Two bright observers on the spiritual-writing scene today -- named Allen and Rolheiser -- have commented recently on the deepest issues that confront persons enfolded in Western, secularized cultures. Their work has led to an articulation of "ten struggles" that have come, like a correction note, stapled to your ticket to modern life. Having read the list of ten over and given them a bundle of thought, I think this is the way to say what they are getting at, which are the . . . .
. . . . Mystifying challenges on how to get from here to there, wherever there is:
1) The all-knowing, all-seeing, ever-present Creator of the cosmos -- the One that previous generations believed that they knew so very much about -- has apparently gone completely AWOL, and no one seems to know where to begin to search.
2) To accept that human life is a profound and anxious struggle (or, ironically, a very meaningless set of exercises) through which some wounded individuals and some passionate humans in community still strive (in hope) for sincere goodness, healing and wholeness, peace, justice, compassion, and a true sense of purpose.
3) To let go of the compulsion to control other people -- their thoughts, feelings, relationships, direction(s), to consume oceans of intoxicants, and to control vast quantities of material goods so that one can actually surrender to what is truly and ultimately of value to our minds and hearts.
4) To find a way to consistently express one's authentic personhood, in all of its mysteries and subtleties, with responsibility and courage.
5) To keep my head, heart, and hands centered on building a sustainable culture of life and my eyes on the world's horizon, and not on the vast array of digitized screens and other cultural distractions that threaten to over- stimulate and knock us off the wise and proper pathways of life.
6) Value and seek personal health and well-being in all aspects of adult existence in exchange for the driven and restless desires for ambition, position, power, wealth, and recognition.
7) To be challenged but not defeated by fear, worries, paranoia, personal failures, the complexities of life, others' immorality, and lack of clear directions (such as blacks and whites) on difficult matters.
8) The struggle to confront the many kinds of loneliness to be found in life and to seek an other, or others, who will walk in genuine companionship and in a spirit of honesty, truth, and love.
9) To remain an upright and just person in all phases of life - and to work each day to support and encourage those who fight the many kinds of poverty and impatiently seek happiness and justice for all in this world.
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