Hopeful Thinking

    Humanity’s relationship with and understanding of God is based on a limitless supply of limited information. All we know of God is what we can see through the keyhole. It seems impossibly dark in here. A bright light is definitely on in the other room. All we can see of it, however, is the narrow band of photons which miraculously hits the impossibly small target of our eye.      It’s not much information to begin with. But worse, we’re all trying to see through the same keyhole at once. Crowding around it. The sides of our faces pressing hard against one another. So many trying to see. To verify. Each of us gets so little. Just a thin pinstreak of light. But our slender beam is entirely our own. No other eye can see through the opening at the exact angle we can. Just like no two views of a rainbow are exactly the same. What each looks like depends upon where you’re standing. In fact, each rainbow is in reality a series of individual rainbows in an amount...

    I am fascinated by the concept of holiness. First, I have to say that I do believe some things, places, even people, can accurately be referred to as “holy.” Still, I expect the concept to hold up to scrutiny. What does the word holy actually mean? Who, or what, confers holiness? Do we correctly infer God’s favor? Do we assume God more deeply approves of this person or that? Upon what criteria? What’s the checklist of “holy person?” What about holy spaces? Who or what decides these things? The answer can only be: People.     People declare holiness. They deem it to be on the authority of an outside higher power, but how can anyone confirm that? If God is as mysterious as tradition tells us there is literally no way we should maintain certainty. Divinely inspired or otherwise, holiness is a human construct. Yet that doesn’t mean it’s less special, sacred, or even less divine.     Why do we try so hard to read God’s mind? Why do we insist upon delving...

    What are you afraid of? Think about it for a minute. Sort through the obvious ones like losing a loved one or of dying ourselves. Get to the weird ones. Or the unexplainable ones. I personally know someone who is afraid of red nail polish. Get to the fears you don’t really mention to anyone because you hardly notice them yourself. I still flinch when driving through intersections and it’s been many years since my very minor accident.     I wonder about these fears. I wonder what they can tell us about ourselves. I think of them like symbolic dreams, but worse. We often know exactly what our fears mean. And yet feel so powerless against them. I’m sure scientists have come up with multiple categories for different types of fear. I deliberately chose not to look them up.     Many years ago I decided to have a little ceremony on the bow of a cruise ship I was singing on as it headed east from the island of Ibiza where we had spent the day. It was a new mo...

    Spoiler alert. Life is what you make of it.     I have to admit, my experience on social media is almost entirely positive. I am aware of what else is out there besides positivity, but I spend my energy on letting that pass through and around me rather than battling it. Here’s a hint: If you’re angry, you’re battling it.     I have developed a rule about my participation online over the years. Every time I break it, it bites me in the butt. I guess that’s what ethical standards are all about, however. We draw lines in the sand that we sometimes fail to remain behind, but from which we always learn. Even if rubbing our sore backsides while we’re doing it.    The rule is Be Kind. Perhaps that degree of simplicity sounds cliché or contrite. Naïve, even ignorant. Many have accused me of being decidedly unrealistic about life. They are welcome to their opinion. But like I said before, I have a positive experience on the Internet. Why might tha...