Sunset in Raleigh 6/26/12
Sometimes we get lost because it’s so easy. We skip from one distraction to the next and in so doing we lose sight of The Big Picture of our life. We are without compass and have lost our sense of direction. We rarely have a moment of quiet or peace. All we really want is to find our way home.
I can remember when I was a very young child being lost in the woods. Or at least I felt like I was lost. I was at the total mercy of my father to return me safely to civilization, my known world. He did, thankfully. By middle school I participated in Girl Scouts and enjoyed my first camping trips without parents.
I learned to use a compass by day, but at night we hunkered down in our tents or shelters. We never once explored the deep dark woods at night. However, when I was trying to fall asleep outside under a full moon with crickets chirping all around, and strange movements that could be detected close by, I was more than a little tempted to explore on my own, though my better judgment always kicked in. We were young girls after all, alone yet together, with den leaders who also were young women–just a slightly more grown up version of ourselves.
It seems I was have always been hungry for adventure, and generally one to travel with relatively little fear “for a woman” some might say. But I didn’t know then, what I do now.
Sometime between childhood and adulthood, I learned I had better always be able to find “True North”. Even “True North” is of limited use, if you are not sure of your arrival destination.
Today we are literally surrounded by a 24/7 onslaught of endless digital media, our old friends the TV and radio, and of course advertising everywhere you turn! We go out shopping and we sometimes can’t even clarify our own thinking, save for the monitors at the end of every aisle subliminally reprogramming our decision making process over which products to consume. Go online; it’s way worse!
Our daily travels and errands are constantly bombarded with noise, images, music, sound effects, giant paper billboards, and flashing neon and enormous LED displays that have fourteen different crawls scrolling across. Times Square makes the Zoo TV Tour look like it was little more than a stationary backdrop. We get to and from our intended destinations, but we miss 99% of the journey.
We are direction-less wanderers. We’re always in motion, but seem clueless as to where we are actually going. We are in this space and time but for an infitesimally small fraction of eternity.
U2 was ahead of its time twenty years ago, because their tour foreshadowed the continuous wallpaper advertising and multi-media distractions that we’ve since incorporated as daily routine. For a concert, it was amazing entertainment! Now, we seem to live in a state of constant distraction with random or no focus, and no sense of where home (where our heart truly resides). It’s just too much!
How many of us leave the house with one or more TVs just on? Perhaps you fall asleep to the lull of “comfort noise”– the conversations of people both real and fictional characters, none of whom know or care for you and vice versa. We interact with faces on screens more than faces on people! We’ve silenced our inner voice by a bombardment of noise and lights, and wonder why do we feel so alone?
It’s time to leave it behind! We need to get back to simple. We need to leave our cubicles and get engaged in the beautiful day that is all around you. Unplug from the pod and hear the earth as it actually speaks to you. Feel the variations of the ground beneath your feet. If you’re in the city, I hope you can carve out a regular time to visit somewhere that has tall trees, an absence of concrete, and vast amounts of silence.
Once thoroughly embedded in a night forest, begin traveling my friend. (Bring a buddy of course, safety first!) Look up! Look around! Do you know where you are? Can you find True North?
It’s easy. You’re looking for the North Star. Her real name is Polaris, she’s also known as the Pole Star or Lode Star. She’s not the brightest star in the sky, but she is bright. Here’s how to find her:
- Find the big dipper.
- Look at the two stars (top and bottom) farthest away from the dipper’s ladle.
- The one on the bottom furthest from the Big Dipper’s handle is called Merak–which for some reason makes me think of meerkats! Whatever!
- The one on the top furthest from the handle is called Dubhe –go ahead, call it doobie if you’re so inclined!
- Anyway—while looking at Dubhe, in your mind draw a line that starts at Merak, continues on to Dubhe, and in the same direction look until you see the top of the handle of the Little Dipper.
- The very top star of the Little Dipper is Polaris. Congratulations, you’ve found the North Star!
It’s easier to find Polaris by starting with the identifying the Big Dipper first since the Little Dipper isn’t always easily recognizable in the night sky.
Hopefully, now you know how to find your way home geographically. But what about your heart? Where is home? Who or where is your North Star? I hope you find it. You already know this: In life, there are plenty of black holes, most of them super massive! At the “event horizon” of a black hole, is the point of no return; it’s where the pull of gravity will irrevocably take you down. You can’t escape, even if you are traveling faster than the speed of light. You’re sucked in, stretched thin, and shredded to pieces. Sound like anyone you know?
So find True North. May this be your moment of surrender. You may think I’m not easy on my knees. Look up—do you see what I see? North Star. And may your heart sing A New Song (40) as you journey home.
‘Cause there’s only one light that can guide you
Guide you home, home
Say it, say it, say it, say it
I can’t wait any longer
I can’t wait any longer for your love
“North Star” – U2
Suggested Listening: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LuUsn3Ck9bU
Image from: http://allu2allthetime.tumblr.com/
One of the Best U2 Fan Sites Ever!!!!!
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