Month: September 2022

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Magnolia Bluff [ Post #86 ]

Have you had some special, favorite places to retreat to for contemplative times, times to look at life, where you are, where you’re going? In my college years, I had three places that come to mind. Places I would go to to ”think.” Places where I contemplated my future, whatever that may be. In my blog post number four (September 18, 2018) I mentioned my periodic drives from my college campus to my favorite spot to park and retreat from the business of college life. It was Magnolia Bluff in Seattle, Washington. That was my spot to retreat to often during my four years in college to chill and “think things over.” There were a couple of other places I would enjoy also. The ship canal between Lake Union and Puget Sound that was one block away from the campus and where I had a job while in school, at a restaurant on Lake Union with a great view of the lake during sunset and the evening hours.

Thinking back to those times at Magnolia Bluff, I wish I could go back to those days through a time machine and visit with myself as I would have some very interesting conversations. You see, I would spend time there, probably a half hour to an hour and I would daydream about where my life was going after I finished school. It turned out, I had not a clue what was next in my life which was before me, perhaps many decades of “something.” Work, a career more education? Not a clue for most of those four years.

The magnificent view from Magnolia Bluff of Puget Sound, Seattle

I came to college (a major feat for me as my family strongly discouraged my higher education) thinking I would possibly be a teacher, an elementary school teacher. Many said that would be a good career as you get so much time off for vacations. Well, during my first yearI worked at that for a while. Did some student teaching type of activities. It didn’t take long before I decided “nope,” not for me. So, there would be three more years of school before I would be thrust out into the world.

I had no idea what my life after school would be. I changed my major from sociology to history, only because I had enough history classes at the end of my schooling to do that and a sociology major required doing a big research project. Not because I had any reason for majoring in history. I had no idea what I was going to do. I guess I just thought I’d get into some work and get married and have a family like everyone was supposed to do.

Just a beautiful spot to “chill,” contemplate life.

Finally, in my last year, I decided to avoid having to find a job and do the usual things by deciding to continue my education with graduate school. I had an interest in possible church work as a minister (I was attending a Christian college and that was an interest of mine). So, I applied to theological seminary and was accepted. Off to Chicago I went, thinking that was the direction for me.

So, a lot seemed to finally come together after my years of driving up to Magnolia Bluff and contemplating my life’s future. It was a slow process. If I could go back and have those conversations with myself that I fantasized about, I would tell myself, “Don’t worry, your life is going to work out. No, you can’t see it now, but it will all work out.” There will be some rough times, but you’ll get through them and achieve all your dreams.

My dreams were to become a pilot and to see the world. After seminary I did get an airline job. I got to see the world. I did get my pilot licenses, private pilot and then commercial pilot licenses. I got my flight instructor’s certificates and did some flight instructing. I did all that I dreamed of doing, but as I sat at Magnolia Bluff those many years ago, I never knew how it would work out so perfectly.

So, thinking about all of this, I’m thinking, have I had any other experiences like those many hours at the bluff contemplating life? Well, probably not quite so intense or focused, but yes, I do find places to retreat to from time to time.

In seminary I would drive to nearby Lake Michigan to chill and retreat. When I lived in Santa Monica on the beach, I would spend a lot of time on the beach (yeah, and now the skin cancers seem to be the price I paid for that carelessness). And for the past twenty years I would retreat to the local mountains, renting cabins, often for weeks at a time every year. Now I get to the mountains for several days each year. And at home, I have a room designated as my “sanctuary.” So, I guess I carried on the practice of contemplation and having a sacred space in which to do my contemplation, reading, meditation and prayer. As one of my recent blogs discussed, I now am thinking, “what’s next?” So, the contemplation goes on. I am looking forward to some new stuff. Just don’t know what it is! Guess that’s the fun of life. Just keep going on, moving forward. And it helps to have great love in your heart and life. That’s the real secret.

Wally

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“Well Done, My Good and Faithful Servant” [ Post #85]

Several years ago, my pastor mentioned in a class he was teaching, the phrase from the Bible (from one of Jesus’ parables) that when he died, he would hope he would hear the words (from God), “Well done, my good and faithful servant.” That, he said, would complete his life on this earth in a happy manner. I’ve thought about him saying that recently and, yes, it gets me thinking a lot about life and the point of it all and the conclusion of it all. (By the way, he has since passed on, and I sincerely hope he had the experience he was looking forward to, hearing whose words when he made his transition from this life to whatever is next.)

Thinking about life and all its mystery and uncertainty, I find myself thinking along similar lines as my minister mentioned. At the conclusion of all of this experience called our life, what would we like as we breathe our last breath? Yes, I would like to hear those words. Words telling me that I lived a good life (overall), I did my job, my duty, my purpose and did it well. Yes, that would be nice. Something I can hope for, at least. Validation is nice, isn’t it? We often don’t get much of that in life it seems, for most of us, anyway.

I’ve lived a long life, thank goodness. Thank God, if you will. Sure, I’ve messed up, had some bad times, made some bad choices, perhaps. Haven’t we all? But, overall, it’s been great. I had dreams in my youth. I worked hard at realizing them and I was very fortunate to achieve all my aspirations. If that were not the case, at this point in my life I would be a disappointed and discouraged person, like so many people I have known. But I am very pleased with my life having done what I set out to do, regardless of others trying to interfere in my journey and limit me, discourage me and put me down in obvious and subtle ways. I overcame whatever popped up in my life trying to throw me off course. I stayed the course as they say. I overcame bad experiences, bad people I got involved with in my ignorance and inexperience of life. Getting a little spiritual in this regard, I would say I was guided and protected by the greater forces of life (which I’ll call God). Something guided and protected me.

