Apatheia - A way to Heal

Today's posting has to do with the ability to let things go - like water off a duck's back. Our ability to ignore that which is not important (a popular writer wrote a book entitled, "Don't Sweat the Small Stuff: And it's all Small Stuff") frees us to be in community with one another. Without the ability to ignore the common infractions towards each other, we escalate the violence inherent in each of us to the point of "road rage" and other similar issues.

So, how does one learn to ignore the "disrespecting" that happens so often in today's life? The Desert Fathers and Mothers of the early part of the last millenia, chose life in the desert to help them focus on what was important in life. Spiritual practice in post-Constantinian Christianity focused on a self-centered prosperity gospel that mirrored a consumeristic, egotistic and militaristic societal viewpoint (sound familiar?). Life in the harsh climate of the desert fostered "apatheia" - the removal of those things which got in the way of acting out of God's love for them. This is different from "acedia" which is the listless perception of just not caring about anything - modern day "whatever!".

Through daily prayer and work with a focus on God, the people of the desert were able to sustain a spiritual indifference to worldly things, that placed God at the center. Though life was anything but easy, they found reward beyond measure. They also practiced self-ridicule, which allowed them to continually prick their over-inflated sense of self to foster the humility that it takes to live only for God. By doing this they were able to live out of a love for others and develop remarkable compassion.

In order to right the ship of health care, all persons engaged in caring for others need to practice apatheia. We need to poke holes in the self agrandizement that comes from being "doctors" (of any shape, size and profession) and get back to being in true service. We can only do this when we put off the trappings of society and the desire to be recognized for our "greatness" and "wisdom" and begin to cultivate humility. Once this begins to happen, we can truly enter into caring relationships with one another to hear waht is needed from the other and to respond as we are called and with what knowledge and wisdom we have acquired.

Apatheia is only found in true prayer, however. Prayer that puts God first and others second, with our needs and desires a distant third. Without this practice in our daily lives, we fall into acedia and treat every person who comes to us as another disorder to be "cured" rather than another human to be with in communion and relation. This is a way forward to heal waht ails us all.

Peace,
Dan