Monday, March 17, 2008

Brian’s Reflection: Tuesday, March 18, 2008


There is no such thing as perpetual tranquility
of mind because life itself is but motion and
can never be without desire, nor without fear.


- Thomas Hobbes


Sounds correct to me, on all three counts. Life is indeed but “motion”. It is dynamic – always; even when we are “at rest”, the whole system is whizzing from brain to toe with energy.

Life indeed is never without desire or fear. Sound philosophy or religion or knowledge or faith helps us how to embrace our desires and fears for what they are, put them in whatever perspective we think they should be (about which we all disagree!). But no matter how we deal with them, including deep repression, they are always “there”. They can both hinder and enhance our living.

There is no such thing as “perpetual tranquility of mind”. Tranquility of mind will ebb and flow, no matter how many prayers we say, meditations we make, or whatever internal or external disciplines we apply in attempt to control it.

I think that Motion, Desire, and Fear are handmaidens of Life. They are part of the inner family of each of us, I think St. Francis said in another way. Rather than run from them, suppress them, we need to learn to dance with them, invite them to teach us.

I think that Tranquility and Turmoil are binary. They hold together. They make it possible, to use an image from the psalms, to “lengthen the cords and strengthen the stakes”. Humanity and Divinity held together, we can successfully orbit any Black Hole of Mystery while being flung giddily among the stars. All adventure is such.

Brian+




[ Hobbes was a 16th century English philosopher; he wrote a famous book called “Leviathan”, establishing a foundation for most Western political philosophy.]

No comments: