Great Love and Great Suffering

In March, I read several difficult books; at least they were for me. I seldom go back and reread a book because I think there are many books I have not read. Now seemed the time to change my stance. After such difficult books, it seemed like the perfect time to pick up my favorite novel: 'East of Eden' by John Steinbeck. I have found the book to be better than it was the first time! 

Through brilliant writing, Steinbeck explores the extremes we find in humanity: good and evil. The characters in the novel who are the most compelling to me are the ones who struggle with being good—those who have an ethical system and they grapple daily trying to do right. The wise Chinese man, Lee, states while discussing the Biblical story of Cain and Abel, 'If the story is not about the hearer he will not listen. And I here make a rule—a great and lasting story is about everyone or it will not last.' The brilliance of Lee's statement is that it reflects on the book 'East of Eden.' The book is about us. It is about me grappling with my ethical system to do right. 

April is the start of year three for the Great Books reading project, and we head back to read the ancient Greeks. The first reading is the Greek tragedy 'Prometheus Bound' by Aeschylus. I have not read this before and loved reading it. Reading this alongside 'East of Eden,' I found a similar theme. 

In the drama, Zeus is angry with Prometheus for giving away some of his powers to Man. Prometheus says, 'I place in them blind hopes.' and 'Besides this, I gave them fire.' Man becomes more powerful with fire. This ignites Zeus's anger. Prometheus does not regret what he has done. He will not bend and has a horrific punishment. The pull between Zeus and Prometheus to determine what is right and good is similar to the tension in 'East of Eden' between good and evil. 

Richard Rohr says that two things cause significant growth: great suffering and great love. Both of these have traveled with me on my life's journey. As I reflect on my life, I see an evolution in my ethical system. In his book 'The Universal Christ,' Richard Rohr writes: 'humans are fashioned to love people more than principles.' I am hoping that my ethical system is evolving to love. It is much simpler. In this challenge of loving people, Steinbeck's theme shines through: the tension between good and evil is what makes us human. Prometheus, in his wisdom states, 'Time in its ageing course teaches all things.' Now, for me to be a good student.

Photo by Andreas Stiebe in Rome

Currently reading:

• Psalm (5th Century BCE by King David and Solomon
• The First Four Books of Poems (1995) by Louise Glück
• The History (425 BC) by Herodotus
• Kajsa Kavat (1950) by Astrid Lindgren
• Every Thing is Sacred (2021) by Richard Rohr and Patrick Boland
• The Universal Christ (2019) by Richard Rohr
• East of Eden  (1951) by John Steinbeck
• The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz (2020) by Erik Larson

Completed:

• Prometheus Bound (450 BC) by Aeschylus
• The Correspondence (2017) by J.D. Daniels
• Averno (2006) by Louise Glück
• What Unites Us (2017) by Dan Rather
• Proverbs (8th Century BC) by King Solomon
• The Waves (1931) by Virginia Woolf
• High Achiever: The Incredible Story of One Addict's Double Life (2017) by Tiffany Jenkins

Thresholds

Releasing tight grip
what I want 
to be real

Lightening hold
what I want
to see

Opening soul
enters
reality

Truth found
goodness, sadness abide
joy, suffering reside

This 
moving
forward

Recently I finished two books for the Great Books of the Western World reading project: Exodus, tradition says it was written by Moses and Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift. Also, I have been reading the Center for Action and Contemplation's journal, Oneing: An Alternative Orthodoxy. The theme of this journal is 'Liminal Space.' 

'In the universe, there are things that are known, and things that are unknown, and in between them, there are doors.' This quote by William Blake describes liminal spaces. Liminal comes from the Latin word limen, which means threshold. In the journal's introduction, Richard Rohr states, '(t)he two greatest liminal spaces in human life are great love and great suffering.' These thresholds are present in our lives; they lead us to the unknown. It is what we do in this space that determines how we grow, what we learn, and what we will become.

 

Gulliver's Travels, written in 1726, is a satire of the state of affairs in England. Gulliver sets out, as usual, to sea and finds himself in the most unusual places. As James Danaher writes in his essay, Truth and Liminality, 'As we enter into liminal space, everything becomes new and amazing, but always most unfamiliar.' In The Voyage to Lilliput, Gulliver is pinned to the ground with ropes over his entire body. This has been done to him by the tiniest of people. As he is forced into stillness in this strange place, he becomes still, listens, and begins to learn the language. Gulliver recounts what he says when he can finally speak the language, '(t)he first words I learnt where to express my desire, that he would please to give me my liberty.' It was in his stillness that he learned something new and could then express his desire.

 

In Exodus, Moses took the Jewish people from slavery in Egypt to freedom in the promised land. After the ten plagues, the Jewish people were finally going to cross the Red Sea and escape slavery. The crossing of the Red Sea is a threshold of knowing what was on one side of the sea and not knowing what was on the other. James Danaher continues in his essay, 'things that are familiar feel safer and more manageable. This is true even when the 'norm' is self-limiting or even painful.' At the edge of the sea, God speaks to Moses, 'Fear not, stand firm. The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.' Many wanted to turn around and go back to what they knew when seeing the Egyptian army approaching. There was nothing for them to do on the edge of this threshold but be silent.

 

We all recognize this space where we experience 'great suffering' or share 'great love.' We have all been on this threshold. As I reflect on the thresholds in my own life, I am aware of the time I needed to cross over to the unknown. This threshold space does not happen quickly for me. I have learned that it is vital to keep going forward in this space and not turn around to what seems familiar. In order not to get stuck, I must not be self-limiting. That which is required to move through to the other side, the side of the unknown, is stillness, silence, being, and learning.

 

Did I say I am working on my Swedish? Det är svårt för mig men jag försöker. 

Image by Andreas at Läckö Slott.

• Fundamental Principles of the Metaphysic of Morals (1785) by Immanuel Kant
• Anxioux People (2019) by Fredrik Backman
• Meadowlands (1996) by Louise Glück
• On Liberty (1859) by John Stuart Mill
• Paradise Lost (1663) by John Milton
• Tale of Two Cities (1859) by Charles Dickens
• Paradise Regained (1671) by John Milton

Currently Reading:

• Psalm (5th Century BC) by King David and Solomon
• Averno (2006) by Louise Glück
• Kajsa Kavat (1950) by Astrid Lindgren
• Proverbs (8th Century BC) by King Solomon
• Oneing: An Alternative Orthodoxy Liminal Space (2020)

Audio:

• What Unites Us ( 2017) by Dan Rather