23 Dec 07 - 13 Jan 08

The thought for the Christmas period is by Herman Hesse:

You should long for the perfection of yourself.
The deity is within you, not in ideas and books.
Truth is lived, not taught.

This comes from a novel for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature in 1946. The longer extract is:

" 'Oh, if only it were possible to find understanding,' Joseph exclaimed. 'If only there were dogma to believe in. Everything is contradictory, everything tangential; there are no certainties anywhere. Everything can be interpreted one way and then again interpreted in the opposite sense. The whole of world history can be explained as development and progress and can also be seen as nothing but decadence and meaninglessness. Isn't there any truth? Is there no real and valid doctrine?' The master had never heard him speak so fervently . He walked on in silence for a little, then said: 'There is truth, my boy. But the doctrine you desire, absolute, perfect dogma that alone provides wisdom, does not exist. Nor should you long for a perfect doctrine, my friend. Rather, you should long for the perfection of yourself. The deity is within you, not in ideas and books. Truth is lived, not taught.' "

Hermann Hesse (1877-1962, poet, novelist, painter; from 'The Glass Bead Game', translated by Richard & Clara Winston, Penguin, 1976, p7).

Additional Thoughts

There are a number of themes in the above extract which we could develop. For now, we will take the idea "The deity is within you" which reflects the Christmas message of "Emmanuel", meaning "God is with us".

Here are some thoughts from different traditions:

"Heaven is hidden in the depth of the heart, that glorious place which is only found by those who renounce themselves" Mahanarayana Upanishad.

"When you seek God, seek him in your heart. He is not in Jerusalem, not in Mecca nor in the Hajj." Yunus Emre (Islamic Sufi, 1280-1330).

"The kingdom of God is not coming with things that can be observed … for, in fact, the kingdom of God is within you." Gospel of Luke (17vv20/21).

16th - 23rd Dec 2007

This week's thought is about the freedom to express one's ideas – an essential ingredient in a university:

"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it."

Evelyn Beatrice Hall (1868-1919, writer; from 'The Friends of Voltaire' (1906) written under the pseudonym Stephen G. Tallentyre). The quotation is a paraphrase of Voltaire in his 'Essay on Tolerance' and so is often misattributed to Voltaire (1694 – 1778, philosopher).

Additional Thoughts

Physicist David Bohm became very interested in solving the crises of humanity and believes that freedom to express one's ideas clearly without force is a key ingredient:

"Suppose we were able to share meanings freely without a compulsive urge to impose our view or to conform to those of others and without distortion and self-deception. Would this not constitute a real revolution in culture?"

David Bohm (1917-1992; physicist and philosopher; from 'Changing Consciousness', 1992).

In her analysis of the origins of the Bible, Karen Armstrong shows that freedom to interpret the Bible needs a charitable outlook in a divided world:

"The 'principle of charity' accords with the religious ideal of compassion… Today we see too much strident certainly in both the religious and the secular spheres. Instead of quoting the Bible in order to denigrate homosexuals, liberals or women priests, we could recall Augustine's rule of faith: an exegete [interpreter of Biblical text] must always seek the most charitable interpretation of a text.
"The Bible is in danger of becoming a dead or an irrelevant letter; it is being distorted by claims for its literal infallibility; it is derided – often unfairly – by secular fundamentalists; it is also becoming a toxic arsenal that fuels hatred and sterile polemic. The development of a more compassionate hermeneutics [interpretation] could provide an important counter-narrative in our discordant world."

Karen Armstrong (1944-, "freelance monotheist"; from 'The Bible: The Biography', 2007).

9th - 16th Dec 2007

In his book 'The God Delusion', atheist Richard Dawkins gives the impression that all religious people think that an unquestioning faith is a virtue. This may be a "pernicious delusion" (a phrase Dawkins uses for those who believe in God) which Dawkins himself is trying to spread. My own faith tradition regards questioning as an essential element for a growing faith to be relevant in every generation (see Additional Thoughts below). Perhaps Dawkins is confusing an unquestioning faith with trust - it is an unwavering trust which is a virtue. As a 'religious scientist', I agree fully with Albert Einstein that:

"The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing. One cannot help but be in awe when he contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvellous structure of reality. It is enough if one tries merely to comprehend a little of this mystery every day. Never lose a holy curiosity."

Albert Einstein (1879-1955, Physicist and Nobel Laureate; from the magazine 'Life', May 2, 1955).

Additional Thoughts

Some thoughts about questioning from theologians:

"To ask questions is ultimately to be enriched."

Frances Young (Cadbury Professor of Theology, Birmingham University; from "Can these Dry Bones Live?" SCM Press, 1982, p19).

"Exploring and questions are essentials to the dynamic of living faith."

David Jenkins (former Bishop of Durham; from "The Calling of a Cuckoo: Not Quite an Autobiography" Continuum, New York / London, 2003, p66).

2nd - 9th Dec 2007

'Humility' is sometimes regarded negatively as a sign of weakness. True humility is the opposite of arrogance, which is at the heart of conflict and war. Humility says, I am passionate about what I think and believe, but I may be wrong.

