Jane
Fonda describes aging in a very interesting way. She separates the body from the spirit, and
graphically contrasts the development of each as we grow in wisdom and
age. The body peaks in performance and
fitness, then begins to deteriorate, whereas the spirit ascends like an
upward-bound staircase to infinity.
She
describes this philosophy in her TED talk “The Third Act:”
Time
is on our side on our inward journey.
Wisdom is a collected virtue, as we gather nuggets through experience
with ourselves and encounters with others.
Let’s use the staircase metaphor:
along the way, if we commit to silence and solitude as a routine
practice, we grow in wisdom on the rise of each step, we test our new knowledge
on the run of each step, and we are further along after each of these
iterations. At the next rise we are,
therefore, armed with a new element or two which has nourished our soul, and we
approach the same circumstance with more clarity and a heightened sense of
confidence.
The
recipe for personal growth is not “one-size-fits-all.” Through this season of silence and solitude,
we have explored together with many mentors, and either learned or confirmed
many truths about the world around us and in us. Yet every great thinker, philosopher, and teacher
has shown up for us as a fellow soul-searcher on the same path… the inward
journey.
As
our spirits journey, they ascend. The
destination is ever-changing, but as we grow from spirit to Spirit, we are
cloaked in spiritual armor to face the external world. We become a spirit in a body, ready to take
on the physical weaknesses or challenges which come to us from the outside in,
but which we can take on from the inside out.
In
my own family, my Cousin Elaine’s spirituality is borne through patience:
“The waiting in the darkness is the
hardest, yet His light shines brighter then, and when you wait in silence what
He weaves is even more beautiful. So I ask Him for patience and know He is God
- my Shepard who is living and arranging the path before me. I want to be like an empty vessel each
morning and wait for Him to fill me with His light-giving spirit and courage as
He sets me on the path I am to follow so that His will be done.”
The empty vessel always has a crack
or two from life, and it is through those cracks that His light shines
through. And how does that affect our
relationships? What about those
around us? As they see how we encounter
the natural effects of aging, are they aware of the transformative process
going on inside us? I believe so, as we
are able to bring a light in an otherwise dark place.
“As soon as man is fully disposed to
be alone with God, he is alone with God no matter where he may be… The
lightning flashes from east to west… and that man's soul is illumined. At that
moment he seems to be in the middle of his journey, [yet] he has already
arrived at the end. Although he is a traveler in time, he has opened his eyes,
for a moment, in eternity.”
-Thomas Merton
As we ascend the upward path of our
spiritual staircase, perhaps we may harness the wisdom meant to be ours and, as
a result, live more fully the life which awaits us.
Excellent and thought provoking!
ReplyDeleteThank you!
I very much liked your blogpost today. I am going to read it again.
ReplyDeleteLove your blogs! Keep them coming!
ReplyDeleteI never thought of the concept of a third act in life, based on the fact that we are living so much longer (on average). The idea of continually growing spiritually has been integral to my understanding of these "retirement years", but not quite in the way Jane Fonda describes. I like your image of Wisdom as collected virtue. I don't "fear" death, but I hope to grow much more before it calls me.
ReplyDeleteI'm so enjoying your Blogs. Thanks for "thinking out loud".
Love your reminders of silence and solitude. Really been meditating as a practice on God stuff- realized it’s like a firewall/antivirus against the stresses of life. Heading up to "silence and solitude" as per your email -it's been a big step for me in warding off the stuff of life. Love your council and love and support.
ReplyDeleteI did listen to and enjoyed Jane Fonda's TED. I shared it with several friends.��
ReplyDeleteI can totally relate and understand- I appreciate your thoughts, prayers and sharing this journey.
ReplyDeleteThis is lovely insight.
ReplyDeleteSeems so long ago that you had any question preparing for retirement.
You have so found your step, as you wrote in your note.
Your reading and writing; your school work and volunteering; GA and Margie.
You are, as Paul admonished of the Ephesians “redeeming your time.”