It has been a while since I’ve posted here – a lot has been happening. Our family moved from Seattle to Madison, Wisconsin. We’ve talked about this before and almost moved, but this time we finally did it. There was a pull to be closer to aging parents. There was a push to get out of the VA and being a federal employee during a time that federal employees were being scapegoated, demonized, and “othered.”
As I wrote in the prologue of the Hero’s Journey class I used to teach to Veterans:
All journeys begin with a loss. Sometimes we do not recognize the loss, because we are so focused on the excitement of the new outer vistas we are entering. Other times, loss is the only thing we are aware of; we don’t see adventure or experience, we only see tragedy.
All journeys begin with a gain. Sometimes we do not recognize the gain, because we are so focused on the grief of what we are leaving behind. Other times, gain is the only thing we are aware of; we don’t see the loss, just the excitement of the new.
All journeys are ultimately made alone. Resign yourself to be alone, as all journeys require being alone.
All journeys are made with others. Embrace fellowship, because no journey is done completely alone.
Perhaps the entire secret of life is to continually strive to create enough space within ourselves, in our souls to accommodate as many of our life experiences —be they good or bad, joyful or tragic — as we can.
Joseph Campbell said that it is not so much that we are searching for meaning as that “what we’re seeking is an experience of being alive, so that our life experiences on the purely physical plane will have resonances with our own innermost being and reality, so that we will actually feel the rapture of being alive,” (Joseph Campbell with Bill Moyers, The Power of Myth, 4-5).
At some point, maybe I will write more about the difficulties of this move, the death of our cat, Sofia, the week we were supposed to drive across the country, the cd player breaking in Idaho, the many delays and difficulties with moving into the new house, or our run in with a giant green man in Blue Earth, Minnesota.
For now, I’ll just introduce the next episode of the Becoming a True Human Podcast, Episode 12: Moving.
Episode 12: Moving:
After a long hiatus, Chris Smith and Dave Kopacz discuss the varied aspects of moving, from moving across the country, moving/transitioning jobs, being moved by stories, and the GI tract as a metaphor for life – moving too fast or moving too slowly can both be painful.
Chris shares a number of short readings from his work in progress, A Soft Way, a variation on the Tao Te Ching through the lens of chronic illness, specifically “moving disorders” such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Ulcerative Colitis, and Crohn’s Disease.
Dave muses about his recent cross-country move from Seattle to Madison, Wisconsin, applying the hero’s journey to everyday life, and changing jobs to allow greater movement and flexibility.
Also, I didn’t post Episode 11: Freedom of Free Doom? Here it is for those who might want it:
With the 4th of July next week, Dave and Chris reflect on the relationship between Freedom and Free Doom. Is doom inherent in freedom, are they in some kind of relationship, can there be freedom without doom? They look at the inescapable reality of sickness and death in life and how these limitations can actually shape the kinds of human freedom that are available. We are “doomed” to die, and yet human freedom is possible within the span of birth to death. Limitation is also present in the choices that we make in life – one choice often precludes other options.
Dave draws on recent readings of Erich Fromm’s Escape from Freedom and Timothy Snyder’s On Freedom, which look at psychological and political perspectives on freedom and fascism. Chris ponders on the relationship between meditation and freedom. They discuss the relationship between individualistic and inter-relational freedom – agreeing that freedom of the individual is not possible without freedom of all as they draw on Dave’s Me/We version of the Circle of Health, Thich Nhat Hanh’s interbeing, and ubuntu as described by Archbishop Desmond Tutu. They end referencing Václav Havel’s definition of hope.
Being Fully Human 