The Music of the Spheres

A while ago I rewatched the movie Philadelphia.  It stars Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington.  It is an engaging story in which Tom Hanks' character is an up-and-coming lawyer in a big legal firm who has AIDS and is let go because of it.  He sues the law firm for wrongful dismissal and wins in the end – fortunately before he dies from the disease.  The story takes place in the early days of AIDS, set  in the early 1990’s, when getting AIDS was a death sentence and accurately reflects the homophobia and fear surrounding the AIDS epidemic. 

The movie is a poignant, sad and surprisingly joyful depiction of the times and the cruelty, ignorance and discrimination that surrounded the plague.  That said, what I want to explore is the music in the movie, specifically the theme music.  There are actually two theme songs in the movie – the Streets of Philadelphia by Bruce Springsteen and Philadelphia by Neil Young.  Both are wonderful songs however, in my mind and ear and soul, the Neil Young song is a wonderful encapsulation of all that the movie expresses so well – the poignancy, the wistfulness for things to be different, the heartache, the pain, and joy that is shared by the characters.  Here are the lyrics which I hope will give you an idea of what is expressed so well in the song:

Sometimes I think that I know
What love's all about
And when I see the light
I know I'll be all right.

I've got my friends in the world,
I had my friends
When we were boys and girls
And the secrets came unfurled.

City of brotherly love
Place I call home
Don't turn your back on me
I don't want to be alone
Love lasts forever.

Someone is talking to me,
Calling my name
Tell me I'm not to blame
I won't be ashamed of love.

The lyrics are wonderfully enhanced and completed by the music which has a poignancy and energy and wistfulness that captures the feeling and message in the story.  The performance of the song from the movie can be found here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHpQFF_Et4s. 

A warning – the song and specifically the performance by Neil Young - never fails to bring tears to my eyes and as someone said in a comment online – it could be put on a loop, and you would never get tired of hearing it.  I have not tried that myself, but it certainly rings true to me. 

It is an example of the power of song to move and inspire and express so much is a few words and musical notes.  May you be blessed with such music on your journey. 

 

Acedia & me

Richard Rohr, is one of the modern prophets who I turn to for inspiration and support, had the theme of deserts for his daily meditations last week.   Here is a sampling of what was on offer:

Today’s wilderness can be found in bustling suburban and urban centers, on death row, in homeless shelters in the middle of the night, in the eyes of a hospice patient, and in the desperation of AIDS orphans in Africa and around the world. Perhaps these are the postmodern desert mothers and fathers.
—Barbara Holmes

 This brought to mind a book that I read about acedia which I read some years ago - Acedia & me, by Kathleen Norris. I wrote about this a few years ago and I think it is worth repeating here.   Acedia is a term which has fallen out of favour and is not in general use in the modern world.   I was vaguely aware of this concept but was introduced to it in the Spiritual Direction program I completed with the Haden institute and the Mt. Carmel Spiritual Centre in Niagara Falls.  Lorna found out about this book which was not on the reading list of the program (and should be) and purchased it used on-line.  

As I noted, I began to read it after Lorna recommended it and am finding acedia to be a concept and condition which appears to be very much something which is part of modern life and deserves more consideration.  Kathleen Norris delves into the concept of acedia drawing her life long experience with the condition.   As Norris notes, acedia is often considered to be another name for depression.  Norris notes that there are many similarities between the two conditions.  However, the two conditions are not synonymous.  Norris suggests that, “while depression is an illness treated by counselling and medication, acedia is a vice that is best countered by spiritual practice and the discipline of prayer.” (3)  Categorizing acedia as a vice is not done lightly by Norris.  She traces the early thoughts about acedia and notes that Evagrius, a 4^th century Christian monk and ascetic, classified it as “one of the eight bad thoughts that plagued a monk, whole John Cassian discerned in acedia a stubborn sadness that could lead a monk into a far worse state of distress”. (20)  The eight bad thoughts eventually became the seven deadly sins of Christianity.   The theologian dropped acedia from the list and conflated it with sadness. 