"If thou wouldst become a pilgrim on the path
Of love
The first condition is
That thou become as humble as dust
And ashes."

Al-Ansari (from 'The Persian Mystics', translated by Sardar Sir Jogendra Singh, John Murray Ltd, 1939).

Additional Thoughts

This Slav proverb reminds us, not only that our own evolution is a result of the elements thrown out by dead stars, but that humility is not contrary to our human dignity:

"Remember you are of the earth, therefore be humble;
remember you are of the stars, therefore be noble."

And a specifically spiritual quotation from William Temple who was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1942-4:

"The source of humility . . . is the habit of realising the presence of God. Humility does not mean thinking less of yourself that of other people, nor does it mean having a low opinion of your own gifts. It means freedom from thinking about yourself one way or the other at all."

William Temple(1881-1944, from 'Christ in His Church', Macmillan & Co Ltd, 1925).

25th Nov - 2nd Dec 2007

Life is so full of problems and difficulties, we may think that this is what life is all about; yet we may contemplate that:

"The mystery of life is not a problem to be solved; it is a reality to be experienced."

J J van der Leeuw (from ‘The Conquest of Illusion’, Alfred A Knopf, 1928).

Additional Thought

Dag Hammarskjöld , who was Secretary-General of the United Nations from 1953 to 1961, wrote a personal journal about his own inner struggle. One entry:

"Is life so wretched? Isn't it rather your hands which are too small, your vision which is muddied? You are the one who must grow up."

18th - 25th Nov 2007

The philosopher, John O'Donohue, wrote

"Sometimes, unfortunately, it is suffering or threat that awakens us… When your soul awakens, you begin to truly inherit your life. You leave the kingdom of fake surfaces, repetitive talk and weary roles and slip deeper into the true adventure of who you are and who you are called to become…

"Now you realise how precious your time is here… Now you are impatient for growth, willing to put yourself in the way of change. You want your work to become an expression of your gift. You want your relationship to voyage beyond the pallid frontiers to where the danger of transformation dwells. You want your God to be wild and to call you to where your destiny awaits."

John O'Donohue (Irish poet, philosopher).

Read the whole of O'Donohue's article at http://www.johnodonohue.com/reflections/

11th - 18th Nov 2007

Are we loosing our sense of wonder which has, in the past, been linked with a search for knowledge? Today many people study in order, for example, to obtain a degree or to publish an academic paper – not so much to satisfy their curiosity and wonder. Has wonder a place in our universities?

"To be surprised, to wonder, is to begin to understand."

José Ortega y Gasset (1883 1955, Spanish philosopher).

Additional Thoughts
One of the most significant Jewish theologians clearly linked wonder with knowledge:

"Wonder rather than doubt is the root of knowledge."

Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel (1907–1972, Jewish theologian; from 'Man Is Not Alone').

We know that young children have an amazing sense of wonder:

"The qualities that children have which adults often lose are these: an insatiable curiosity, an infuriating persistence in asking why or how, energy and drive to explore and discover, a touching sense of wonder and a tremendous capacity for enjoyment."

Revd Dr Frances Young (theologian; from 'Can these Dry Bones Live?' SCM Press, 1982, p5).

Finally:

"We die on the day when our lives cease to be illuminated by the steady
radiance, renewed daily, of a wonder, the source of which is beyond reason."

Dag Hammarskjöld (1905–1961, Swedish diplomat & the 2nd Secretary-General of the United Nations).

4th - 11th Nov 2007

How do we cope with grief and suffering? Usually very badly as it affects our very being. Jim Cotter, like many people, has experienced much pain in his life and expresses our reactions to it in this paraphrase of one of the 'Beatitudes':

"Miserable are those who wallow in self-pity:
they will sink into bitterness and despair.
Blessed are those who accept their experience of sorrow:
they will grow in courage and compassion."

Jim Cotter (from "Prayer at Night: A Book for the Darkness". Sheffield: Cairns Publications, 1983).

Additional Thought
I think it is worth quoting extensively from Harold Kushner's book 'Why Bad Things Happen to Good People':

"In the final analysis, the question of why bad things happen to good people translates itself into some very different questions, no longer asking why something happened, but asking how we will respond, what we intend to do now it has happened.

"Are you capable of forgiving and accepting in love a world which has disappointed you by not being perfect, a world in which there is so much unfairness and cruelty, disease and crime, earthquake and accident? Can you forgive its imperfections and love it because it is capable of containing great beauty and goodness, and because it is the only world we have?

"Are you capable of forgiving and loving the people around you, even if they have hurt you and let you down by not being perfect? Can you forgive them and love them, because there aren't any perfect people around, and because the penalty for not being able to love imperfect people is condemning oneself to loneliness?

"Are you capable of forgiving and loving God even when you have found out that He is not perfect, even when He has let you down and disappointed you by permitting bad luck and sickness and cruelty in His world, and permitting some of those things to happen to you? Can you learn to love and forgive Him despite His limitations, as Job does, and as you once learned to forgive and love your parents even though they were not as wise, as strong, or as perfect as you needed them to be?

