Yesterday was pretty cool. I was reminded of the power of being linked to other human beings. It was my birthday – and I was delighted to receive (literally) hundreds of warm, sweet, kind birthday greetings. Some messages were by phone, some by email, quite a few via Twitter, FaceBook, and text. Heck, I even got a bunch of well wishes in person (what a novel ideaJ). I was touched by each one of them, and tried to respond to each sender individually. Truly, I feel very much loved. And there’s more. Though this could be another post about the effective tool of social network media (yes, I do feel that I’m basically in touch with virtually every person I’ve ever known), it really isn’t. What I’m really thinking about goes much deeper. Yesterday’s experience was a reminder about the sanctity of CONNECTEDNESS.
Without sounding too hokey – I have come to understand that connectedness is the root (and end result) of the religious quest. I am profoundly moved by a passage in Art Green’s masterful new book Radical Judaism, Rethinking God & Tradition:
The intimations of holiness I encounter in both time and space serve as windows through which I catch brief glimpses of an underlying cosmic unity, insights into a deeper truth about being…All of existence is holy. Every creature, whether alive and sensate or “inanimate,” is nothing other than the sacred presence of Y-H-W-H, hidden and revealed through yet another of its endless masks. No creature is truly separate from my own self, since I too am but one of the masks of God. My “self” is nothing other than a manifestation of the single Self of being, having ever so temporarily arranged its molecules in a pattern that allows for this particular manifestation. My love and reverence for all creatures, including all the human and nonhuman others I encounter, derives from the awareness that we are all one in Y-H-W-H. This awareness calls upon me to know and to care for those others, as I partake in and celebrate the diversity though which our shared inner Self becomes present in the world.
Beyond the possibility of being connected with all around us – by definition we are so interrelated. Our sacred task is not so much to create such connections, more so to recognize and cultivate these relationships. Almost funny how a few voice mails, electronic messages, and good ol’ Hallmark greeting cards could remind me of something so meaningful: working on our sacred connectedness to one another, we engage our potential to animate the divine in every other we meet. Martin Buber said “The world is not comprehensible, but it is embraceable: through the embracing of one of its beings;” and further, “When two people relate to each other authentically and humanly, God is the electricity that surges between them.” I am fortunate to experience that surge in my encounters; may we be blessed to generate such energy all along the path of our lives.
Happy belated birthday. Since you mentioned "Radical Judaism", which is on my shelf and waiting to be read, I thought I would suggest a book along a similar vein: "Everything is God: The Radical Path of Nondual Judaism" by Jay Michaelson. I'm reading it at present and it's a fabulous book. Perhaps you've already read it. But if not, I recommend it.
ReplyDeletethanks for great recommendation! already have "Everything is God" on my shelf - next to be read!
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