An Intersection of Psychology and Philosophy

I've been thinking about Change over Time. I'm not the same person I was years ago, or even a moment ago! except I am! This tension between continuous existence and continuous change intrigues me, mystifies me, as I try to grasp it, to understand it, especially in terms of my own sense of myself, especially in the light of my journaling. This seems an intersection of philosophy and psychology, and suggests another possible topic for a masters thesis when I get that far.

Bambi and Christians

Dear Cynthia,

Thursday morning I’m sitting at Monarch Mountain Coffee where we’ve walked from the Edgewater Resort through pouring rain with an umbrella. It’s the day after my 52nd birthday when we drove to Hope and on our way back decided to stay the night in Sandpoint, although not far from our home near Diamond Lake.

A busy weekday morning has begun at Monarch, but we’re relaxed, enjoying the holiday feel of Spring Break, settled in the comfortable chairs at the window table for two, reading.

I take up The Sandpoint Reader just out of date and work my way to page 10 where I discover your Letter for Deeper Living, “Nature: Beyond Bambi.” You catch my eye, stir my mind, and end up touching my heart. So here I am to visit a bit with you about it.

You refer to moving on from the standard Judeo-Christian superior attitude. I confess I’ve never gotten past my belief that Jesus Christ really lived, really died, really came back to life, really is God, and really created everything.

Christians and others in the name of Christ have made a mess of things over these past two millennia, and I apologize for the horrible things we’ve said and done. Our Founder never intended such, and I’m ashamed of the way we have treated nature.

But the distinction between The Creator and the creation is an important one, and I think it is the only way to find true love, joy, and wholeness. Care for nature becomes grounded beyond my self in a personal Creator who cares for me.

I appreciate your honesty in saying you hold a firm conviction that you think is correct. Your willingness to employ an absolute concept like “correct” is refreshing. So much contemporary thought that parades as pluralism is wishy-washy nothingness, a celebration of imprecision. True diversity celebrates differences in a context of mutual respect and understanding where it’s ok to talk about those differences.

Just because I may think you are dead wrong does not mean that I wish you dead. I may hold a world view that has no room for yours, but that does not mean there is no room for you in my world.

I applaud your courageous voice and thank you for hearing mine!