Last week on vacation I began an interesting book, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. Now, I don’t practice Zen, nor do I ride motorcycles, and I know virtually nothing about how either works. Nevertheless, isn’t reading the thing that can take you places you’ve never gone? An escape?
This book was a runaway hit in the early 70’s and has been on my list for a while. It is also pretty easy reading and on one level is the story about a father, his eleven year-old son and two other friends who ride out West on the back of motorcycles. This part of the storyline is simple.
But, like with many good books, there is a deeper story, also. You see, this father is trying to figure out his life. He is on a journey – and I’m a sucker for journeys – and is trying to understand what it is that he’s lost in life. He must first comprehend the past to understand who he is now and who he can be tomorrow. When read on this level, it is a book of Philosophy.
One thought that has captured my imagination occurs as the father is trying to understand the difference between himself and one of his riding partners. He observes that we glean our picture of the world as we notice a myriad of events in our lives and select them and sort them and process them. The author’s exact quotes was, We take a handful of sand form the endless landscape of awareness around us and call that handful of sand the world.
My wheels have really been turning on this. I’ve known people whose world was simply as big as their living room and what they could see from it. One said, Did you know that 17 school buses pass our house each morning on the way to school? That’s 3 more than last year!
I’ve also known people whose world was grand. I knew one lady who was basically confined to her very small home in rural Virginia because of physical limitations, yet her world was large and full of ideas that she wanted to discuss with me. She was involved with many people and lived life to the fullest with her mind through books and conversation and worship.
I wonder what sand I am holding in my hand and how it shapes my understanding of the world. I fear I often hold tight to the wrong things. I worry and am anxious. I can be selfish. My world gets too small. I rely too much on myself.
A wise person once said, One must look at the world with the Bible in one hand and the New York Times in the other. (Feel free to substitute your newspaper of choice.) I would add, When in doubt, focus on the Bible and the Good News therein, for it is here that we find our grounding.
Late one afternoon on the beach last week I stood with my feet in the sand; the coolish waves were lapping over my ankles. As I looked up I saw the moon clearly in the darkening blue sky. I think I began to understand being ‘wed to heaven yet rooted on earth.’
What do you hold in your hand that shapes your understanding of the world? My prayer is that you hold tight to what is Hopeful and Best and learn to turn loose of everything else. Jesus said it this way, But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. (Mt 6.33)
Blessings,
Ande
Do you have comments? I'd love to hear: ande.myers@gmail.com
