Searching For Enchantment
The world has never ceased to be filled with “enchantment.” We simply can no longer “see” the “wonders” that abound in it. We have been distracted by the bright and shiny objects of technology. With science working so hard to remove the “magic” of being alive, is it any wonder why so many of us have become so jaded and cynical about our lives?
Having more stuff is a sign of success. Productivity needs to be quantifiable and measurable. We are told that we must always work to be productive even though it was proven many years ago that getting more rest makes people more productive in the long run.
Have We Been Sold A Bill Of Goods?
We have gotten too busy to connect with everything and everyone around us. Our family units are breaking apart, and we no longer know our children because we have stopped spending time with them. We only are with them 140 characters at a time in some cases.
We are essentially forgetting to live our lives.
No one gathers around the campfire, let alone the supper table. Technology has given us the illusion of being “connected,” yet the reality is that we are even further apart than we once were. We are lulled into believing that people care about us because they “like” one of our posts and that our “friendships” and popularity equate to the number provided to us by a social media website. Most strive to bring up those ” likes ” yet fail to be a friend.
There Is A Solution To The Madness
It requires all of us to pause for a moment, take a deep breath and reflect.
As artists, creativity requires us to slow down and even stop. This is one reason I have been encouraging everyone to find a quiet place and start sketching. Turn off your mobile phone for several hours. Turn off social media. Just be in the moment. We all need to take the time to regenerate and find our “self” again. We may even need to shut everything down for a more extended period of time to find our “self” again.
We need to take a moment to ascertain what truly is important to us.
I’ve done this exercise many times and concluded that love is the most essential ingredient of life. A life is not lived fully without it.
Love is the most essential part of the “enchantment” of living.
Quote of the Day
“For post-modern people, the universe in not inherently enchanted, as it once was for the ancients. We all have to do all the “enchanting” ourselves. This leaves us alone, confused, and doubtful. There is no meaning already in place for our discovery and enjoyment. We all have to create all meaning by ourselves in such an inert and empty world, and most of us do not seem to succeed very well.”
~ Richard Rohr ~
