For the past month or so, I have been watching a cardinal attack its reflection in my neighbor's window and in the rear windshield of my truck. He is only protecting his territory, as he thinks the reflection is another cardinal moving in. And while I obviously understand this bird doesn't have the rational ability of a human, I still keep waiting for him to get it, to realize he is only fighting his reflection, that the other bird doesn't exist.
My wife and I were sitting on the deck watching his antics and wondering if he was going to spend the totality of his short lifespan bouncing off a window when it dawned on me that is what we all do. We spend our lives fighting illusion. Our lives are in reality not that different than this bird's. The things that concern us, that we will fight for till the end are nothing more than a reflection of inner mental gymnastics, our irrational fears, emotional card tricks, and senseless desires. And our problem, like that of my red-winged neighbor, is that we don't realize it. We think the illusions are real. And until we see them for what they are, if we ever do, we will continue to live in bondage.
Right now we are restricted by COVID-19, like it or not. Coronavirus doesn't care a wit if we like it, if we believe it is real, or if we think it is all a government plot to take our candy away. The reality is this is not a pleasant situation for most of us, for some it's the final situation on this trip around the sun. But it will in the end be a transformative situation. Fr. Richard Rohr calls it a liminal time, a transitional period typically found in rites of passage. For me, that is the only way to see this. But, I am trying to keep in mind that this time period itself and not what is to follow is the important aspect right now, as this is what is happening now. There is a blessing in all of this, not only in what is to follow but in what is happening right now. With that in mind, it is still a struggle to remember to not bounce off of windows fighting an illusion.
My wife and I were sitting on the deck watching his antics and wondering if he was going to spend the totality of his short lifespan bouncing off a window when it dawned on me that is what we all do. We spend our lives fighting illusion. Our lives are in reality not that different than this bird's. The things that concern us, that we will fight for till the end are nothing more than a reflection of inner mental gymnastics, our irrational fears, emotional card tricks, and senseless desires. And our problem, like that of my red-winged neighbor, is that we don't realize it. We think the illusions are real. And until we see them for what they are, if we ever do, we will continue to live in bondage.
Right now we are restricted by COVID-19, like it or not. Coronavirus doesn't care a wit if we like it, if we believe it is real, or if we think it is all a government plot to take our candy away. The reality is this is not a pleasant situation for most of us, for some it's the final situation on this trip around the sun. But it will in the end be a transformative situation. Fr. Richard Rohr calls it a liminal time, a transitional period typically found in rites of passage. For me, that is the only way to see this. But, I am trying to keep in mind that this time period itself and not what is to follow is the important aspect right now, as this is what is happening now. There is a blessing in all of this, not only in what is to follow but in what is happening right now. With that in mind, it is still a struggle to remember to not bounce off of windows fighting an illusion.
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