 i have been thinking about the concept of presence that Eckhart finds so essential... it seems to me that, since he defines 'being present' as being in contact with your ontological (fundamental) self, with Being, and since he equates Being with my concept of God (without gender, completely outside time, yet indwelling with all humanity), then Eckhart is in essence saying that truly being present is being in commune/contact with Being (God)... this means being truly present would put one smack dab in the center of God's kingdom here on earth... which would definitely give us the grace, space, and power to promote Shalom for all species of being. this in turn implies our active participation with God to actually realize God's vision of reconciliation (Shalom) to all beings and between all beings on earth.
so, if being present means union and participation with God, and if this could be seen as a sort of heaven on earth, what would the opposite look like? i think Jean-Paul Sartre gave us a pretty good pic in his classic play, "Huis Clos" (No Exit, in English i believe)... here we have 3 ppl, completely at odds in sexuality and in temperament and in world view, who have died and are stuck in a room with... no exit. they cannot sleep or even close their eyes (their eyelids have atrophied), and while they are completely aware of what goes on in their former lives as well as what goes on within the room they share, they can do nothing (make no decisions) to affect or change their sitch in any way... these ppl are all v. self-oriented, and completely out of touch (Eckhart would say 'unconscious') with any real feelings, even for themselves. nothing can change, so everything stays the same, contrasted to the lives of their former world, where ppl make choices and move onward... sort of like "Groundhog Day" on acid - a true hell... |
Recent Comments