January 26, 2022

01

Maturity is doing what you don't want
in the service of what you do want.
Immaturity is not doing anything you don't want
no matter what it costs someone else
to make you happy.
Though the degree to which you have to stay high
makes it easy for everyone to doubt
that you have ever been happy,
or, are capable of being happy.
Ever.

Maturity is what the situation calls for.
Always.

There has never been an occasion,
and will never be one,
that couldn't have been, or be,
made better with a dose of maturity
at the right time,
in the right place,
delivered in the right way.

And all it takes to do what needs to be done
when it needs to be done
the way it needs to be done
is that small dose of maturity.

I don't know why you can't buy
a bottle of maturity
from Amazon.
Maybe in pill form,
to take one each day with breakfast.
Enabling us to bear the pain that must be borne
for the sake of the good of the whole,
or the good of someone else,
or just "the good" of something 
other than "the me."

White privilege is another term
for terminal immaturity.

All it takes for things being the way
they ought to be
is growing up.
Some more.
Again.
Today.
Right now.

–0–

02

Wait for the door to open,
then step through.

In the meantime, we do our thing
in the service of what needs to be done
within the time and place of our living.

This is not difficult, 

It only takes squaring ourselves up
with the facts governing our existence,
in a "Here we are, now what?" kind of way.

There are our circumstances
and what we bring with us into
each situation as it arises.

Our circumstances are where we do our work.
What is your work?
Mine is seeing and saying what's what. 
That's the line of work I have always been in.
In theological school,
it is called "Hermeneutics."
The word is from "Hermes," in Greek,
in Latin it is "Mercury."
The Messenger of the Gods.
Crafting the art of interpretation.
Saying what's what (And being right about it).

That's the slippery part, 
the mercury part,
being right about it.
The truth is hard to nail down.
Can't do it.
Sometimes it's this way, "I'll love you forever,"
And sometimes it's this way, "I never want to see you again!"
That's the truth for you.
It changes on you.

Truth changes to keep up with the times.
The times are always changing.
"The spirit is like the wind that blows where it will."
That's truth for you.

So, I'm always dancing with the times,
saying what's up now,
no, now, 
no, now...

What's your work?
Your circumstances are where you do it,
while you wait with me for the door to open,
then walk through.

What door would that be?
The door to the next thing, of course.
We won't know what that is
until the door opens.

–0–