Oh how life has changed! We have all heard at one time or another, "Life was simpler back then", or "Those were the good old days", or some equally wistful expression of a desire for some time in the past, that was somehow "better". As we all realize however, there were some offsets that went with those simpler times, and some things that were improved with the passing of time.

            I'll not bemoan any of the things that we've either lost or gained realizing that there is a price of some sort to be paid for every thing that we gain, and that it is sometimes the loss of some other thing. I will lend my regret to one thing however; we've lost or are losing our ability to focus or be singular in many of the things that we do, or are involved with. It is almost required that we become multi-taskers in many of the things that we do.

            The time available to accomplish all the things we need and want to do seems to increasingly get smaller and smaller. The result – we do many things, but rarely can we do all of these things really well, or even one of them really well. That's bad enough, when thinking of our physical capabilities, but even worse when it comes to our mental and emotional abilities.

            This was brought rather starkly to mind the other day. I am in the process of reading "A History of God" by Karen Armstrong. This book delves into the very beginnings of religious thought, and examines the varying theologies of early religious thinkers. I am not that far into the book yet, so much of what I have read so far has been devoted to early Christian thought.

            With that said, one of the points that was made by one of these early theologians was that God could not be thought about in a "normal" manner – He is beyond explanation and understanding, and that the best we could do to approach Him – in thought – was to empty ourselves and not think! In doing so we could then perhaps experience Him. We have to become nothing in order to experience God in any real sense.

            In deference to Ms. Armstrong, this is my understanding of what she wrote, and may not be at all what she intended to convey, but it gets to the point of what I'm trying to say about our not being able to do all things well; physically or mentally. I had always understood that this "being nothing" and emptying of oneself to be Buddhist concepts, and as such not Christian at all.  I never questioned it or thought to ask if that were true.

            So what's my point? We all need to set aside some time to think; to question and ponder some of our basic beliefs; to relearn how to focus. Had I done this sooner I might have encountered these thoughts or questioned my thinking sooner. We need to occasionaly stop doing multiple thigs. To state that even more clearly, we need somehow to separate our various tasks and responsibilities and focus on the one at hand when we are engaged with that task. I have written in the past that I am an artist by avocation. When I paint, I am so engrossed that time is irrelevant, and I find that I stop thinking, if for only a little while.

            I have also learned not to accept something just because I believe it to be true. What this early thinker expounded makes sense to me, and I "trust" that this is what he said and thought, but based on how it changed my opinion I want to verify it, and seek another source to confirm my understanding. Life occurs with us one moment at a time; it doesn't happen to us, and twenty years from now I want to say that this was a good day, not from nostalgia but because it was a good moment in my time here.

            I hope you continue to let me share my lessons with you and that you find some truth that is relevant to you. If you care to share any comments or insights, I can be reached at wmallete@gmail.com - Thanks!