• my lack of interior life…

    January 19, 2009

    Posted in: spiritual practices, the gathering

    as i shared in the gathering - i identify with the things Rolheiser writes, that work against the interior/mystical/spiritual life.  I thought i’d enter the quote i read last night.

    “Among the many things that work against interiority today, three can be singled out as particularly cankerous: narcissism, pragmatism, and unbridled restlessness.  Defined simply, narcissism means excessive self-preoccupation; pragmatism means excessive focus on work, achievement, and the practical concerns of life; and restlessness means an excessive greed for experience, an overeating, not in terms of food but in terms of trying to drink in too much of life.  Narcissism accoutns for our heartaches, pragmatism for our headaches, and restlessness for our insomnia.” pg 32

    The Holy Longing

    Any thoughts?  Do you identify?

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    • Kara said...

      1

      I can absolutely identify with what Rolheiser is saying, but the things that he said about restlessness were what really stood out to me. I had never thought of my own restlessness as being a bad thing. I thought it was great that I wanted to experience everything life had to offer me. But as I think about it, I can see how this thirst for experience often fuels my own discontent. It’s hard for me to be content and be present to my life here and now, because I’m thinking about where else I can go, what else I can see, who else I can meet, etc. Hearing what Rolheiser said about it has made me see one more area in which I need to practice being present.
      Thanks for reading this!

      01/22/09 11:06 PM | Comment Link

    • Scott said...

      2

      Kara–thanks for your vulnerability. Yeah, contentment takes courage–being willing to say now is valuable no matter what the future holds or the past reveals. Good stuff.

      01/24/09 12:15 AM | Comment Link

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