Are Ethics Passé?

Ethics - moral principles that govern a person's behaviour or the conducting of an activity. 

Morals - concerned with the principles of right and wrong behaviour and the goodness or badness of human character. 

Right or wrong, behaviour and activity. Action. Good and bad. Easy to define these words, but when you bring this lens up to a person's life, what do you see? Do we even know what it is? or do we conclude that because I say it and I believe it, this makes it so? Is it relative or is there something more to it? Is it grounded in something external to humanity? Or am I free to define it as I see fit? 
 

I had a bit of a discussion with a colleague today - people have a career, a job. And you'd expect them to live the truth of that. Live the moral correctness expected from that ... and yet so often, that's not what happens. How often, when I taught, did I see some form of 'cheating' where people turned away? or a bully and all an authority witness does is waggle the finger at Jonny and say, "You know better; don't do that again" and Jonny laughs inside at this stupid teacher. Or the social worker who came to visit my brother with a preset belief that he was the 'bad guy' and the children had to be rescued from this monster? Or the lawyer who defends the perpetrator and twists it to be not about how he abused the girl but about how he is the victim because he's black and everyone attacks black men? I could look around and without throwing a stone too far hit something again where we shake our heads.  

Somewhere in the recent past, something shifted. I don't want to blame it on the demise of belief but I can't think of where else it might have come from. As I ponder this, and things I have recently come across, it might actually be a sign of our times. A trait of our age. The Age of Postmodernism. This is defined as a period in time, in the late 20th century that has at its heart a general distrust of grand theories and ideologies as well as a problematic relationship with any notion of 'art'. It's about a deconstructionist view and the removal of labels, of hierarchy. Almost of anything that gave form to previous eras. 

I think what this might have done is white-wash everything to a grey of mediocrity. It is no longer acceptable to point out differences or to use labels to separate. We are in such a world of social equality (that is only for 'my' group), where each has their own 'truth' so long as yours does not impose upon mine and don't you dare offend me! But I can offend and attack and belittle you all I want. 

And that's where the absence of ethics comes in ... I think ethics have become what we want them to be. I am 'right' and therefore what I deem as right is right. We are all 'right' in our way, provided there is no contradiction to me. We have become so sensitive to what is around us that it seems we have reduced ourselves to all be the same because no one stands out or stands up anymore. And that means, we no longer have heroes - because heroes are those who point us to a higher way of being ... and because we are now 'post-modern', there is no longer a 'higher way of being' because everyone is equal. A strange type of socialism! 

I've heard talk of 'tribalism' - we are all fracturing into our own little groups - the 'Me, too" movement and supporters, the "Black Lives Matter", the Indigenous people, into various gender groups ... what's the term now - gender identity vs gender expression, and there are a plethora of terms under there to match yourself with ... but don't get too close to that label because everything is fluid. and I'm sure there are countless other terms for groups out there - racial, sexual, beliefs, etc. I truly think that the more we pull apart and create these distinctions in a world that claims to have none, the more we are messing up who we are and who we were created to be. I'm not saying I am against any of these groups; I'm saying that when the group becomes the defining thing, then I believe we are headed to places we don't want to go.

I mean, if I am asked 'who are you?', I don't think I'd ever start by listing the labels under which you'd find me. Does that mean I'm postmodern? Or does it mean that I aspire to be more than what a label can give to understanding who I am? Because in a way, I do believe in pushing ourselves out of the norm, away from the masses, while at the same time remaining connected and compassionate to all. Why can we not all aspire to become more than we are? Why do we have to be comfortable in our complacency and meet the status quo? 

There's something also about regulating the external to bring all to a point of equality, and in that regulation, we end up forcing all to become complicit to a form of dictatorship where what we say and what we do have 'bookends' and all is controlled. It's sounding more and more like we are living in a world that is beginning to resemble what once was only found in science fiction dystopian novels. 

I heard a speaker recently - he said that 'to think is to risk being offended." He might have something there. And then ... watch out. Because I think ethics are passé, especially if 'your' ethics are different or contradict 'mine'. Then what happens?

Food and Time

Over the last weekend of May 2018, I had an opportunity that I could not pass up.

