Living in the Present

Today's blog will contain mostly quotes from Wendell Berry and Pope Francis, both of whom I consider prophetic voices for this generation. Both Berry and Francis are concerned about the rapid growth of consumerism and the loss of community. Pope Francis had this to say on Easter Sunday; "Our world is still divided by greed looking for easy gain...wounded by selfishness which threatens human life and family. There is excessive exploitation of natural resources and we must become responsible guardians of creation."

We misinterpret our quest for freedom and the cost is an unjust life that fails to be a good neighbor.. It is a fatal error that harms both ourselves and our neighbors. Berry says, "Our present idea of freedom is only the freedom to do as we please; to sell ourselves for a high salary, a home in the suburbs, and idle weekends. But that is a freedom dependent upon affluence, which is in turn dependent upon the rapid consumption of exhaustible supplies. The other kind of freedom is the freedom to take care of ourselves and each other. The freedom of affluence opposes and contradicts the freedom of community life."

There is great freedom in living in the present moment cogent of both our needs and our neighbors. Berry shares concerning the future if there is one at all, the future will be dependent on the good things of the present. "We do not need to plan or devise a 'world of the future'; if we take care of the world of the present, the future will have received full justice from us. A good future is implicit in the soils, forests, grasslands, marshes, deserts, mountains, rivers, lakes, and oceans that we have now, and in the good things of human culture that we have now; the only valid 'futurology' available to us is to take care of those things. We have no need to contrive and dabble at 'the future of the human race'; we have the same pressing need that we have always had - to love, care for and teach our children."

I think that was the message of the 60's "teach your children well" and what the world needs now "is love sweet love." I recognize the 60's and it's folk prophets were not perfect any more than Wendell Berry or Pope Francis but in all of our imperfections there is a song of freedom that sings in every generation. It is a song of hope, a song of peace, a song of community.