Let us begin with a definition: Alert = being fully awake and attentive; having an attitude of vigilance and readiness. The ancient wisdom figures and all faith, humanistic and philosophic traditions share a common theme: Life is about being alert on all levels. We are charged with choosing to be alert to the ‘spirit’s’ promptings (this ‘spirit’ might be the spirit of God or it might be the spirit of our inner guide/teacher, or it might be the spirit of a wisdom figures words – to name a few of the possibilities). The spirit comes to us through tradition, scripture, community, meditation, prayer, music, art, the natural world, our intellect, our imagination, mentors, teachers, guides, family, friends, and our dreams (the list seems endless).
It takes a great amount of ‘being alert’ in order for me to sort through the complex, and at times misleading, movements of my heart and mind (for example, my prejudices, judgments, stereotypes, biases, and adulterations). To complicate my ability to be alert, I also have to discern my destructive images (say, of God), my false notions (about the other), my dis-eased motivations, my inability to heal old wounds (or my ability to keep them open and festering), and my desire (or is it need) to hang onto the judgments of childhood that still guide my life-decisions.
The Oracle of Delphi advises us to ‘know thyself.’ I must be alert if I am going to begin to know myself. Socrates reminds us that ‘the unexamined life is not worth living.’ In order for me to examine my life I must be alert. The prayer of St. Francis states quite clearly: …grant that I may not seek to be understood as to understand. In order to seek to understand I must be alert and I must be intentional and purpose-full in my seeking.
What are some ways we hinder ourselves from ‘Being Alert’? Anthony de Mello notes that we too often go through life asleep and that we are called to ‘wake up’ (de Mello’s book ‘Awareness’ has been one of my ‘spirits’ for many years – Be Care-Full, Gentle Reader, you might choose to wake up if you read it). So one way we hinder ourselves from ‘Being Alert’ is to be asleep. We also keep ourselves from ‘Being Alert’ by being distracted (my sense is most of us have our favorite ways of being distracted), or by being busy (we are a society addicted to busyness), or by being in a hurry (we suffer from ‘hurry sickness’) or by being addicted (there are many addictions available to us and each of us has our ‘favorites’) or by being ‘self-absorbed’. There are other ways, but these will suffice for now.
‘Being Alert’ does not necessarily bring comfort or solace or peace. We might well become disturbed by what we come to see or understand (about ourselves, for example). In what ways might our being alert, and hence disturbed, motivate us – to health or to dis-ease?
As I close this morning I am thinking of another of my ‘spirit’ mentors, Aristotle. He offers us the following: The ultimate value of life depends upon awareness and the power of contemplation rather than upon mere survival.
Searcher-Seeker 