“Radical Amazement” *
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“Our goal should be to live life
In radical amazement….
to get up in the morning
and look at the world
in a way that takes nothing for granted.
Everything is phenomenal.
Everything is incredible.
Never treat life casually.
To be spiritual is to be amazed.”*
What a powerful
And seemingly
Impossible
Invitation.
Please,
Let us
Hear,
Heschel
Offers us
A
“Goal”,
Not
An
Outcome.
This is a direction
He
Offers us
During
This most
Complicated
Time
In
Which
We live.
A direction,
A practice.
Not to overlook
The hardships,
Not to
Transcend
The
Suffering.
But to give us
The courage
And the strength
To keep on.
To keep
On
Practicing.
~~~
It seems
That
The more intense
Our “habitual” lives become
(and they are!)
The harder it is,
I think,
To see
The awe.
And if ever
EVER
There were
A time
To
Look
For the goodness,
The awe,
The perfection,
This might
Be
It.
~~~
Let’s ask
Ourselves,
Where is it
That
We
Are return
To
Radical
Amazement?
On the yoga mat?
In the woods,
The park?
Snuggling
With
A child?
Your dearest
Animal
Companion?
For me,
For the
Wacky human
That is me,
I remember
Outside,
Sunrise,
Sunset,
Shifting
Light.
Stars.
Birds.
Nik the Dog
Fully communicating
With
Those
Eyes…
What about you?
~~~
In looking through the lens
Of radical amazement,
I found
This.
This returned me
To awe.
Oh, friends,
Please
Watch:
~~~
How interesting and odd of me to offer us a mystical theologian like Rabbi Herschel in the same breath/blog as otters.
I do believe he would appreciate my interpretation of radical amazement.
~~~
If you are interested in more information about the biology of otters holding hands, here’s a link to
A marine biologist giving us a bit of information, just a few minutes long:
~~~
And a song, to say goodbye:
Dear Friends,
Be safe
And
Well.
Let’s keep
Practicing
Returning
To amazement.
No matter
How
Far away
We get,
Let’s keep
Coming
Home.
All blessings,
Aruni
~~~
*Abraham Joshua Heschel, was a Polish born American rabbi. He was a leading Jewish theologian and Jewish philosopher of the 20th century, and professor of Jewish mysticism.