'Reverence' Articles
Reverence is the practice of faith. Literally the practice, not the feeling. Faith is a very functional practice, and I am not referring to religion.
Reverence is the recognition that the sum of your life is greater than whatever part currently has your attention. Reverence is that sense of respect you have, and maybe notice most when you are in the “unknown”, but people give into egotism and begin to generalize what they “know” to every aspect of life. Is this sound reasoning?
Reverence is not in ideas, but in what they will make you do. Believe reverence is possible and you will act like it is.
“Pursue some path, however narrow and crooked, in which you can walk with love and reverence.” Henry David Thoreau (American Essayist, Poet and Philosopher, 1817-1862)
“Always and in everything let there be reverence.” Confucius (China’s most famous teacher, philosopher, and political theorist, 551-479 BC)
“If a man loses his reverence for any part of life, he will lose his reverence for all of life.” Albert Schweitzer (German medical Missionary, Theologian, Musician and Philosopher. 1952 Nobel Peace Prize, 1875-1965)
Practice Of Reverence
Some people proudly declare that they have no heroes, and that they worship nothing. This isn’t necessarily a negative statement, but it tends to be short-sighted. They lie? Also true. Some people feel they are down to earth. I would offer that the most down to earth people are those we bury. Bury, inter, put under ground. As in disregard? That too. Maybe it’s more that they don’t want to be seen as relying on someone? It’s likely ego based. To live is to be moved, and no mind is so hardened that it is moved by nothing at all.… Seek More
Accept Reverence
Reverence has a complimentary attitude, irreverence. Our drive to reverence is not necessarily a drive to religiosity, and many people gloat at the idea that they are irreverent thinkers, that they hold nothing sacred. To paraphrase Jesus, “They know not what they do.”. Irreverence has its place when it stems from innate human reverence. When you accept reverence as an attitude, it does make clear that some things are not to be revered. Like, oh say, money, and being mindful of this can be healing, strengthening. But desecrating the human heart, devaluing love or imagination, crushing dreams and the love… Seek More
Keeping Reverence
Too much like or dislike can be very narrowing and corrupting. It seems to lead to obsession, which certainly is unhealthy? A computer metaphor is in order. Dichotomous thinking causes fragmentation, which causes loss of moral integrity. Obsession blocks adaptability, and nature and life are a flow. Flow and you live. Stagnate and you die. Can there be “too much” reverence? There can be mistaken identification, and reverence for the object of mistaken identification is harmful, yes. Reverence vs. worship. How do they relate? Worship is a practice undertaken for any of many reasons. In my experience, most of the common… Seek More
Honouring The Spirit
The topic is reverence, but perhaps it’s relevant. If you follow medical and genetic / neurological studies, it’s more or less been established that we are inherently creatures of faith. There have even been extensive studies on the relationship between faith and health/recovery finding a scientifically viable positive result, but we live as a society in a way that doesn’t exactly encourage faith. How are people who have faith treated? In the positive side of my experience, they are held dear but treated like a lovable eccentric. On the negative side, they are the object of outright hostility. This is… Seek More
Sum Of Life
Basic is pride. “I am better then the others.” To know where your life is going look at what you revere. We’re likely going after it? Good points. Self esteem is good, but often not as people practice it. If you have a sense of reverence, you cannot belittle the observer, but arrogance is not reverence. The arrogant person reveres little, and what they do revere is a threat to their ego so they limit contact with it sharply and become disconnected from life. I decide you are worthy to be killed. We Germans have experience in that. We did… Seek More
Separation From Spirit
Man does not live of bread alone, but of the spirit. Not of objects, but of the spirit behind them. There has been a huge loss of faith in religious leadership lately, all across the world and in many faiths. Why is this? Money and power, politics, dogma. What’s missing? Reverence for their founding principles. If one has reverence, then to stop at just “I am not meant to understand” would not be acceptable. Control. Control is why they do not revere? True. Control and reverence are mutually exclusive. Democracy as it stands has lost its reverence for the people,… Seek More
Life With Reverence
I’ve often wondered if laws are a stop gap compensating for the lack of insight because of how we have objectified everything. With no reverence we need laws? With reverence you could not disrespect your neighbour, and of course bad law is not law. You could not steal, nor turn your back when they were in need. Laws allow indifference. Laws allow you to be exempt because it’s not your “legal responsibility”. All spiritual teachers have cautioned against making an idol of laws. But it does objectify a code of conduct which protects people, well… It is supposed to. Objectifying… Seek More
