Sunday Musings – January 13, 2019
There was a lovely snowfall overnight which may continue today. Of course, I am acutely aware that it is easy for me to appreciate the snow from the vantage point of my warm home, a full pantry, the physical ability to shovel my driveway, and no concerns about being able to pay my utilities bills. In other words, I am very blessed.
It has been a week during which saying hello and goodbye were a constant reminder of the brevity of this life journey and he fact that what matters is how well we treat each other. I wrote earlier in the week about the reminder of Pastor Chris Figaretti to always keep mercy and grace in the forefront of all one’s actions. This is sage advice for all of us regardless of the base of one’s moral beliefs. The base for Pastor Figaretti is the Christian religion and the teachings of Jesus, but many others whose base is another religion, philosophy or even science will remind us that the human mind is both amazing and fragile. The ability to make what many of us consider a moral decision- a decision which is able to consider the needs of all other people and, in fact, of all of “creation” – is dependent on many factors; factors which determine what information or precepts are stored in the brain, the ability to access them and the ability to act on them. Just this morning I talked to a dear friend who struggles with holding on to the wise, moral voice in his head. Often one strong voice says do action X and other even stronger voice says do action Y. He is working hard to use tools to change which voice he keeps in charge of his behavior. Many factors – chemical balance which is affected by addiction, nutrition, exercise and others including tumors and how well other parts of the body are functioning – affect which voice one can put in charge. We also know that environmental factors including pollutants such as lead, herbasides and others affect the ability of the brain to function.
Many people I know are themselves or their aged relatives (sometimes not so aged) living with various forms and levels of dementia which affect the ability to share a reality with others.
Some of those to whom I said goodbye this week died of a drug overdose – an addictive disorder. They did not order that disorder from Alexa. Sure, they may have experimented with alcohol and other drugs but many do that without becoming addicted.
Us humans want to believe that we have free will and that we can, therefore, easily separate the “good” people deserving of mercy and grace from the “bad”
people not deserving of mercy and grace. Some of us may envy those who seem to have such a clear picture of reality. I am not one of them. Just this morning I read an editorial in the local newspaper about a couple who abused a child. The person writing the editorial was bemoaning the fact that the law in that state only allowed a sentence of 8 years in prison. Cleary abusing a child is a terrible act. These young children were helpless and dependent on these caretakers. The caretakers were not able to fulfill the responsibility for keeping these children safe. Why were they unable to do this? I have no idea? There was not any indication in any of the articles I read about this case that anyone from the prosecutor’s office was particularly interested in this question. They will be punished for 8 years and I suspect for the rest of their lives. It is very like that they will punish themselves more than the community could punish them. The goal is to punish them for having a brain which was not able to consider and tend to the needs of these children. It is, of course, good that the children are now in a safe home. At least I would like to assume that. I also would like to suggest that this couple deserve our mercy and grace; that this couple deserve a diagnosis based on a scientific evaluation and diagnosis. What do we, the community, lose by treating them, with mercy and grace? We lose only our illusion of free will; our ability to avoid the fear that we too may not be able to have cogent, moral thoughts. Perhaps we all should focus on facing our own fears and not avoiding them with our delusional thinking. All psychological and spiritual teachers will remind us that facing our fears is the only path to freedom; to enlightenment; to building a more just and loving society.
Written January 13, 2019
Jimmy F Pickett
There was a lovely snowfall overnight which may continue today. Of course, I am acutely aware that it is easy for me to appreciate the snow from the vantage point of my warm home, a full pantry, the physical ability to shovel my driveway, and no concerns about being able to pay my utilities bills. In other words, I am very blessed.
It has been a week during which saying hello and goodbye were a constant reminder of the brevity of this life journey and he fact that what matters is how well we treat each other. I wrote earlier in the week about the reminder of Pastor Chris Figaretti to always keep mercy and grace in the forefront of all one’s actions. This is sage advice for all of us regardless of the base of one’s moral beliefs. The base for Pastor Figaretti is the Christian religion and the teachings of Jesus, but many others whose base is another religion, philosophy or even science will remind us that the human mind is both amazing and fragile. The ability to make what many of us consider a moral decision- a decision which is able to consider the needs of all other people and, in fact, of all of “creation” – is dependent on many factors; factors which determine what information or precepts are stored in the brain, the ability to access them and the ability to act on them. Just this morning I talked to a dear friend who struggles with holding on to the wise, moral voice in his head. Often one strong voice says do action X and other even stronger voice says do action Y. He is working hard to use tools to change which voice he keeps in charge of his behavior. Many factors – chemical balance which is affected by addiction, nutrition, exercise and others including tumors and how well other parts of the body are functioning – affect which voice one can put in charge. We also know that environmental factors including pollutants such as lead, herbasides and others affect the ability of the brain to function.
Many people I know are themselves or their aged relatives (sometimes not so aged) living with various forms and levels of dementia which affect the ability to share a reality with others.
Some of those to whom I said goodbye this week died of a drug overdose – an addictive disorder. They did not order that disorder from Alexa. Sure, they may have experimented with alcohol and other drugs but many do that without becoming addicted.
Us humans want to believe that we have free will and that we can, therefore, easily separate the “good” people deserving of mercy and grace from the “bad”
people not deserving of mercy and grace. Some of us may envy those who seem to have such a clear picture of reality. I am not one of them. Just this morning I read an editorial in the local newspaper about a couple who abused a child. The person writing the editorial was bemoaning the fact that the law in that state only allowed a sentence of 8 years in prison. Cleary abusing a child is a terrible act. These young children were helpless and dependent on these caretakers. The caretakers were not able to fulfill the responsibility for keeping these children safe. Why were they unable to do this? I have no idea? There was not any indication in any of the articles I read about this case that anyone from the prosecutor’s office was particularly interested in this question. They will be punished for 8 years and I suspect for the rest of their lives. It is very like that they will punish themselves more than the community could punish them. The goal is to punish them for having a brain which was not able to consider and tend to the needs of these children. It is, of course, good that the children are now in a safe home. At least I would like to assume that. I also would like to suggest that this couple deserve our mercy and grace; that this couple deserve a diagnosis based on a scientific evaluation and diagnosis. What do we, the community, lose by treating them, with mercy and grace? We lose only our illusion of free will; our ability to avoid the fear that we too may not be able to have cogent, moral thoughts. Perhaps we all should focus on facing our own fears and not avoiding them with our delusional thinking. All psychological and spiritual teachers will remind us that facing our fears is the only path to freedom; to enlightenment; to building a more just and loving society.
Written January 13, 2019
Jimmy F Pickett
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