So, what about you? Happy with your life and how it has turned out? Or less than happy? There’s no right or wrong answer to this question. It’s just an evaluation of the many decades of life you have lived. How do you think you will feel on that last day? Well, besides being resistant to letting go and feeling awful about your departure, how would you evaluate your life?

I’m happy that I feel complete with my life. I’m satisfied with how it has all played out. No regrets, no real disappointments. No anger issues, no unresolved conflicts with people. A good place to be as I see it.

So, maybe after contemplating all of this, I would say the same thing my late minister said. When I pass on (to whatever), if I were to hear a voice in that great void, I would also like it to be :

Wally

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Religion / Science / Life / And Beyond [ Post #84 ]

So, in one short essay, I’ll cover all of life. Yeah, sure. Well, perhaps give a quick overview of things in my life from the perspective of where I’m at right now, anyway. If you have read many of my previous blog posts, you can probably comprehend most of what I’m going to say here. But, just to update you, here goes.

Religion, now there’s a big subject. I’ve talked a lot about it here and there. I’ve spent a good portion of my life involved in it and studying it. I went to theological seminary. I have studied it in depth since seminary. It is a fascinating subject to me. Fascinating especially when I go deep into my study of it, studying what the scholars have to say about it. I’m not interested in the superficial, fluffy stuff one can often experience in a religious institution such as a church. As my professor in seminary once told us, “You don’t ever want to tell your congregation what you learn in seminary and biblical scholarship, as that will destroy their faith!” I understood that to mean, just teach and preach the standard, church- approved stuff. Let the people feel good about life and God, etc. Don’t bother them with the problems and conflicts and contradictions of religion.

Well, I have two strong feelings about religion. One is, for most people, it is good to have a good, well thought-out religion, or spiritual path. If it works for you, fine. If it brings more love into your life, good. Live it! Live your religion. But keep an open mind. If you find out it gives or promotes prejudice and hate, reconsider your “faith.” Something is not right, as I see it.

Okay, my other thought about religion. There is an awful history of religions and the evil ways they have been used. No question about this, just study history. The most awful history of how religion has been used to control and kill millions throughout the years. It’s sickening and evil.

So, religion can be awful. But check them out and if you find a good one, fine. So, is this perspective contradictory? Yes, I admit it. Just like so much of life, it is contradictory.

Okay, on to science. Here’s a subject that many think is the opposite of religion. Talk about contradictions! Many religious fundamentalists are not too keen on science. God created human life and all existence six thousand years ago in the Garden of Eden, they say. Not billions of years ago like most scientists say. And this is just one example of how some religionists view science. I won’t belabor the point; you get the idea.

I happen to be enjoying a deeper study of science right now with my college and university DVD courses which I have mentioned in previous blogs. I had some basic science in general education, but I admit it was not my favorite subject, or perhaps I just found it harder to understand than other subjects. I am now really enjoying it, even if I still find some subjects difficult to really understand. I have a course on cosmology that is so far beyond my comprehension I understand so little of what the excellent professor is teaching. Oh, well, I must be picking up some knowledge, if very little. I’ll redo the course later, I’m sure.

Another interesting thing about science. It changes with the times and new knowledge is discovered. Pluto was a planet when I was young and now it’s not. Science is very interesting, I’m finding. It causes me to look at things in life very differently than previously. It helps to understand how and why things happen. I find mystery in what created all the laws of science, just as the early discoverers and theologians did. Why are things the way they are? Is life chaos or is life orderly, etc., etc. And what is behind it all?

Well, as for the last two topics of this blog, life and beyond life. You’ve probably picked up from my previous blogs that I am basically a positive type of person’ or at least I look for the positive and try to live in the positive aspect of human life on this planet. True, I haven’t always been this way. My childhood was one of some very dark periods, but I survived and thrived. I worked my way through a lot of difficult times, emotionally and psychologically. I achieved my dreams and had great experiences and loves. And now my life incorporates some aspects of religion and a spiritual path. And, I might add, a lot of mystery. A lot of mystery. I don’t really know much about life in so many ways. I try to understand what I can and realize we can’t comprehend it all. We can’t comprehend most of it (life), as I see it. Why life? Why the universe? Why any existence at all?

Okay, so now on to the “and beyond” part to conclude this essay. If I see this life as basically a mystery, I certainly see the “beyond this life” as a complete mystery. Oh, I know, religion has lots of answers in this realm. And people hold strong beliefs about the “hereafter.” But to me, it’s a mystery. In the past I was very logical and materialistic when it came to this stuff. Life cannot be understood and certainly death can’t be either. But this is one area where I have had to revise my thoughts and beliefs. For a long time, especially when I was in my “atheistic” period, death was final. Existence was over, period. I remember one day my now spouse said, “well, sorry I won’t see you on the “other side.” Hmmmm.

So, I have had some weird and strange experiences in the past several years. I have been convinced (going against my logical thinking) that there is “something else,” or an unseen, invisible side to life. No, I don’t understand it. But I cannot dismiss some psychic type experiences I’ve had. And my research on NDE’s (Near Death Experiences) and similar type experiences convince me that there’s more to life than just this earthly life. But, once again, I don’t understand. I don’t understand the mystery. It’s all such a mystery. That’s where I am. And I believe, but believe what? That the mystery will be revealed as we travel on, in this life and then the other experience when it comes.

So, perhaps I’ve really said nothing in this blog. All of life is a mystery. I don’t understand much of anything. Like I’ve said before, all I know is that life can be good. We can have a good life. We can dream our dreams and realize them. I have. And we can love. We can avoid hate, we really can. And if we love, then, we have found the purpose of life. To me, it’s really that simple. And I will go on in life loving and learning and when the time comes and it is all over, well, then, perhaps some of the mystery will be revealed. That’s how I see it.

Wally