Serendipitous Rendezvous
A Path to Renewal in America
April 29, 2019
I have soloed to Southern Utah, the Bears Ears area. Once here I met an old friend from college days. My friend and I hiked some trails, challenging for men our age. We are both fortunate; we are physically able to do these things. We were then joined by a couple from my same college. People I had shared a house with. It was a great reunion. We, the old friends, share many values and beliefs, but spirituality and faith are not among these. It was good to listen to life experiences, relate to different and even opposing points of view. Honestly, I cannot defend many who call themselves Christian in our society today. I can only say our churches have good well-intentioned people who have allowed their prejudices and fears to possess them. They have lost their way. I told them I cannot defend the insane who insist Noah put dinosaurs on an ark. I instead focus on my experience of the power of spiritual connections when souls unite in prayer and purpose. I related my goal of an evolved soul that I might be a conduit and bridge between disparate peoples. I greatly benefitted from the Serendipitous Rendezvous.
Color in the bleak canyons
Now that, I have encountered my friends, I have listened to their thoughts. Some of their thoughts challenge mine and add new perspectives for me to consider. We both are worried about the state of America. Our American problems lie in our lack of a common vision. I came to discover my friends are very despaired about our future, and I, who thought myself cynical, am the optimist. None of us may see with crystal clarity, but far too many exist in a deluded perception. I stated I believed the first step in improving relations in America starts within me. How do I react? How do I build relationships? How connected to an authentic Spirit am I? After a long reflection and worrying about the crisis of perception. I have to ask myself, how authentic are my perceptions? How can I in interactions with those living in inauthentic perceptions, relate in a way to create positive change? A team of horses must coordinate pulling the load. We may have our teams hitched in opposite directions. Solutions are found when our perceptions align.
Petrogylph Panel
I do not believe I will ever complete my personal search. I do not envision a time when I would speak like prophet with full conviction of rightness. I am a flawed man. I am a failed man. Yet I know, I am a good man of good intention. My reflections have led me to be someone who is assured of certain foundational things. I possess at root a truth. I am willing to revisit any belief if challenged. I am a being with a solid foundation; I am not adrift in the chaos of the world. I have made my physical self, fit over the past seven years. I believe I can evolve my soul over the next seven years. I must make soul evolving a habit, just like at the gym.
Let me address the Nones, no religious connection and no need of one. We all need connection, and we all have spirits. We all gain power in a community of connection and caring. We all must unite in common purpose. We must work to better the world on facts and data. I want my bridges built on the faith learned from real engineering. Still we often speak of an American soul, we talk of a spirit of renewal. There are far too many unknowns to exclude the need for something beyond the material. It is the culture, art, and aspiration that gives us meaning. I learned from hiking and viewing art and artifacts from an old culture there is a spirit to the land. We in America must seek it.
Canyons Bears Ears
Click to Return