Witness to Wonder (Excerpt)
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I believe this firmly—that we are sacred beings in a sacred world.
No part of our living is divorced from that reality; this life and all that surrounds it is holy, from beginning to end.Every human being—whatever category or description they might belong to—is a sacred being.
I believe this firmly—that the world we inhabit, from the primordial slime that gave rise to the air we breathe to the American chestnut trees in my backyard, from the thistles and groundhogs, also in my backyard, that will not go away, to the grass that grows through the cracks of crumbling pavement, and even the pavement itself, is sacred. All of it is. All of life is wondrous, and we are part of life. With our very breath, we are witness to wonder.
But we forget. It’s easy to do. I suppose on some level that’s a good thing. We probably wouldn’t get much done if we spent every moment staring in rapturous wonder at dandelions, appreciating the miracle of sneezes even as we breathe in the ragweed. And perhaps that too is a miracle of sorts, as the author Terry Pratchett once commented. “Human beings,” he said, “make life so interesting. Do you know, that in a universe full of wonders, they have managed to invent boredom?”
When I think about things that way it astonishes me that any of us can manage to be bored, but we do. It is in such moments, when I become aware of them, that I try to rise from the sleepwalking of day-to-day getting by and look around me. It is in such moments that I might pick up an instrument and practice that miraculous art which is music, or I might listen to someone else practice that art. Perhaps I will step outdoors for a few moments and walk under leaf and sky. Maybe I’ll pick up the telephone—another miracle—and call someone I love, with whom I have not spoken in too long a time. Maybe I will play with my son. Or perhaps I will simply soldier through, getting done what needs to get done, and wait until later to be grateful for the sacredness of life.
It is common, these days, for people to say that even if they are not religious, they are spiritual, or that they are seeking a deeper spiritual life. Sometimes it’s not exactly clear what we mean when we talk about spirituality. But if by that word we mean a sense of connectedness with something greater than ourselves, or a feeling of wonder and gratitude, or a motivation to step out from familiar patterns of thought and view ourselves and everything around us in a different way, we could do far worse than pay attention to this world as it is.
Then, perhaps, together we can all learn to love this world, this life, this sacred existence into which we were born and in which we will live until the end of our days, and after which the tissues of our bodies will slowly transform back into soil and nourish new life, new wonder, new experiences, new marvels. Perhaps we can learn to do more than live well in this world—we can also learn to praise it.
- Witness to Wonder (Excerpt) - July 1, 2019
- Bless One Another - November 1, 2017
