Facing Our Fears

Not surprising that my post today (on All Hallows Eve-day) would have something to do with fear. While I'm not going to write about zombies (huge right now) or other terrifying figments of our individual and collective imaginations, I do want to write about two fears that get in the way of our health, wellness and wholeness (HW2). The fears that I want to bring to light today are the fear of the unknown and the fear of things we can't control. Now, it doesn't take a huge intellect to see that the fears I've named are two sides of the same coin. Obviously, we can't control things that are unknown (and maybe unknowable). The unknown fears are things like, "how long will I live?", "what will my legacy be?", "what am I going to be when I grow up?", "will I make enough money to retire and not run out beofre I die?", etc. Uncontrollable things include items like "will my children grow up to be decent citizens of the global society?", "will my wife leave me for someone else?", "what's going to happen to me today?", etc. While we all have these fears, they become problematic when they start to interfere with how we approach living our lives. Fears can make us ill - both mentally and physically. Fears increase both our individual and communal dis-ease. Humans have always feared the unknown, especially the big one - "how long will I live?". We have created theologies to help us explain the "slings and arrows of outrageous fortune" that beset us. We have come to the conclusion that all we have is us and we should grab as much as we can get while we're here. Nothing that we have created has done a lot to calm the fears of what lies ahead for each of us, and for all of us. We live in an enlightened time with many resources. We live in a frightening time with many challenges to our continued existence. How can we come to grips with the fact that much (if not all) of our public and private policy and discourse has its root in fear? Fear continues to be an issue in our unhealthy choices because we will not confront it. We will not name that which causes us to be afraid - partially because we believe that if we admit to fear then we are weak. This only serves to foster fear and to create an ever smaller and more dysfunctional world. If I fear the outside world, then I will fortify myself behind every gadget and lock there is. I will surround myself with bodyguards and weaponry to "protect what is mine". I will attack those who seek to get "my treasure" and in fact, I will invent a reason to first-strike to eliminate any perceived threat. Is it any wonder that we in the U.S. spend so much on the DoD, personal security devices, safety deposit boxes, safes, etc.? We are a fearful people who have barricaded ourselves behind our security devices so that we can die with all of our things around us. Hmmm, fear is a potent force limiting our HW2. So, this week in the midst of ghouls and goblins of all types (yes, zombies too), I'd like you to list your top 5 fears. Once you list them, I'd like you to do some work on where they come from and what you can do to illuminate and discard them. I've found that an intentional prayer and spiritual life really help to alleviate my need to fear and to control. This freedom has allowed my world to expand. I wish the same for all of you! Peace for the journey, Dan

It's All About Choices...

True words, right?! Isn't life really all about the choices we make? Those of us that have lived a few years realize that the weight of the choices we make really does help to determine what happens to us - both good and bad. Spiritually speaking, those who believe in God realize that we were created with free will and that ability to decide right from wrong, etc, helps determine how spiritually healthy and whole we are. Same is true for our physical (and to an extent mental) health - choices we make work with our basic genetic make-up to help determine the amount of dis-ease we suffer. Yet we find ourselves in a time where people seem to expect that they can make whatever choices they want (whatever seems "right" for them) and that they will have a "get out of jail free" card in the form of medical technology or medication(s) that will allow them to go on their merry way without a heavy consequence. In many ways, that perception is truth. We have a great deal of wonderful technology that's been created to help us live longer and better - same is true (if not more true) with medications. Being a pharmacist, I know that the discovery of new chemicals over the last 25 years has been nothing less than amazing in many ways. There are very few major disorders that have not had at least one breakthrough drug over that time period, and for the main diseases of humanity, there have been numerous revolutionary compounds developed. However, these breakthroughs seem to have fostered a belief model that there is a "pill for every ill" and that science will triumph over poor decision making. Not true! A simple check of the facts show obesity at unsustainable levels, asthma and other respiratory diseases on the rise, diabetes at unprecedented levels, and on, and on, and on. Science seems to have given us a new crutch that allows us to not take the correct amount of responsibility for our choices. Because people with health insurance only pay a fraction of the cost of medications and physician/hospital care, some feel empowered to engage in risky behaviors "knowing" that they can be rescued by the healthcare system. Many have begun to realize (finally) that this type of behavior feedback loop is too expensive to maintain. They've also realized that they don't want to do the really painful work of changing the system to allow for good behaviors to be rewarded and bad behaviors to have natural consequences. Same is true spiritually as well...we can't simply ignore our spiritual lives and expect that all will work out well. Choices we make determine how much "hell on earth" we suffer - and might possibly determine heaven or hell beyond this life. I suspect that a God that gives us free will while we're living allows us the final choice of what we choose for the hereafter - it simply makes sense to me. So this week, what choices are you going to make for your physical and spiritual health, wellness and wholeness? Are you going to choose a faith community to attend - or are you going to become active in the one you're already attending? Are you going to start that walking program, weight loss, giving up of drugs or alcohol (or at least cutting down), go see your physician (or choose one to go see), etc? The choice is yours, but it really does affect all of the rest of us - so choose wisely. If you don't know how to choose, we're here to help at Possibilities Journey, Inc (www.possjrny.org). Peace for the journey, Dan

