The Lilies Of The Field, The Stars In The Heavens & The Space In Between
I miss doing what I do. That's to say that I miss being an astronomy educator. Oh, I still do it occasionally for my friend Jolene as well as my Vagabond Astronomy events. The truth is, though, I miss the daily routine of working doing something I truly love. I'll never get rich being an astronomy educator. But for me, the personal rewards far outweigh those monetary.
We live in a day and age where we are almost forced to participate in this mass-consumer driven society. The pressure is always there to buy a new car, new clothes, new computers. We have to spend, spend, spend. And what sort of lives do we lead? Shallow, hollow and devoid of substance. We may live in houses that are huge, have several cars and spend enough on doodads to keep us in debt well beyond our years. Still, we're not happy, and so the chase begins in earnest; we believe that we have to buy something to sooth that ache, and the cycle repeats.
We live in a day and age where most of us don't really have any interests that seem substantial and worthy. If you read about life as recently as fifty years ago, it seemed that they were able to be happier because their lives were so rich and vibrant, that they didn't need money or things, that they were able to be happy with what they had and what they did. The truth is, we're all victims of our economy's success. Our economy depends on just that sort of behavior. If someone is feeling blue, then perhaps a new pair of shoes will help. Or a new computer. Or a new blender. Or a new house. We have these ideas rammed down our throats daily, hourly. Mass commercialism has made us all mass consumers and to support that lifestyle we sacrifice our happiness.
Jesus told us to this was a bad path to take in Matthew 6 -
28. And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin,
29. yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these.
30. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith!
He warned us that physical pleasures were not the answer. Yet, here we are, a nation of so-called faith, bowing down to the pleasures and desires of the material. I am no exception.
How do we get around this? What do we do? For me, the answer is simple; throttle back on this lifestyle (not that I haven't already). When I did this before, the spending habits really weren't that bad. I was satisfied with what I did, what I was, to the point where I didn't need anything else. My life was wonderful, pleasant. Not rich in a material sense, not consumptive. Rich in what I was doing, who I was. Never had I a sense of purpose than when I let my heart lead me into a field where I had a purpose. It was satisfying on all levels. And I miss it.
Soon, things will change. Until then, I have the hope that this life I'm leading right now is a temporary bump in the road. Soon, I will again derive pleasure from sharing the greater part of Creation with others. That's what I do. That's who I am.
We live in a day and age where we are almost forced to participate in this mass-consumer driven society. The pressure is always there to buy a new car, new clothes, new computers. We have to spend, spend, spend. And what sort of lives do we lead? Shallow, hollow and devoid of substance. We may live in houses that are huge, have several cars and spend enough on doodads to keep us in debt well beyond our years. Still, we're not happy, and so the chase begins in earnest; we believe that we have to buy something to sooth that ache, and the cycle repeats.
We live in a day and age where most of us don't really have any interests that seem substantial and worthy. If you read about life as recently as fifty years ago, it seemed that they were able to be happier because their lives were so rich and vibrant, that they didn't need money or things, that they were able to be happy with what they had and what they did. The truth is, we're all victims of our economy's success. Our economy depends on just that sort of behavior. If someone is feeling blue, then perhaps a new pair of shoes will help. Or a new computer. Or a new blender. Or a new house. We have these ideas rammed down our throats daily, hourly. Mass commercialism has made us all mass consumers and to support that lifestyle we sacrifice our happiness.
Jesus told us to this was a bad path to take in Matthew 6 -
28. And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin,
29. yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these.
30. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith!
He warned us that physical pleasures were not the answer. Yet, here we are, a nation of so-called faith, bowing down to the pleasures and desires of the material. I am no exception.
How do we get around this? What do we do? For me, the answer is simple; throttle back on this lifestyle (not that I haven't already). When I did this before, the spending habits really weren't that bad. I was satisfied with what I did, what I was, to the point where I didn't need anything else. My life was wonderful, pleasant. Not rich in a material sense, not consumptive. Rich in what I was doing, who I was. Never had I a sense of purpose than when I let my heart lead me into a field where I had a purpose. It was satisfying on all levels. And I miss it.
Soon, things will change. Until then, I have the hope that this life I'm leading right now is a temporary bump in the road. Soon, I will again derive pleasure from sharing the greater part of Creation with others. That's what I do. That's who I am.
posted by Robert at 8:06 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home