Thoreau: Superficial Life
“When our life ceases to be inward and private, conversation degenerates into mere gossip. Sometimes we meet a man who can only tell us news he has read in a newspaper or been told by his neighbor. As our inward life fails, we may go more constantly and desperately to the post office. You may depend on it, that the poor fellow who walks away with the greatest number of letters proud of his extensive correspondence has not heard from himself this long while.”—Henry David Thoreau.
My spiritual friend, Bridget, sent this to me today. Most of us do not go to the post office, and letter writing is becoming a lost art. But we are now judged by how many Facebook friends we have! I have a Facebook page to keep informed about family and friends, and one as an author. But a Facebook message is not the same as a phone call or a visit, or a conversation over a meal. When we are face to face, we can share what is really going on with us. It is then that we may bare our soul and look for the Christ in our friend—and hope that the Christ within us will guide us. Meeting with spiritual friends is not optional for the inner life, the life of the soul. It is mandatory.
Even better is meeting over a meal. Replenishing our bodies mysteriously opens up our minds to nourish the soul. Here is where we see Christ in each other, and maybe even get a brief glimpse of the Christ in ourselves.
I have previously written about a pediatric radiology medical group I was a part of for over thirty years. We each had our own agenda and our areas of expertise. We were having difficulty making decisions and seeing the importance of each other’s plans. We decided to meet for lunch once a week and simply talk to each other about what was going on in our lives. It took a while, but miracles happened. We began to look at each other’s ideas in a better light. The mysterious result of meeting and talking to each other and having a regularly shared meal was that the food and conversation nourished us into forming a genuine community.
Not being able to meet with friends, especially over a meal, during this pandemic is taking its toll on our spiritual life as we know it in community. Zoom meetings, Facetime, Google Meet, Live streaming, and so many other ways to see and talk with each other do seem to help. We have had to learn and accept new technology. We also have learned to stay connected more closely to a small core of people for strength and support.
People are also connecting more to nature, walking, gardening, spending more time outside. I daily connect to the downy and red-bellied woodpeckers who come to the feeder near my window. I watch them feed each other while the trees outside where they vertically climb and rapidly peck remain steady as their green leaves daily photosynthesize my soul.
Joanna joannaseibert.com
With Bridget at MLK breakfast