Silo Mentality

Today's post is a reflection on the pervasive approach to finances that most organizations fall into as they grow. They adopt an institutional process of "silo-ing" money. The money goes into line items or into departmental accounts and then is carefully guarded against all comers. It doesn't matter that all are working for the same organization or the same basic purpose, everybody needs their own piece of the pie - and God forbid that one is asked to share any of it! I've seen the same mentality in faith communities - especially larger ones with more resources. If the faith community develops a habit of "ear marking" funds for special projects or is not transparent in its handling of the money given to God, then the silo mentality can develop. A lack of relationship and trust is at the crux of the problem. When the people in charge of the funds forget who their working for (i.e., God) and for what purpose the money is given (to further the works of God here on Earth), then the human tendancy toward pettiness and fear sets in. Fear of the future, especially in troubling financial times, can derail the best intents of well meaning people. Did you ever wonder why the men who created the United States Treasury decided to inscribe each coin with the statement "In God We Trust"? Certainly, they heeded the scripture which told them that placing their trust in humans was apt to be problematic. They certainly had no idea what the future held, and therefore had to rely on their faith to give them the vision to move such a monumental task (creating a new country) forward. Was the moniker placed on every coin a subtle reminder to them (and to us) that we are operating for something larger than ourselves? For a God that wants our love, but also wants us to love each other more than we love ourselves. There is so little that we can actually control in our lives that at some point we must come to the conclusion that working only for our interest doesn't ever work. The only way to break out of the silo mentality both in budgets and in practice is to get to know one another to the point that we can build a level of trust. Trust build slowly and can be destroyed in an instant - but without it, nothing happens. You only need to look at the behaviors in the House and Senate (and other governmental leadership) to see a case study of this. Without right relationship and trust, we all suffer needlessly, and seemingly endlessly. Who do you trust in your life? So this week, get to know someone better. Seek to develop a right relatinoship that will foster trust and the ability to see the world through each other's eyes. Remove the silo mentality and replace it with a mentality of love and mutual respect. Peace for the journey, Dan

Occupation

Reflecting today on the "Occupy" movement that has caught fire over recent weeks. One month ago today, a protest began with 2,000 people that has now become the "Occupy Wall Street" movement. I encourage you all to go to both (www.occupywallst.org and www.occupytogether.org) to stay on top of the "progress" that is being made. Whether it's Wall Stree or Atlanta or St. Louis or any of the other venues where Places have been "occupied", I find myself wondering at this moment in time about the concept and its potential to empower and enable change. Movements have a life of their own. Some become so popular and do so much good that they become institutionalized (thinking here of the Methodist movement). Is the "Occupy" movement truly the reawakening that we've been hoping for in a culture that has been narcotized into adolescent and ego-centric thought and action for so many decades, or is it just another anomaly of the information age that springs to life via Twitter, etc., and has no infrastructure to carry forward (also no meaningful leadership). Forty years ago (or a little more) there were protests and sit-ins declaring the Vietnam War to be wrong. At the same time the Civil Rights movement was occurring and there was a wave of civil disobedience that spread across the country. The pressure exerted by these movements brought about social change. Most of the actions were non-violent in nature, and most "leaders" were focused on change not on their own needs. I'm musing to myself how the "Occupy" movement might be able to truly catch fire and to bring into the public discourse some of the social injustice that is so rampant in our world today. They have a tag line "We are the 99%" in reference to the wealthiest 1% who "control" the country and its policies. While the banking industry certainly has its share of greed issues; and the governmental policies regulating them have been poorly thought out, should they be the only groups occupied? What about a healthcare industry that is beholden to the insurance corporations? What about a subsidized food industry that doesn't grow the things we need to be healthy and to promote better nutrition? What about a new industry that "dummies down" news and has lost its mandate to really investigate and report news instead of gossip and entertainment? What about the oil and gas industry in cahoots with the automobile manufacturers to hold back innovation and to continue to rape the Earth of natural and irreplaceable resources? And on, and on, and on... What's my point? My point is that as long as we point the finger at someone else (even if they deserve it) we are practicing dualistic thinking (I vs. It, We vs. They, Us vs. Them). Dualism leads to judgement and that leads to demonization (you're opinion is not just wrong, it is evil). Richard Rohr in his book "Falling Upward" puts it this way, "Sualistic thinking is the well-practiced pattern of knowing most things by comparison. And for some reason, once you compare or label things (that is, judge), you almost always conclude that one is good and the other is less good or even bad." He goes on to talk about the "normal sequencing of the dualistic mind: it compares, it competes, it conspires, it condemns, it cancels out any contrary evidence, and then it crucifies with impunity." We can not move forward to real societal change until we also point the finger at ourselves and our overindulgent lifestyles and begin to change our views as well. Can spirituality once again play an important role in this change - because as Father Rohr points out, the unified vision of G-d is the only vision that can heal division. Food for thought - may it occupy your mind and your discernment this week. Peace for the journey, Dan

