Too often we see what isn’t there or we mis-read reality and mis-interpret people and events. We make rash judgments and trigger a response which is entirely inappropriate to the situation, costly to us and/or hurtful to others.

Our distorted perceptions can even spark violent episodes in which we harm ourselves and others.

• Racial prejudice is an example of distorted mis-reading about our shared human condition.
• Anorexia is another example of a distorted perception which infects about three million Americans annually, not to count loving family members wounded by another’s needless suffering.

Another Lesson

Something else I’ve realized is that we are, by nature, learners. We start learning very early as our mind evaluates the events in our lives and the behavior of others.

We learn from parents, brothers and sisters, neighbors, teachers and others we don’t know, including Nature’s endless wonders. Everyone has something to offer; as my Sainted Mother used to say: “Even the worst of us can serve as a horrible example.”

Some of what we learn is factually true, based on objective reality. But some of what we learn is false and fanciful, based on mis-reading reality or mere wishes or fleeting feelings or outsized egos which thrive on distortions and stubborn denial.

The Contagion Effect

On a wider scale, some gullible people are lured into groups which stifle criticism, deliberately distort reality, strangle independent thought and reward irrational thinking.

This is a populist form of group psychosis wherein passive people are persuaded to accept toxic ideas. The distortion of reality becomes a norm which group pressures reinforce.

This “mob-mentality” thrives on denigration of outsiders, eschews contradictory logic, bolsters fragile, defensive egos and affords members an excuse for dismissive judgmentalism, baseless accusations, even violence.

Another Lesson

Given what we know of this mob-mentality and its ruthless application throughout history, it is obvious, yet unpleasant to say, that "mental illness" is not isolated to clinical cases or mental wards. It is also obvious that human nature is fundamentally flawed and, so often, psychologically precarious.

It is also unpleasant, even distasteful, to admit that this flaw in human nature, when slyly exploited, prompts people to eschew common sense and rationality and, worst of all, to abandon their moral sensibilities.

When this happens, social rules and cultural heritage are jettisoned in favor of unstable opinions and reckless emotions. Facts, truth, civil and criminal laws are ignored. The cautionary admonitions and prudent deliberations of moral sanity are lost. Propaganda eclipses common sense. Religion is eventually persecuted.

All of this is often subtle at first, incredulous to many people who find it difficult to believe that manipulative evil is truly at work.

This is why we need the Objective Moral Order, established by God, our Creator, and revealed to us in human nature as well as through Scripture and ongoing Revelation.

The Moral Order

At its core, the Moral Order specifies behavior which is good or bad, virtuous or corrupt, according to standards set NOT by humans, but by our Creator.

The Moral Order applies to three aspects of our lives:

1. Our relationship with God and the respect we display to His Creation;
2. What we choose to do with our own lives, the kind of person we choose to become; and,
3. How we treat one another and the nature of the relationships we thereby create, even with strangers.

Why does an Objective Order make sense? Because human beings are innately moral creatures. Morality is the foundation of who we are as a race.

Being human means 1) we have a conscience, and 2) we have choices. We can choose to honor the God-given limits of our freedom and accept our responsibilities to God and one another, or we can choose to reject our moral obligations and satisfy only our distorted perceptions, self-serving feelings, urges and impulses.

Clearly, we are most human when we honor the Objective Moral Order, exercise self-restraint and heed the mandates of our Creator, reveled to us, first of all, through our own human nature.

Morality Is Fundamental

I have also learned that every human action and every human institution exist within the framework of morality - of good or evil. Certainly, gradations are often involved, to be sure. But morality overshadows all else, including politics, education, marriage and family.

The greatest personal struggle we face is the tug-of-war between our self-centered egos and our conscience, as we strive to sustain our moral character.

Some people do become indifferent to morality and live in a state of fickle neutrality, in which the overriding consideration is to be “nice.” This involves not offending anyone, not ruffling feathers nor sounding “holier than thou” -- and certainly not being so gauche as to mention archaic notions such as “good” and “bad” or “sin” and “virtue.”

So … we can stifle conscience’s natural yearning for goodness and choose the lesser path until moral ambiguity ensues, and nihilism becomes our life’s option. And, when moral ambiguity does become the norm, common language banishes words and ideas which offend, such as the fact that evil does exist.

But the fact remains that choosing goodness over evil is not a matter of social niceties or the right mood or benign feelings. It is an act of submission to God, our Creator, a deliberate choice and, often, a costly one.

• We do indeed have the power to make conscious and deliberate choices for goodness and virtue, in accord with our educated conscience.
• Evil and sin are also deliberate choices of words and deeds which harm others, and which violate God’s laws and the common good.

The Gift Of Wisdom

There are many ways to honor the Objective Moral Order. The most practical guidelines are the Theological and Moral Virtues:

• The Theological Virtues of Faith, Hope and Charity (Love for God and neighbor), and
• The Moral Virtues of Prudence, Justice, Fortitude and Temperance.

What’s the point of these virtues as guidelines for our behavior?

The point is the attainment of Wisdom. Wisdom is the practical outcome of these Virtues.

• Wisdom bestows consistent moral insight shorn of self-serving delusions.
• Wisdom sees life as a gift from God, our Creator, but a gift which may come at a great price.
• Wisdom awakens us to the Divine Presence in everything around us – water we drink, the stars we behold, leaves on trees, even pain we are asked to endure.
• Wisdom enlightens us to the fact that every moment and every encounter with another person is an opportunity to express these Virtues.
• Wisdom allows us to see life gratefully, not fearfully. Why?
• Because Wisdom assures us that we are Beloved of God, that God is our Friend, an eternal Friend who says to us: “Be not afraid; I am with you.”

Wisdom also imparts clarity and determination, as it reveals to us that:

• It takes humility (e.g., regard for truth, openness to others) to admit we are wrong.
• It takes fortitude to maintain altruism and empathy even when we are treated poorly.
• It takes courage to apologize when we offend another.
• It takes great patience to give others the gift of listening intently, even when they do not respond.
• It takes maturity to realize that psychological and spiritual health are achieved only by acknowledging truth and coping with our own humanity as God’s children.
• It takes Faith and Hope to recognize the unifying power of life when lived in obedience to God’s loving expectations.

Wisdom bestows the clear and certain realization that the greatest gift we receive is the Virtue of Charity. Charity is not be confused with feelings of affection nor the expectation of consolation (as Mother Teresa discovered). Charity is, once again, a choice to be loved, then to trust God and love others as we are loved. It is a choice to forgive rather than to harbor revenge and hatred, to express our concern for others either directly or in silent prayer … even for those who treat us with disdain, those we call “enemies.”

Finally . . .

Clearly, then, our distorted perceptions of God, of life, of one another … and of ourselves … may serve us quite badly or exceedingly well. And even if people insult or snub us, so what? Maybe they are simply thoughtless or have coarse manners … or maybe their comments are true and hit too close to home?

I learned these lessons long ago, so I’d like to think I’m less ignorant than when I was only sixty - but my ego keeps butting in. Consequently, even in my elderhood, I’m learning there’s always room for improvement.

And, as my Sainted Mother also used to say, “No one’s perfect … yet.”