On March Motivations

 ‘Motivation’ refers to a Latin word meaning ‘a moving cause’. It implies a willingness to act; the cause directs the movement. It differs from ‘purpose’ which sets the aim. Purpose is the reason something is done: theme, goal, design. War is an archetype, according to Jung’s psychology, and our reactions to war follow a pattern, deep in the human mind, still evoked by Homer and Euripides. Is the cause the war, or the war the cause?

“What is truth?” Pilate inquires. In antiquity, as today, power claims truth. There was the father’s power, the gods’ power, the Emperor’s power. When Jesus appears, transfigured, with Moses and Elijah, his power is attested by the company he keeps. He speaks to Pilate as witness to the truth: this is an act of power. (We have a clash of truths). At Emmaus, Jesus directs his survivors “that repentaunce and remission of synnes shulde be preached in his name amonge all nacions. And the begynnynge must be at Jerusalem”.(Luke 24:47. Tyndale).

Now, in the Middle East, we have a clash of powers. War shows its motivating and purposed powers. War is an archetype. But so is peace. “And the beginning must be at Jerusalem.”

 

On Keeping the Faith

Uncut footage. News before you see it. Dramas, catastrophes, disasters. Figures milling around, strolling through, passing in and out, stretching the time. Flowing through the narrative. Compression, containment, closure will meet the case. When asked “what have you done?” you think back point to point, bridging spaces. Asked what you’re doing, you come up with a story, with conditions (past), expectations (future), judgements (now). Are we among the extras, simply keeping the faith?

Maybe we’re not the hero here. Maybe not the victim, villain or victor. We might be the swing, moving from role to role. We could be one of the crew, setting up causes and contexts for things to come to pass. In fantasy, we’d see how we contribute to the scene. Are we being the best drug addict we can possibly be? Does our embarrassing child occupy our wholehearted attention? Have we successfully lost our latest job? Are we pursuing arts, sports, or meditation, somewhere in the midst of 10,000 hours of practice?

We are the matter, not the masters, of the scene. Every step has purpose, whether or not we change direction. We’re keeping the faith. Present among the presences. Following the Way.