Mark Dohle
Well-Known Member
Aging, community, and grace
Living in an aging community is something that takes getting used to. Perhaps something I will never be able to feel comfortable with. I keep thinking I am younger, but there is truth to that. I believe that we are all young when we are by ourselves. I believe it was Carl Jung who stated, "When alone, we are all children”.
When I entered as a young man, most monks in the community were in their 40’s, and 50’s. Many were veterans from the 2nd world war. A few were in the Korean conflict. There was a time when I was the youngest, but now, I am the second from being most senior here. Time carries us forward like a bullet train in Japan at a dizzying speed, at least for me.
One thing I learned early on about different age groups. When living together, age does not matter. I remember talking to one of the monks who was in the middle 80’s and afterward being amazed that he was no different than me…...well he had depths of wisdom that I lacked. Still, trying to catch up.
Now that I am 75 when talking to the younger monks, I forget the age differences. True, each generation has distinctions, but not so deep that they need to interfere with true communication. Stereotyping can be a great evil blinding us to our commonality and leading to many cultural problems.
Ideology, when mixed with faith tends to become the dominant force in how one’s faith is lived out. Faith is not a closed system, but open to growth in understanding, and leads to having the humility to admit one’s faults and failures. The deeper our union with God, the more compassion and empathy we have. Since God is truth, as we draw close, all that keeps us from union is manifested so that we can accept our need for grace, mercy, and healing.
Prayer leads us to listen to what the Spirit is saying to us. We are brought face to face with our inhumanity and tendency towards self-destruction.
When we forget ourselves, we tend to bring out our problems and place it on others.
It is our interaction with others that ‘forces’ us to grow if we wish to be able to live with others. Having a strong faith, and an openness to the life-giving Spirit allows us to see others more deeply as fellow travelers and not enemies.
Only one-on-one relationships can lead to deep healing for society. Governments cannot do this. I believe we place way too much faith in our leaders and governments. Change, repenting, and embracing one’s need for community, as well as God’s grace can give us the ability to bring healing to our world. If not, then war is the second option. -BrMD
