Hold on tight!

So I was wondering what happened to those times when God parted the sea for Moses, when dreams instructed you on what to do, and things happened with one prayer? When God actually did respond, by speech or otherwise?

Now, communities pray together for relief but the world seems to be just getting worse everyday. Natural disasters, political agendas that lead to war, morally bankrupt societies, and really, really nasty people being admired.  It does seem like God has left us to ourselves, does it not?

That seems to be a very tempting explanation to accept, for it absolves us of any responsibility to try to be good, and to work according to our own nobler beliefs. Yes, if God does not care, why should we? 

It reminds me of a poem we had in school about God responding to man's complaint on why He seems so unresponsive and distant. God replies that the connection was cut by man himself, and He has always been waiting. I wish I remembered the poem. I knew even then that this would be an important lesson in my life. I believe that it is humanity that has lost the grip of God's rope, but it is still here, dangling right in front of our eyes (so to speak). We see miracles everyday. All we need to do is be cognizant of what we see and hear. Have you noticed how you hear from a friend just when you need something to ease your mind? Or how many times you narrowly miss hitting a car, or that kitchen knife that drops a few inches from your toe? The confluence of finding the perfect home and the resources to buy it? Good luck alone? I think not. 

We hear of a child being found 10 years after the Indonesian tsunami, we see a black man becoming a President in an inherently racist country, we see a neighbor walking her dog just when we need someone to administer the Heimlich maneuver. We see daily miracles everyday. But we have become blind to God's touch in our lives. I remember the first time I felt the direct connection with divine help. My daughter broke her finger and we went to this doctor who was professional enough to admit that it was too complicated for him,and put us on to the best hand specialist there is. He was close by, and had an open appointment! Her finger today is perfect. Sounds regular and routine? My friend's son went through exactly the same break . Same bone, same finger, same hand, but because of a different game. It took two years of treatments and he still has problems with his hand. So just serendipity? Nope.

My husband had almost decided to move to India. He was in India to sign his acceptance, when he changed tracks and opted to take up an offer in Seattle instead. We packed up and moved across the country, instead of across the globe. His cancer was detected within a year of moving. We had access to one the best cancer care centers of the world here. And finally, to the best hospice care. Not to mention the company he worked for out turned out to be more supportive than family! Through the pain and the fears, the blessings came too, fast and furious - every time we needed them, exactly what we needed. There is definitely a 'God's plan', unchangeable, irreversible, unimpeachable, even if we can never understand it. And if the plan entails that He gives you a terrible time, he gives you the wherewithal to deal with it.

Outside ourselves there is so much we can try to explain away - coincidence, good planning, no-other-option scenarios - but the things we take for granted within us are nothing short of inexplicably wondrous. There is so much in our own bodies that we do not control - breathing is involuntary, the heartbeat is involuntary, and the brain is still a mystery to neuroscience. So waking up every morning with your senses intact is a miracle in itself. It took me a while to understand this. Of course I knew the science behind it. But even knowing how it all works does not explain why it works. And that is precisely why cloning or stem-cell research does not bother me at all, and should not worry anyone with a belief in a higher power. Man can put together the cells, organs probably, and maybe even limbs but it will not be a person. Life is not structural. It is not even biochemical. It is... well, miraculous. And that is beyond the purview of man's capabilities. I will be delighted if we can just put together a clump of cells specialized enough to use to heal ourselves. 

But all that is physical, which is the most banal, most inconsequential aspect of humanity. Our emotions, our feelings, our spirit is what defines us. If we learn to accept that real self in us and others, we see more miracles than the unlikely cures and NDEs. We hear of people happy in terrible circumstances, we see a prisoner with an 'unconquerable soul' having no bitterness towards his oppressors, we understand why we immediately feel better in good company, we experience how laughter does actually heal the soul. We realize how hanging onto a hope actually makes what we hope for happen. And I am not talking of some vague abstract thoughts put across by a guru. These are events that have actually occurred. These happen everyday, everywhere. I know of them in my life, and see them in others'. You need to open your eyes to see it in yours too. Open your mind and heart, and hold on tight.

Hold on to that rope that is always just a grasp away. Just hanging on to His rope is enough. It will take us through lessons and trials, though joys and delights. It will carry us through the darkness to where he wants us to be. And that is not going to be a bad place.

We Present Us

I have been hearing about extravagant weddings that make me wince. I know of vacations that create more stress than relaxation because the purpose was to be 'seen' on vacation. Our lives somehow get dictated by the kind of Facebook status we can whip up. Going to a fancy restaurant is more to 'check in' with friends than enjoy that great food and service.

I have noticed that the more people are fixated on appearances, the less they have within themselves to get to know. Once you look past that well-designed shell, there is nothing to interact with. And being fond of shoes or spas is not what I am talking about. We can enjoy the feel of silk in our clothes and delight in that exclusive piece of art we bought. That is one of the few joys of life. What is not right is when we do it only to be seen. We wear what we think other people think we should. We buy what we think should be in our possession. It must be a very stressful life when what we are is a constantly changing image of what we imagine others would like. The amusing part is that nobody outside actually cares. People are either too busy dealing with how they look themselves, or have grown above that. Either way, how you present yourself is not in their radar. There will always be that scum of society that is watching only to fault others, but that section of humanity (using the term loosely) requires another write-up!

It does not matter how much money we have. Once we are rooted to our values​, we are comfortable with who we are. And access to wealth, or cutting off from it, does not change us. Of course,​a change in our financial situation bring​s about major changes in the way we live. A reduction in income necessitates a cutback on things earlier taken for granted, and a substantial increase may bring about a lighter watch on the credit card. But it does not affect what we like, or what we want from life.

Warren Buffet, one of the world's wealthiest men, lives in the same three-bedroom house he bought early in life because it still fits his needs and wants. He lives in an average home, in spite of the wealth he has. And I still want to buy an island, in spite of my lack of wealth. :)

There is a distinct difference between buying something we want and buying something we think we should have. And understanding that difference requires a maturity that is not common. It is a maturity that comes from knowing yourself, respecting yourself, and accepting who you are. The best way to get to that state is to shut ourselves off from opinions of those who do not matter to us. We can learn to listen to our own real needs when we can disconnect with the clamour of the world telling us what we should want. When we present ourselves to the world as we are, the stark reality and uniqueness adds not only to our own worth, but also to the world's.