“A Lesson in Humanity”                                                                                     Jason Feldman

READING                   Ralph Waldo Emerson, Self Reliance

A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines. With consistency a great soul has simply nothing to do. He may well concern himself with his shadow on the wall. Speak what you think now in hard words and tomorrow speak what tomorrow thinks in hard words again, though it contradict everything you say today…to be great is to be misunderstood.

READING                       Henry David Thoreau, Journals        

There is much handsome interrupted fern in the Painted-Cup Meadow, and near the top of one of the clumps we noticed something like a large cocoon, the color of the rusty cinnamon fern wool.  It was a red bat…it hung suspended, head directly downward, with its little sharp claws or hooks caught through one of the divisions at the base of one of the pinnae, above the fructification.  It was a delicate rusty brown in color, very like the wool of the cinnamon fern, with the whiter bare spaces seen through it early in the season.  I thought at first glance it was a broad brown cocoon, then that it was the plump body of a monstrous emperor moth.  It was rusty or reddish brown, white or hoary within or beneath the tips, with a white apparently triangular spot beneath, about the insertion of the wings…once or twice it opened its eyes a little, and even raised its head, opened its mouth, but soon drowsily dropped its head and fell asleep again…I cannot but think that its instinct taught it to cling to the interrupted fern, since it might readily be mistaken for a mass of its fruit.  Raised its old haggish head. Unless it showed its head wide awake, it looked like a tender infant. I first started to believe in the church as a positive force when I was in confirmation classes, around age 15. We were taught all these bible lessons, and life lessons. So on and so forth, but when it can time to writing our testament to our faith I balked. I just wrote, “I don’t get it,” on my piece of paper. So when I went to see the pastor, alone in his nice large office. He simply said back to me, “What don’t you get?” And we began this glorious conversation about faith and common sense.

SERMON

The Christian religion just did not seem to bring anything new into my life, and he just simply let me know that maybe I just didn’t need it as much as some other people do. The fact that other things were fulfilling me yet still living in the spirit of Christ could be all I needed. It was my first real taste honesty from a church leader. I liked it, but on Sunday’s when I expected the same honesty it wasn’t there. The man with whom I had this wonderful conversation seemed to be just like everyone else, bowing to the masses. Afraid to be his true self, afraid to rock the boat, or so it seemed to me.

And then I began to read, and read and read. I was inhaling books from the library, teachers, friends anything I could get my hands on.

Ralph Waldo Emerson who was one of many authors I turned to at this time, seemed to talk to me and I chose some of his words for today’s readings.

Speak what you think now in hard words and tomorrow speak what tomorrow thinks in hard words again, though it contradict everything you say today… to be great is to be misunderstood.

He spoke wildly and confidently about all aspects of life. He said things like,

My life is for itself and not for a spectacle.

And

To believe your own thought, to believe that what is true for you in your own private heart is true for all men, - that is genius.

His words and others like him became more of a bible to me, and my life.

The moral influence of nature upon every individual is the amount of truth which it illustrates to him. Who can estimate this? Who can guess how much firmness the sea-beaten rock has taught the fisherman?

But I like the bible. I like the lessons it teaches. I even tried to read it once. I believe in its simplicity of thought, but I could have learned these lessons from many different places. Maybe I was lucky. To have these teachers to have these lessons emphasized. I know from experience that not everyone has been raised in such a nurturing environment. Many of my characteristics, which I attribute to my mother and her mother, my grandmother, both of which were very good teachers and master manipulators. But they are really the people who taught me that stealing and lying were not good pursuits. That acting properly at the dinner table and around other people was a good idea. A hard worker is better than one that hardly works and they also taught me to enjoy my surroundings, take them in and learn from what I see.

Which is why I chose the passage from Thoreau today, another writer/philosopher from early America that I enjoy. I suppose am a bit pagan. I do worship nature and believe in its power to heal and cleanse. I also believe that it is one thing in life that is always honest with us. We can see when it is suffering, and when it thrives. We can readily see its characteristics of survival. And when we as humans take something away from nature “Mother Nature” will always fill the gaps. No matter what!

We always need to look closely in order to see what is real. We always need to truly listen in order to hear.

I struggle with this chain of thought. Mostly because I believe so strongly sometimes that what I think is right and this leads me to be very critical of others. My wife and my children have encouraged me to change. I often catch myself failing to realize my own imperfections. I fail to be critical of my own life, my own thoughts, and my own actions.

So this leads me to my regular Sunday prayer. Because when I come into this atmosphere I tend to be introspective. I tend to be critical of my self and my life. This prayer, which I have been saying off and on for many Sundays now, is called my “Prayer to the Air”.

I don’t know what to ask you. I don’t know what to say, but if I had it my way it will be another great day.

I enjoy coming here on Sundays. I consider this hour or so of my life a lesson in humanity. Mostly, due to the fact that I am drawn into deep thought and sometimes a good - burst of great conversation. And for me nothing is better or healthier. I appreciate this atmosphere of intelligence and leadership. I like the fact that other Christians are critical of our church. We are not a “cookie cutter” church. I like coming here because I like to think. I like to be challenged. I dislike watching audiences on TV who just bow to the leadership and treat them as if their word is law. Why can’t we think for ourselves? Why can’t we come together as a community of individuals who believe in basic right and wrong, as well as the power of prayer, song, theology and life.

Every time I look at the prayer list I hope with all my heart that we are helping those people in some way. I hope that our spirituality large or small is doing some bit of good. I do know that when someone says something positive to me it sends me sailing.

There is not only one- way to spend a Sunday. There is not only one Great Book.  There are many great books and many great authors.  Sometimes what we don’t do is every bit as powerful as what we do. And when we exploit our authority it corrupts us too.

Ralph Waldo Emerson has said,

But do your work, and I shall know you. Do your work and you shall reinforce yourself. A man must consider what a blind- man’s- bluff is this game of conformity. If I know your sect I anticipate your argument. I hear a preacher announce for his text and topic the expediency of one of the institutions of his church. Do I not know beforehand that not possibly can he say a new and spontaneous word?

I ask you, how can this possibly move us to act?

I want to finish with this final quote. I want to encourage us all this week to look, listen and feel harder than usual. We are so fortunate to be in this environment. Accepting of every person, every thought, and every word.

A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines. With consistency a great soul has simply nothing to do. He may well concern himself with his shadow on the wall.