"And if you can do these things, will you be able to recognize that the ability to forgive and the ability to love are the weapons God has given us to enable us to live fully, bravely, and meaningfully in this less-than-perfect world?"

Harold S Kushner (from 'Why Bad Things Happen to Good People', Pan Books, 1982, p152).

28th Oct - 4th Nov 2007

I have been reading "Anam Cara: Spiritual Wisdom from the Celtic World" by John O'Donohue. The book is described as "a rare synthesis of philosophy, poetry and spirituality" and begins with some thoughts about friendship (anam cara means 'soul friend'). This quotation is typical of O'Donohue's writing:

"A friend is a loved one who awakens your life in order to free the wild possibilities within you."

John O'Donohue (Irish poet, philosopher; see www.johnodonohue.com).

Additional Thoughts

"You can depend upon a friend… Between friends there rules only the promise to walk with each other and to be there for each other, in other words, a faithfulness that has to do not with acting and possessing but with the individual person and with being. Friendship is then a deep human relation that arises out of freedom, consists in mutual freedom, and preserves this freedom."

Jürgen Moltmann (theologian; from 'The Open Church', SCM Press, 1978).

Such friends are very different from the majority of 'friends' we may have in Facebook. Friendship described by John O'Donohue and Jurgen Moltmann have something of the divine within them:

"Jesus said…'I have called you friends.' "

The Bible (John 15:15).

21st - 28th Oct 2007

A quotation submitted by Elizabeth Plant:

“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”

Anna Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962, known as Eleanor Roosevelt, American political leader, wife of President Franklin D Roosevelt, active First Lady from 1933 to 1945).

Additional Thoughts
The quotation above is the counterpart to Proverbs 29:18, translated in the King James version of the Bible as:

“Where there is no vision, the people perish.”

Or in the words of Sir Richard Livingstone:

“The eternal trait of men [understand ‘people’] is the need for vision and the readiness to follow it; and if men are not given the right vision, they will follow wandering fires.”

(1880-1960; from “On Education”).

Which raises the question about what is the “right vision”.

14th - 21st Oct 2007

Last week, the anonymous quotation “Whoever dies happiest wins” led to a number of quotations about ‘happiness’ in the Additional Thoughts section. But is happiness the goal of life? People have suggested many goals in life including Nirvana, God, loving children…
Psychologist Erich Fromm suggests that we only find fulfilment in ourselves (apologies for the specifically male references - take them in the general sense of referring to both male and female):

“As long as anyone believes that his ideal and purpose is outside him, that it is above the clouds, in the past or in the future, he will go outside himself and seek fulfilment where it cannot be found. He will look for solutions and answers at every point except the one where they can be found – in himself.”

Erich Fromm (1900 – 1980; from Man for Himself, Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1975).

Additional Thought
Now for a spiritual perspective which contrasts with Erich Fromm:

“To find fulfilment man has to transcend himself, to discover a dimension of being beyond both the physical and the mental, and where the physical world itself is transfigured and is no more subject to corruption and death. This is the world of the resurrection, the ‘new creation’ of St Paul.”

Bede Griffiths OSB (from The Universal Christ, ed Peter Spink, DLT, 1993)

7th - 14th Oct 2007

A quotation which has many interpetations:

“Whoever dies happiest wins.”

Anon (We could imagine that this anonymous quotation was the motto of Jeremy Bentham who proposed that the good is whatever brings the greatest happiness to the greatest number of people).

Additional Thoughts
The quotation raises many questions, but let's just focus on: What do we mean by being happy? What is happiness? Here are a few possibilities (ask me if you want the full reference):

"Happiness lies more in giving than in receiving" Bible (Acts 20:35).
"Happiness lies in creativity" William Sykes, Visions of Grace.
"Happiness is...freedom from guilt" Henrik Ibsen, Rosmersholm.

30th Sep - 7th Oct 2007

At the start of a new term and academic year, a thought about education:

"Education has for a chief object the formation of character."
Herbert Spencer (1820-1903, philosopher, social theorist and sociologist; from "Social Statics", 1892).

Additional Thought
"It is in the national interest for the higher education process to develop the whole person…The role of higher education was:
• to inspire and enable individuals to develop their capabilities to the highest potential levels throughout life...
• to promote the spiritual, moral and cultural wellbeing of individuals and of society;
• to increase knowledge and understanding for their own sake...
• and to shape a democratic, civilised, inclusive society."
Church of England Board of Education (General Synod Paper GS1567)
The Paper criticised the Government's White Paper 'The Future of Higher Education' (January 2003) for being too narrow. I have only quoted some of the roles of higher eduction above.

23rd - 30th Sep 2007

Friday 21st was marked as International Day of Peace

"Where ignorance is our master, there is no possibility of real peace."
14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso (1935-).

Additional Thought
"So instead of loving what you think is peace,
love other men and love God above all.
And instead of hating the people you think are warmongers,
hate the appetites and the disorder in your own soul,
which are the causes of war.
If you love peace, then hate injustice, hate tyranny, hate greed
— but hate these things in yourself, not in another."
Thomas Merton (1915-1968; Trappist monk, author, student of Zen; from Passion for Peace: Reflections on War and Nonviolence.