I have often contemplated fasting, particularly over the Easter weekend. I know that Scripture says "... when you fast", not "... if you fast". I know that throughout various religions and cultures, over time and place, fasting is something valuable to the belief and people. So, when I had the opportunity to participate in one, I decided to give it a go.

The premise that I signed up for: I would join the people already fasting on Thursday evening. My last meal would be Thursday dinner, and I would officially start Friday morning with the sweat lodge. After a bit to eat, I would return to my teepee and remain between it and the washrooms until I was summoned on Sunday morning for the sweat lodge again, to bring it to a close. I had no idea how many would be there. I do know that I needed to have some water and (I chose) V8 juice for my medication daily, so the expectation of no food or water was not 100% followed. And I (and the Elder) was ok with that.

I did some prep, some reading and contemplation, but I should have done more. At the end, I will reflect a bit on what I will do differently next time.

People have asked if I had any exceptional experience - out of body, profound ah-ha, existential in some way. In honesty, I don't know. I will say that with the removal of food/consumption and time, you see things in a bit of a different way. The amount of time we put into food, preparing it, eating it, buying it, deciding on it, is crazy. The amount of food we consume is just as crazy. When I finished, there was a craving for nutrient-dense food ... at least, in my mind, that's what I wanted. "Fake food" ... they talk about 'fake news', but there is also 'fake food' - empty calories that do nothing to keep the body healthy. And, upon completion, I found this week that the thought of fake food made me sick for I craved real food with high nutrients, and not near as much as I had consumed before. I don't think there's any consequences on myself ... yet. And, as time distances, I need to maintain focus to continue that desire and not slip back into old habits.

Time. I remember sitting on my chair, in the warm sunshine (and we did have perfect weather all weekend for this!), contemplating God in the world. And my mind wandered to the concept of time. Construct or concept? Maybe a little of both. I watched the shadow of the tree branches, made by the warm sun, as it slowly moved across the forest floor. How many times had it followed that path? how many times had those branches imprinted that spot? once a day ... since the sun shone on the branches for the first time. And today, here I sat - watching time move, for the first time. Was this like watching the hand on a clock move? No - the hand is identical, but this isn't. If one thinks minutely, even there - between yesterday and today, when that path was last taken, the tree has slightly changed - grown a titch more, leaves have changed, and the sun's angle is not quite what it was either. So, even though it might seem 'the same' since sun first shone on that spot, daily, into the future, there is slight change every day so that no two days are the same. And, a thing about this time, is I was there - I could not only watch the branches, but I could just be. Be in the moment. Be present to watch the sun move in its forever-arc across the sky. Feel the sun change the warmth - from cool, to warm, to hot, to warm, to cool again.

I remember the trees, the rustle of leaves, the 'ruach'. I sat and 'drank' the world around me. I sat and was present to my being. I 'was where my feet are' - and that's not easy! I listened to the trees ... they spoke to me of time, of being, of breath of life. Of what is really valuable and true and real. For the first time in forever, I just was. 

I didn't get hungry until Saturday morning. I didn't think much about food before then, either. My time was taken up with resting, with some reading and journaling and much reflecting. Filling time has never been a problem for me, but what I did have to be careful of is sleeping away the experience. I wanted to face into this time, and not let it slip through my fingers. I wanted to embrace whatever was to come and come out the other side changed in some way.

So, Saturday morning, I felt the pangs of hunger. It would have been easy to crawl back into bed and sleep it away. But, instead, I found, again, a warm spot of sunshine on the ground, placed my chair unobstructed by branches and faced into the heat rays. I sat there, feeling it wash over me. Eyes closed. So warm. I thought of my senses - would it be possible to feel Creator on all senses? I felt the slight breath of a breeze dust across my face. Like the "ruach" of Spirit. I inhaled and there was the smell of the green growing around, the smell of earth, the faint sweetness of nearby blooms. I heard the chirp and sound of birds everywhere, near and far - more than 30 different calls, I thought I counted. And taste?