Extravagant Generosity

Life is busy as evidenced by the lack of blog posts over the last two weeks. I'm currently in a three week cycle of preaching every Sunday. It's good for me to see what real "pulpit preachers" do every week - and the pressure that comes with the fact that Sunday is looming. I wanted to take time out, however, from this week's sermon prep to comment on generosity (or lack thereof) and its effect on our health, wellness and wholeness (HW2). Extravagant generosity is lacking in our current "me centered" world. Charity, philanthropy, giving with no strings attached, is rare nowadays (says the guy who's trying to run a small 501c3). ;-) In the Christian tradition, the parable is told of the "Good Samaritan" (Luke 10: 30-37). A man travels a road from Jericho to Jerusalem and is robbed, beaten and left for dead. Two notables from the temple heirarchy pass by and do not stop to help (a Priest and a Levite). The man who stops and helps is an outcast in Jewish society - a Samaritan. The Samaritan not only stops, but tends the man's wounds and takes him to an inn where he can continue to heal. The Samaritan pays for his "hospital" stay and tells the innkeeper that he'll cover any extra expenses on his way back through. Look at the current healthcare debate through the lens of this parable. We have more than 46 million persons in the U.S. without access to health care (many of them children). We have many more "working poor" who have inadequate insurance coverage. Preventative medicine is not a standard, but rather it is an after thought in many situations. Free clinics are seeing budget cuts and restrictions on the care they can provide. My local free clinic uses a lottery system to provide care as they do not have the resources to tend to all the people who need their services. Our current system is not extravagantly generous. It is extravagant and way too costly in the way it provides the care for those with insurance, but it is not generous - even considering the non-reimbursed care given by many institutions. Extravagant generosity...is it possible to be like the "Good Samaritan" especially when we so bound up in insurance regulations and capitated payment systems? I think that it is, but it is going to take a drastic and courageous series of changes in order to get there. The carnage in the current system would be extreme, and it would be very painful in the short term (5 or so years). The long term benefits of such a change are what is envisioned (in some ways) by the "Obama Care" legislation. The mindset change would be from our current "priestly" view of "what happens to me if I help the beaten man" to "what happens to the man if I don't help him". Our current system is predicated on the continuation of the institution, not on the caring for all people. It is focused on using the newest technology and creating a market share for my institution/group practice/health system rather than on looking into the needs of the community I/we serve and doing the hard work of societal change - becoming change agents. So this week, think about extravagant generosity. How can you in your life do one thing each day (or week) that is extravagantly generous and truly helps another person with their life? How can you change your midset to the Samaritan viewpoint? I'd love to hear your stories. Peace for the journey, Dan

What's Love Got To Do With It?

Some of you are of an age that you recognize the title of a Tina Turner song in my title for today's post. You might be wondering what love has to do with improving our health, wellness and wholeness (HW2) - or to improve the possibility that our HW2 can get better? Interestingly, love (or lack thereof) has never once entered into the discussion of what is wrong with our current system of healthcare. Information abounds on the various discrepancies, injustices, deficiencies, poor coordination, lack of services, lack of caring, isolation, etc., in our current delivery system. Yet, no one seems to want to confront a basic truth in much of our public discourse nowadays, the lack of love and caring for each other; an almost total lack of kindness and generousity. Love, unconditional and extravagant, is what is described as an ideal or the goal of living by all major religions. It is "the narrow way", the "path of enlightenment", the way that leads to abundant life. In our current adolescent and narcissistic (I know, redundant wording) society, love of self and self interest has assumed a level of primacy and all else pales in comparison. My own needs and desires take precedence over the needs of the other whether that's at a local, national or international level. See any of the current debates in local, state or national politics - who's needs are really being served in the discussion? The self interested and dualistic mindset (I vs. It, We vs. They, Us vs. Them) which characterizes most of the developed world has led us to a place where without significant personal and communal transformation, we are destined to fail in our moral and ethical duties to each other. We can not make difficult or painful decisions from a self-interested place, because everything is seen as a win-lose scenario that I must always win in order to be succesful and self-fulfilled. Love, unconditional and extravagant, has everything to do with changing how we live this life that we've been gifted. Agape love brings us to a place of, as Victor Frankl put it, self-transendence which leads to self-actualization (see "Man's Search for Meaning"). To put it in other words (albeit Christian) by becoming more than our small selves we become abundantly alive and become all that God wishes us to be. We also create a community that is focused more on other's needs than our own. In this way, we see the other as fully human and as much in need of blessing as ourselves. We create new programs and policies that lift people up instead of keeping them down. We use money as a tool instead of covet it as an idol. We take pride in the advancement of all, even if we are left behind in the process. What's love got to do with it (?) - everything! This week, look for ways to be more loving. Search your religious texts for examples and live them out. Support just causes and organizations that are trying to make a difference through love and understanding. Look for ways to get out of yourself and into someone else's shoes for a time - it will be uncomfortable, but it will be remarkable. Peace for the journey, Dan