The recent horrific images and sounds from Haiti moved my consciousness from the concerns of the local and national perspective; in the larger context of what the people of Haiti were experiencing, they seemed so trivial.
The miracle of global media technology disturbs the front porch or egocentric view of reality. Sorry folks, the Township of Scugog is not the centre of the universe.
As a self-confessed 'meaning junkie', my mind focused on the deeper meanings of suffering and death especially among the poorest country in the western hemisphere. If there is a God of peace and justice, where is He or She? How does one make spiritual sense out of this apparently senseless disaster?
When confronted with personal or systemic suffering or failure, I take refuge in the wisdom writings of contemporary scholars, such as Thomas Berry, Diarmuid O'Murchu, Richard Rhor and others who uphold the tradition of all great religions of confronting reality through the lens of science (cosmology) and great religion (paradox).
We here in Scugog and the western world are not comfortable with paradox. We see reality primarily through a reductionist and dualistic mindset that does not take us beyond 200 or 2,000 years of historical development. We believe in the ultimate power of the rational mind. The concept of mystery is left to detective novels.
The indigenous or Eastern mind is more at ease with paradoxical thinking. Simply put, paradox refers to those disturbing often contradictory experiences that carry a deeper inexplicable meaning. Intuitively, one suspects a deeper wisdom is at work that transforms pain, darkness and even tragedy into experiences of growth and possibility.
Evolutionary believers see reality through the cyclical pattern of creation and destruction, a pattern science tells us has been ongoing for some 13 billion years and counting; great religion or mysticism refers to it as the Paschal Mystery. Creation advances not just through progress, but by failures and limitations.
We and hopefully the people of Haiti have been encouraged by the generous response of governments, including our own, as well as faith-based communities and altruistic individuals. It will require a long-term commitment from the global community to assist them in their work of restoration and healing.
Larry Corrigan is a Prince Albert resident and former Scugog Ward 1 councillor.
Recommend :