As my face remained in the heat, my eyes closed, I thought of how often God is connected to food in Scripture - bread of Life; I am the tree, you are the branches; fruits of the Spirit; some need milk, some require meat; it starts in the Garden and ends in one, and after resurrection, Jesus was mistaken for a Gardener; the pruning of the tree, manna that fed them in the desert, water to wine at the wedding in Cana, Jesus is the bread of life, and in His sermon on the Mount – “Blessed are those that hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” And I'm sure there's much more than I've thought of here. I remember once hearing Len Sweet speak, and he spoke on something like this, how that’s what Scripture is – nourishment of the soul and for the soul. He writes in his book Tablet to Table: "The story of God is full of references to food. From the Garden of Eden to the Last Supper to the wedding feast of the Lamb, God sets a table before us and invites us to join Him there."  In that moment, I breathed a prayer - to be fed with this food, the only food to feed my Spirit, to nourish me as nothing else can. And, within minutes ... the hunger went away, and did not return. At all for the duration of my time there. I knew, in that instant, that I was in the presence of God - right there, right now. The 'taste' of God - hunger satiated.

(Quote from Sweet; "First commandment and final commandment to humans in the Bible? 'Eat freely', Gen 2:16, and 'Drink freely', Rev 22:17. Everything in between these two commands is a table, and on that table and on that table is served a life-course meal, where we feast in our hearts with thanksgiving on the very Bread of Life and the Cup of salvation: Jesus the Christ.") 

A quick comment on Creator/God. There is no doubt in my mind that the Creator my Indigenous friends refer to, in this environment, is the same entity as my God. I believe it's a matter of personal name choice. And this, in my opinion, goes far beyond anything that a 'religion' can define and limit. This entire weekend, it was my desire to connect in some way, to the God that has been throughout time and history, the One that was there when it all began, the One that spoke to Abraham, was present with believers in the Roman Colosseum, was part of the lives of the Dessert Fathers and Mothers, the Creator cultures acknowledge, the One that exists within and outside of organized religions and personal beliefs ... like the fish and water. I wanted to connect with God outside my limited definition to expand my understanding. Sacred ground is where God is ... not where we say God is. My life has been a walk, a partnership with God; I do not remember a time when God was not with me. And here, I wanted something new, something connected and more. And no doubt in my mind - I was on sacred ground. To connect to God bigger than I can imagine yet intimate and personal as I believe ... mind blowing. And this was my encounter that weekend.

Evenings, Madison and I talked quietly, about our experiences, about our thoughts throughout the day. She shared a story about a fish, who asked his brother fish what was water. "It's all around us," his brother said. It made me think of how we often wonder or question things that are 'all around us'. We talked about this entity - God / Creator - how something bigger than us is so obvious to some, and to others, it does not exist; when something is obvious to some and non-existent to others, then who's perception is right? I think that no matter how much we think we know, we don't. I think there is much more 'around' us that we have no idea is there. We sometimes just can't see. But we have other senses ... and maybe senses that are not yet developed. So glad I spent this time with her on my first fast! She is an amazing young woman. Next time, I'll be ready to be in complete isolation.

One thing I did not talk about is the Sweat Lodge. The fast starts with one and ends with one, and this time, I could not complete them. I'm not sure why - excess heat? The first one, I got through the first round, and felt like my skin was burning off. And did not return for any of the others. The last sweat lodge, I got through almost 3 rounds, but had to ask to be let out during the Healing Round. In part, the heat ... but more so, an approaching panic attack and the growing inability to breath got me to cry out for release. I don't know why ... maybe there's something there needing to be discovered.

I said I'd finish this with thoughts on the next time. Yes, I'd do it again. But next time, I would do the following:
(1) I would take the occasional day in the weeks before to go without food.
(2) I would take myself off all forms of caffeine for at least 4 days before - those headaches can be brutal!
(3) I would take some time before to become very clear on why I am fasting. I would be sacrificing food for what purpose? Then, during 'meal time', it's that which I meditate on.
(4) I would generate questions on which to reflect upon during 'meal time', to become part that meditation time.
(5) I would take my Bible again - and bring specific verses to use for meditation. And books that are aligned with the reason I'm out there. And definitely bring my journal again. Excellent book to use: New Seeds of Contemplation by Thomas Merton.
(6) The feather blanket my mom made for me would also come ... this is one item I was definitely grateful for as the nights dipped into the single digits. The fire in the tent kept us warm for only so long!
(7) And, I would bring matches. Definitely matches!  I can do almost anything, but I can't start a fire without a match!