Seeking Clearer Vision: 14 March 2010

"So they said to him, 'So how were your eyes opened?'"
John 9:10

While traveling east on one of the county highways into town early this week, an SUV closed in behind me. We were coming up on an intersection and someone in a pickup truck was at the stop sign signaling to make a left turn to head west. He had plenty of time and distance to do so safely before my car reached the intersection. Suddenly a dark flash appeared in my side view mirror and I realized, just as the pickup truck was making the turn, the SUV was passing me! Realizing the very real potential for disaster, I slammed on the breaks in hopes the SUV could get past me and pull back into our east-bound lane without hitting the truck. I was shocked to quickly notice the person driving the SUV had also slammed on the brakes, as did the man in the truck. And for a split second it felt as if we were all in some sort of suspended animation. I hit the accelerator, the SUV quickly pulled back in behind me, the truck complete the turn and headed west. Accident and injury avoided. At the next opportunity the SUV passed me, speeding ahead into town. I found it almost comical, as all traffic was stopped at the second set of signal lights, I was now once again ahead of this same SUV and thought to myself of the SUV driver, "So much for being in such a hurry".

Over the past few days we've been hit with some pretty dense fog, making driving necessarily slow and seeing most any distance very difficult. Again headed into town I was amazed, and pleased, at the care with which other drivers cautiously moved along in their vehicles.

Both these instances causes me to ponder our ways of seeing and relating with others and our world and brings to mind several tough questions to reflect upon.

First of all, what's the rush? Do we have to be the first, the best, the fastest all the time? In the fast-paced frenzy of life can we remember there is also value in slowing down and taking notice of the other and the beauty that surrounds us - both very much gift and blessing?

Do we outwardly proclaim things we do not necessarily live up to? There was a religious "slogan" on the back of the SUV mentioned above and I can't help but wonder in general once again, how often do we attend that one hour of worship service and then live the rest of the week as if we hadn't been in some way inspired to strive to be more caring, compassionate, loving and respectful?

Does it really have to take adverse conditions - in weather, in our lives, in our world - to cause us to recognize our care and concern is warranted with respect to all of life? Can we come out of our own fog of presumptions and move toward a genuinely respectful and generous understanding of others' diversity, beliefs, values, spiritual practices even though they might be different than our own?

Finally, can our eyes, our ears, our hearts be opened to see, hear and feel more clearly the presence of the Sacred Light that forever resides within and around us loving us unconditionally...always?

Peace on the Journey.