Thoughts on Turning 70

Artist Credit: Red by Linda Harrison

Normally, I'm not one to think a lot about aging, but recently I turned 70.

Yikes, right?

In our Western (American) culture, that could be seen as something negative. Old age. Senior Citizen. Golden Years. Fill-in-the-blank.

What follows are some thoughts, for what they may (or may not) be worth.

Life is fleeting. Where did the time go? Does life equal time, chronologically speaking? So many years have gone by, with so many memories. People and events stick out but much of what's in-between is a blur. The point I'm trying to make is that being fully present, is very, very important. Being fully present, in the moment, is the mortar that holds us all together. Speaking of which...

We're all connected. To a lot of people, it may seem obvious. It took me a long time to wake up to this reality. A big help has been Richard Rohr's Center on Action & Contemplation. Rohr is a Franciscan priest who helped establish the Center decades ago. One of his main themes is that God is everywhere and in every part of creation. 

We have more in common than we have differences. We humans share about 99 percent of our DNA. But yet, there are astounding differences among us. The challenge is that we tend to focus on those differences. Be it political, the color of our skin, our country of residence, or religion. And differences can lead to prejudicial thinking. Speaking of which...

Religious prejudice is particularly harmful. I first became aware of religious prejudice, on a cultural level, when making trips to Northern Ireland, having the privilege of working with a husband-and-wife team focused on healing the divide between Catholics and Protestants. It was eye-opening. Growing up during the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s, I saw prejudice based on skin color. But viewing prejudice through the lens of religion was an eye-opener.

Artist Credit: From A Distance by GC Myers

Back twenty or more years ago, border towns (between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland) often had one of two flags affixed to poles along the main roads into town. The Union Jack or the tricolor Flag of Ireland. In effect, those flags signaled, very obviously, if you were entering a "Catholic," or a "Protestant" town. And The Troubles had been fairly recent. Even now there is cultural fallout from this historical reality.

Maybe a reference point for those living in the US might be the tension between evangelical (mostly white), traditional Protestants and those who are more progressive in their interpretation of the Bible. Which brings up the point...

Insisting that a particular interpretation of organized religion is the only true version is mostly useless. I know it's a little ironic to make this statement, but I'm not trying to push a theological agenda or convince you. It's a position I hold, due to life experience, that's all.  We can disagree until the cows come home - about God, or theology - but when disagreement crosses into prejudice, that's breeding ground for hatred and ignorance.

Artist Credit: GC Myers Pittura.Scultura.Poesia.Musica

For me, the bottom line in regards to organized religion, is that organized religion should help us love each other and grow in our understanding of God. If it doesn't, then what's the point? Didn't Jesus once say that the two most important things in life were to love God and love each other - i.e. treat each other with kindness? I think Jesus knew what he was talking about.

Faith isn't the lack of doubt. It took me a long while to come to this conclusion, and it really isn't original to me.  But I've reached the point in life where I've come to understand that admitting that I don't know something opens up a wonderful opportunity to continually learn. Doubt that isn't addressed can be a breeding ground for fear and prejudice. To be clear, I'm not saying we can never form or hold opinions; I'm only saying I'm very aware that opinion is just that - it isn't universal truth.