August 13, 2020

02

The Hero's Journey and the heroic task
await us all.

But we are always confusing metaphor with reality,
and think, "Oh, but there are no more dragons to slay!"

There were never any dragons to slay.

All that heroes ever did
through all the ages
was simply what needed to be done. 
Simply what the situation called for.

Every moment has its dragon
and is desperate for its hero
to rise to the occasion
and do what needs to be done about it.

That's where you and I come in.

To act as liege servants
with filial loyalty
in doing what needs us to do it
"Without hope,
without witness,
without reward"
(Steven Moffat).

Moment-by-moment,
situation-by-situation,
day-by-day,
all our life long.

Not what we have in mind.
We are here for bigger things
than mopping the kitchen floor
and taking out the garbage!

Come the words of Jesus:
"Those who are faithful in small things
are faithful in much."
Those who can be counted on
with the mopping and the garbage
can be counted on. 
Period.

Heroes are those who can be counted on period.

Come the words of Jesus again:
"The harvest is plentiful
but the laborers are few."
We miss the metaphor again
and think that Jesus is talking about
saying what Jesus has done to everybody everywhere.
Jesus is talking about doing what needs to be done
in every situation everywhere.

Every situation cries out for something!
"The harvest is plentiful!"
And people everywhere
are saying, "Not me, not me."
 
No one wants to do what is asked of them.
Everyone is looking for a dragon to slay
in order to make the headlines
and reap the rewards
and be accorded Hero Of The Realm!

Superheroes have better things to do
than mop the kitchen floor
and take out the garbage.

The things superheroes spit on
need real heroes to do them.
Somebody?
Anybody?

–0–

01

Nothing is wrong with us
that growing up some more again
wouldn't help.

Growing up some more again
is the solution to all of our problems today.
And every day.

Too few people world-wide
ever get beyond the third stage
of spiritual development
(As devised by the Yogis, Hindus, Buddhists of lore,
and which can be found a few days back here).
And it's a problem because no one
can grow someone else up some more again, 
or at all.
Jesus couldn't do it,
and they killed him for trying.
They always kill you in one way or another for trying.

Growing up is our responsibility.
It is really all we have to do.
If we are committed to growing up some more again
for as long as it takes,
we have everything it takes
for our life-experience (and our life)
to be as good as it can be.

Our life is never as good as we would like for it to be,
and thus, the need to grow up some more again.
But we insist that our life be what we want it to be NOW!
And it will never be what we want it to be ever.
We have to grow up some more again about it.
Which we refuse to do.

And here we are.

The only "solution" (And it solves nothing,
just makes things as livable as they can be)
is for those of us who can
to grow up some more again as we are able
throughout our life
and let that be that.

Salvation is an individual accomplishment.

Nobody can save the world.

Nobody can "make disciples of all nations"
(And Jesus of all people would have known that,
so those words were put in his mouth
by those who felt they needed leverage
for what they were doing--which is how 
the entire Bible got to be as it is,
but that is for another time).

Each of us is on our own.
Our life is our responsibility.
And growing up some more again
is all we have to do.
Everything will fall into place around that.

It is another term for the spiritual journey,
the Hero's Journey,
the spiritual Quest.
And it waits for us to take it up.
Every day.
For the rest of our life.