As I noted, it is often thought of as depression.  It is rather hard to get a definitive handle on just what the condition—or vice—entails and how it differs from depression.  The simplest way of thinking about it appears to be a state of generally not caring about the world and others.  Norris describes the condition—which she diagnoses as acedia—as one in which she would avoid life by obsessively reading anything and everything as a way of running away and “consuming books rather than reading them.”   With acedia the ‘not caring’ can take the form of sloth or laziness of body and mind.  But it can also take the form of escapism either in nostalgia about a golden past or fantasy about the grass being greener in the other places.  It can even take the form of being a rescuer who wants to obsessively help and rescue people. 

 However, the common factor in this is avoidance.  The sufferer is not able to engage the world around them.  They do not/cannot care about anything and do not take the effort to engage in anything.   I believe that acedia is what people in other times and places were addressing when they talked of ‘loss of soul’.  Norris notes that, “John Cassian and Thomas Aquinas recognized that acedia operates on the borders between the physical world and the spiritual life.” (35)  It is also interesting that Norris notes Aquinas recommended ‘a hot bath, a glass of wine, and a good night’s sleep’ as a remedy.   However tempting that may be, I suspect that someone who is in the thrall of acedia will not get a good night’s sleep.  Rather, they will be pursued by the demon of acedia.  Indeed, considering acedia in the realm of demons or evil spirits has some validity if we consider the world of the early monks who were very familiar with acedia as the demon of mid-day which brings lethargy. 

I think the understanding that we are dealing with a condition that allows temptations in the form of thoughts to take hold.  Norris notes that the demons “arouse evil thoughts by working on the memory and imagination.”  We may have difficulty believing in demons or evil spirits in today’s modern material world.  However, it can be useful to understand the thoughts that creep unaware into our consciousness that encourage us to avoid what we know is in our best interest in this way.  Indeed, after I had begun to be engaged by the book, I had the thought that I have done enough and deserve to play a computer game which I must confess I surrendered to quite willingly.  

Blessings on your journey and don’t let the demon of acedia or any others catch you unaware.  

  

Reading the Bible 34 Genesis 41: 37-57 – The Stuff of Dreams

And it came to pass (as will be said later in this same book) that Joseph’s interpretation of the Pharaoh’s dreams were realized.  The seven years of plenty were followed by the seven years of famine.  The Pharaoh’s discernment that Joseph was the one to lead the country through this time of trial was confirmed.   All seemed to be well – at least in Egypt.  However, there are two points which are almost throw away lines at the end of the chapter that should not be overlooked.  

First we are told that Joseph sold to the Egyptians the wheat that had been stored up in the good years.  Apparently there was no free lunch in Egypt in those days.  The wheat that had I’m sure been taken by the Pharaoh was not given back to the people.  They had to buy it back from their ruler through the auspices of Joseph.  There does not seem to be any question that this is just how things were.  It is not a case of the welfare state.  Joseph, the man who had been looked on with favour because of the gifts that God had given him was quite willing to participate in this act of government control which could be interpreted as being ordained by God.  I’m not sure how this would be viewed by those Christians – usually of the fundamentalist bent al la the Tea Party – who call for less government and fewer taxes.  Would they hold that this was necessary for God’s plan to be fulfilled for the Israelites – God chosen people - at least until the United States was established?  Therefore this inconvenient biblical passage can be overlooked.  Of course I am using historical relativism to judge the situation and of course we have to see that God truth is not the same for all people in all times.  God’s truth is being revealed in new ways in an ongoing revelation.  

The second point is that famine was severe throughout the world. Here we have a chicken and egg situation.  God foretold the coming famine through dreams sent to the Pharaoh.  He also gave Joseph the gift of the interpretation of that message.  Was the famine part of God’s plan?  Was it necessary for God to send a famine on the world to enable His plan for Joseph and the Israelites to unfold?  Or did God just use his omniscience to use the events that were destines to happen?  Was the suffering that was inevitable with a world-wide famine necessary for God to fulfil His intention?  It is easy to read into events our understanding of God’s will when they fit our understanding of how God works in the world and how people who we believe deserve God’s punishment receive it with natural events – AIDS as punishment for Gays comes to mind and even the reaction by some to the devastation of New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina as punishment for the wickedness of that sinful city a la Sodom and Gomorrah.  It is very easy for people of all stripes to relish when bad things happen to those who we consider bad people.  It is always dangerous to believe that God is on our side and should meet out punishment to those we believe deserve it.  We don’t like to leave punishment in the hands of God as God says elsewhere.