The group discussion had a momentum all of its own. In hindsight, someone could have bowed out or at least said something. As it was, the momentum of a few carried the group in a direction nobody could see.
I was lucky. I had a prior commitment that I was not willing to break. I listened and watched, wondering if the participants had any idea where things were headed. I suspected that few were thinking and even fewer were interested in looking to the future. Days later, with actions still pending, I struggle to see what if anything I could have said that would have made a difference. Even as I ask the question I find myself looking in the mirror. If I ask these questions I will need to answer them before I ask anyone else!
Will I make an effort to understand and see what others can see? When we agree on the observations that emerge from what we see, agreeing is easy. When what another sees causes one to pause, reflect, and consider, it is never as easy as it sounds.
Do I have the courage and will to change my path when confronted by truth? In an old story, people chosen by Divinity refused to say “yes”. In their no, “they sacrificed their sons and daughters at the altars of demon gods.” (Psalm 106.37) As easy as it is to second guess their decisions removed by generations, while the outcome is not as catastrophic, at their core, am are my choices different?
Am I willing to see more? In good times as well as difficult ones, I have been asked that question. As someone prayed over me in the basement of a dingy pub in Putney, he stopped his words, paused, and looked at me with an intensity that etched his next words into my soul.
“Are you willing to hear and accept more?”
“I have no idea. I think I am prepared, but, yes, if I am gifted with courage, yes, I am willing to hear and accept more.”
