How can we reach peace?

Thoughts about the power of faith when we feel that the light has run out…

 

1. Our age: the age of unrest. It is not the uncontrolled temper but the extravagance of the soul that represents unrest in today’s ‘developed’ countries. We are unable to calm down. We are unable to appreciate what we have. We are unable to get satisfied. We are unable to get on well together. The spaciousness of a love community’s inner space is endless. Let’s make an attempt to let our isolation and unrest free in these immeasurably spacious inner dimensions! (If you would like to know more about this, please read my essay here.)

 

2. Why is uncertainty good and how can it be tolerated? There is worse than isolation in the weeks of corona virus epidemic.” Many would say. “And this is uncertainty.” Let me remind ourselves that we haven’t known anything until now either but we convinced ourselves to forget about this in the ecstasy of rush. Tolerating uncertainty is a key virtue. Only tolerating uncertainty leads us to real, creative and new solutions. All changes of existing situations generate uncertainty. Uncertainty is a necessary corollary of the reorganization of complexity by a creative change. We imprison ourselves if we do not tolerate uncertainty. If we can establish uncertainty-tolerance in ourselves now, we can prepare for future changes successfully. For we can tolerate uncertainty, we have to believe in something. (If you would like to know more about this, please read my essay here.)

 

3. How can we reach peace? The power of faith – when we feel that the light has run out… For we can find peace after unrest, we have to believe in something. For me the essence of faith is the certainty of belonging: to not less than Totality. The certainty that Totality, God accepts and embraces me, not because of my own virtues but due to the sacrifice of Jesus. Years ago I was sure that light and love show the way on the path of faith. Recently, I understood that nothing has been lost even if we cannot see the light and cannot feel the love-avalanche covering us either. Because faith, the certainty of belonging, does remain. Faith gives birth to hope again. Hope creates love. And love creates light. Not from us, not for us, but as the gift of God, of mercy. There is stability in the middle of uncertainty. This stability does not hide from us but offers a helping hand to us. Let us accept it! (If you would like to know more about this, please read my essay here.)

 


 

1. Our age: the age of unrest

 

Some Readers may snap to attention at the title already “The age of unrest?? But there is no war in much of the world! You should go back to the Middle Ages and you’d dread about your tattered life everyday… That Was unrest!” In fact, in the middle of a corona virus epidemic, being 62 years old, I would actually dread about my tattered life… Nevertheless we have to admit that in a numerous countries of the world we have no idea about the age when the exclusion from the shelter of the house for the night meant „weeping and gnashing of teeth” – according to one of evangelist Matthew’s recurrent phrases. It is not the uncontrolled temper but the extravagance of the soul that represents unrest in today’s ‘developed’ countries. We are unable to calm down. We are unable to appreciate what we have. We are unable to get satisfied. We are unable to get on well together. In the weeks of curfew restrictions quite a lot of people stay at home desperately, fighting with their families, mourning for the opportunities lost. Nevertheless, solitary confinements or closed monastic communities have led to deep spiritual contemplation both in past and present times. The spaciousness of a love community’s inner space is endless. (Why is it endless? It is endless, since it leads us to Totality.) Let’s make an attempt to let our isolation and unrest free in these immeasurably spacious inner dimensions!

 


 

2. Why is uncertainty good and how can it be tolerated?

 

There is worse than isolation in the weeks of corona virus epidemic.” Many would say. “And this is uncertainty. We don’t know who is ill and who is infectious. We don’t know from when. We don’t know how long. We don’t know how long this whole thing will last. We don’t know either what will come after that. That’s terrible!” Indeed, this is really terrible. However, let me remind ourselves that we haven’t known anything until now either but we convinced ourselves to forget about this in the ecstasy of rush. Tolerating uncertainty is a key virtue. Only tolerating uncertainty leads us to real, creative and new solutions. All changes of existing situations generate uncertainty. Uncertainty is a necessary corollary of the reorganization of complexity by a creative change. We imprison ourselves if we do not tolerate uncertainty. If we can establish uncertainty-tolerance in ourselves now, we can prepare for future changes successfully. The Reader may snap to attention again. “Great… Let’s make virtue out of misery… Would you also tell us, how?For we can tolerate uncertainty, we have to believe in something. We have to see the future with our spiritual eyes after the uncertain present. Tolerating uncertainty is somehow a closely-related concept with inherent trust which may be called as: future-trust. For a lot of people this future-trust is originated from their past experiences. For others it is arisen from their families’ cohesion. For others again it comes from the power of the community. For me there is a much stronger source than these. This will be discussed in the final part of my essay.

 


 

3. How can we reach peace? The power of faith – when we feel that the light has run out…

 

Let me start with repeating a sentence: for we can tolerate uncertainty, we have to believe in something. For we can find peace after unrest, we have to believe in something. For me the essence of faith is the certainty of belonging: to not less than Totality. The certainty that Totality, God accepts and embraces me, not because of my own virtues but due to the sacrifice of Jesus. Years ago I was sure that light and love show the way on the path of faith. At that time it was very clear to me that the glory of God and His emanating love, as a compass, help me not to get lost. Then I understood that sometimes the light might become illusory. The light of God can be reflected by the devil, too, and leads us astray. Recently I understood that nothing has been lost even if we cannot see the light and cannot feel the love-avalanche covering us either. Because faith, the certainty of belonging, does remain. Faith gives birth to hope again. Hope creates love. And love creates light. Not from us, not for us, but as the gift of God, of mercy. Faith in the certainty of belonging gives me power in all kinds of distress – just as in the middle of the present epidemic, too. "For I am the Lord, and I change not” (Malachias 3:6). "Jesus Christ, yesterday, and to day; and the same for ever” (Hebrews 13:8). "He is faithful that hath promised” (Hebrews 10:23b). There is stability in the middle of uncertainty. This stability does not hide from us but offers a helping hand to us. Let us accept it!

 

 

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