Mercy
A friend messages me this morning and said that in her bible study they were exploring the concept of mercy. I messaged back, “I suspect that the God of my understanding is not surprised that we are human.”
I cannot imagine that there is a person reading this blog who has not had multiple “human” moments in their life journey; moments during which they did something hurtful or potentially hurtful to others. How many times has one been angry enough to throw something which could have hit someone at just the right angle at the right speed and permanently injured or killed them. How many times has one been driving and momentarily got distracted nearly causing a wreck or hitting a pedestrian? How many times has one cheated- just a little, discovered one did not pay for something at the store, misrepresented some expense on one’s tax report, wished someone harm, been a self-centered person ignoring the needs of others, “borrowed” something that did not belong to one, lied to convince someone to have sex, or done a myriad of other action which could easily have crossed a legal line and given the right set of circumstances - ones race or economic status - risked being charged with a crime?
Which one of the readers of his blog deliberately ordered an illness which affects the ability to experience a shared reality? Which one of can claim to be morally superior to those in prison? Which one of us has allowed a craving for power, the “need” to be right, the fear of rejection, poverty or some other condition to guide some of our decisions?
We have a multitude of words in our language to separate the “good” people from the “bad” people; to identify the “criminals” from the non-criminals. Many of us resent those who need a hand up and label them as those wanting a hand out. Many of us hold tight to the illusion that we have a “free will”; that we can treat our body with disrespect in terms of exercise, nutrition, and emotional factors and still expect to have a shared reality grounded in one’s core values.
If one is going to posit a god of one’s understanding why would one posit a god who was shocked that we are imperfect humans; that we have not only have some programmed parts but parts which may or may not work well on any given day or in any given moment? If the god of one’s understanding already knows that we are human, he/she/it is not going to be surprised that we engage in behavior which is illogical?
The god of my understanding is well aware that we are human; is well aware that the function of our brain is less than perfect. If this is true what does the concept of mercy mean? The accepted general definition of mercy seems to be forgiveness for one’s sin. If this is accurate than it makes no sense to say we need mercy or forgiveness. My spiritual goal is to do what I can to do my small part to function as a part of the whole - to cause no harm but to add to the effective functioning of the whole. Yet, being the human that I am I often fall short. Not only do factors out of my control affect how my brain functions, but I make decision to eat unearthly foods, to not get enough rest or otherwise ensure that my brain will not function at an optimal level.
Do I need forgiveness for being human or do I need the self-confidence/the sense of self-worth to accept what was neglectful, hurtful, less than my best? My Buddhist teacher would suggest that I merely notice the outcome of my behavior; to not label it as good or bad but to notice whether it achieved my desired moral or spiritual goal.
Written February 4, 2021
Jimmy F Pickett
coachpickett.org
A friend messages me this morning and said that in her bible study they were exploring the concept of mercy. I messaged back, “I suspect that the God of my understanding is not surprised that we are human.”
I cannot imagine that there is a person reading this blog who has not had multiple “human” moments in their life journey; moments during which they did something hurtful or potentially hurtful to others. How many times has one been angry enough to throw something which could have hit someone at just the right angle at the right speed and permanently injured or killed them. How many times has one been driving and momentarily got distracted nearly causing a wreck or hitting a pedestrian? How many times has one cheated- just a little, discovered one did not pay for something at the store, misrepresented some expense on one’s tax report, wished someone harm, been a self-centered person ignoring the needs of others, “borrowed” something that did not belong to one, lied to convince someone to have sex, or done a myriad of other action which could easily have crossed a legal line and given the right set of circumstances - ones race or economic status - risked being charged with a crime?
Which one of the readers of his blog deliberately ordered an illness which affects the ability to experience a shared reality? Which one of can claim to be morally superior to those in prison? Which one of us has allowed a craving for power, the “need” to be right, the fear of rejection, poverty or some other condition to guide some of our decisions?
We have a multitude of words in our language to separate the “good” people from the “bad” people; to identify the “criminals” from the non-criminals. Many of us resent those who need a hand up and label them as those wanting a hand out. Many of us hold tight to the illusion that we have a “free will”; that we can treat our body with disrespect in terms of exercise, nutrition, and emotional factors and still expect to have a shared reality grounded in one’s core values.
If one is going to posit a god of one’s understanding why would one posit a god who was shocked that we are imperfect humans; that we have not only have some programmed parts but parts which may or may not work well on any given day or in any given moment? If the god of one’s understanding already knows that we are human, he/she/it is not going to be surprised that we engage in behavior which is illogical?
The god of my understanding is well aware that we are human; is well aware that the function of our brain is less than perfect. If this is true what does the concept of mercy mean? The accepted general definition of mercy seems to be forgiveness for one’s sin. If this is accurate than it makes no sense to say we need mercy or forgiveness. My spiritual goal is to do what I can to do my small part to function as a part of the whole - to cause no harm but to add to the effective functioning of the whole. Yet, being the human that I am I often fall short. Not only do factors out of my control affect how my brain functions, but I make decision to eat unearthly foods, to not get enough rest or otherwise ensure that my brain will not function at an optimal level.
Do I need forgiveness for being human or do I need the self-confidence/the sense of self-worth to accept what was neglectful, hurtful, less than my best? My Buddhist teacher would suggest that I merely notice the outcome of my behavior; to not label it as good or bad but to notice whether it achieved my desired moral or spiritual goal.
Written February 4, 2021
Jimmy F Pickett
coachpickett.org
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