Be in the World

Live in the Mystery

“Asking yourself deeper questions opens up new ways of being in the world. It brings in a breath of fresh air. It makes life more joyful. The real trick to life is not to be in the know, but to be in the mystery.”

Fred Alan Wolf

We Americans are so caught up in the Presidential election that it borders on obsession. On the surface of things, it seems to be because we aren't in love with the personality of either candidate. We have somehow “mysteriously” ended up with two extreme people who each represent the far edges of our American reality. We scratch our heads and wonder how we got here; how could this happen? On a deeper level, we are watching the changing of the guard.

When I was a young woman, many decades ago, men like Mr. Trump were the norm—they said what they wanted, did what they wanted, and honestly, in my experience, no one patently objected. In fact, women participated in the game of seduction, and laughed behind their hands at the overt sexual suggestions and actions. With the feminist movement, women began to wake up to the demeaning nature of this behavior, and to educate themselves. Now, women make up greater than half of the medical and law school classes, as well as every other profession once held only by men. And, now, a woman has the audacity to be a heartbeat away from the oval office.

On a still deeper level, we are watching the final days of patriarchal dominance of the world. The authoritarian establishment is fighting back. They would turn back the clock to when their power was not questioned. That is happening all over the world right now. It will be interesting to see whether time can be reversed through brutality, or not.

Nothing exists in a vacuum. The situation we're in at this moment in time began growing its roots thousands of years ago. Humans are endlessly interesting, and complex, and ever changing. We are the best and most compassionate of creatures, and the most malevolent and murderous. One day our better angels are in control, and the next our worst devils prevail. In the meantime, we make slow and steady progress toward equality.

Dr. Fred Alan Wolf is a physicist who writes about the human soul. Here is what he has written about the nature of our existence: “Learning to see love and to express love is the purpose of living this life. What's real has love at its heart; the universe is constructed from love, and that love is very much tied to our power of attention and imagination...Reality gets created through acts of observation.” This is a very good time to ponder the deeper questions, and to reside solidly in the mystery.

                                                         In the Spirit,

                                                             Jane