Skip to main content

Seeing Differently


Two years ago, I was anticipating my first symposium as a student in The Living School, a two-year program of Richard Rohr's Center for Action and Contemplation. I had read Father Richard's work for more than a decade and was excited for this opportunity to grow in my practice of nondualism as a contemplative activist.

My life experiences had introduced me to the concept of nondualism long before I knew the term. I had previously thought of it as thinking out of the box or moving beyond common perspectives. The most significant lesson in my earliest life was probably the mystery of God as three persons in one. Another lesson was presented when my family entered the Catholic church in my racially segregated hometown's only parish. Segregation is a clear and extreme operationalization of dualism. It discourages intellectual curiosity by maintaining clear and distinct options that are in essence no option. 

Prayers offered during the Triduum introduced me to a way of praying for people of other and no faith traditions in a way that recognized humanity's universal search for truth without praying for everyone to convert to Catholicism. This was definitely thinking out of the box in a society where the only overly simplified measure of faith was the answer to one question of faith "Are you saved?" 

The truth has the capacity to transcend our beliefs because we are incapable of fully comprehending or expressing it with human language. In seeking the truth we experience nuance as it frees us to move into an unforeseen space where we can experience a deeper level of understanding. It also enhances our ability to move beyond the practice of quick judgments and exclusionary practices. We begin to see differently and come to recognize that theology and science are not adversaries.

One conversation remembered from my childhood was between my father and one of my mother's aunts who was known for speaking with authority. On this occasion, she stated that the theory of evolution contradicted the Bible's story of creation. Disagreeing, my father replied that evolution does not deny our belief that God is the Creator. As a child, I was simply amazed by the nondual assumption offered by my dad. It was not a matter of "either or", but one of "both and."

Comments

Post a Comment

Thank you for reading Leslye's Labyrinth. I welcome your comments.

Popular posts from this blog

Broadening Perspectives

The recent extra-judicial killing of George Floyd and others is causing many Americans to question the various forms of racial bias in our society. While those from the First Nations and of African descent along with other people of color have lived experience of this violence and its embodied trauma. Seeing Floyd murdered from the comfort of their homes seems to have pushed many who identify as white to cross the threshold. For them, denying the existence of racial injustice in 2020 is no longer an option. As perspectives are broadened, questions arise.  It as though a bright light bulb has been switched on in a dank cellar providing a stark view in direct conflict with the ideals the nation espouses. What is seen is the oppressive legacy of 400 years of white supremacy and its perpetuation in real time.   The arts are one way in which "heroes" are created and celebrated to shape the stories we know.  The removal of statues and other artwork honoring men who contrib...
Post a Comment
Read more

When You Say, "I'm Not Racist"

When you say,  "I'm not racist," you deny the complexity of a system built on the racist ideas born of white supremacy. When you say,  "I don't see color," you do not understand that making judgements based on color is the problem, not seeing color.  When you say,  "I was taught to treat everyone the same," you deny the limitations of your being kind when the system denies my dignity. When you say,  "But, I'm a Christian," you deny the whitening of Jesus' body and the distortion of his Gospel for economic gain through the genocide of indigenous people, the enslavement of Africans, and other atrocities against people of color. When you say,  "My child is Black," you conflate your love for one person with a love for all. When you say,  "My family never enslaved people" you deny how the injustices of slavery were transformed to perpetuate your illusion of white supremacy. Wh...
Post a Comment
Read more

I Didn't Break The Cookie Jar

Young children practice interesting behaviors in a number of situations. One of the most common is expecting their words to bridge the chasm between reality and what they want reality to be. Often, even before being questioned, a young child will provide an answer to distance themselves from reality. "No, I didn't do it." "No, I wasn't playing with matches." "No, I didn't leave the door open." "No, I didn't break the cookie jar."  It is as though their words will function as a magic wand to resolve an undesirable situation. Hopefully, they soon learn from experience that personal desire does not empower words with magical powers, and the ability of parents and older siblings to reason prevents them from being as gullible as hoped.  Unfortunately, there are adults who never learned that denying a behavior does not make it true. They continue to believe that regardless of the context their declarative statements have the capacity to...
Post a Comment
Read more