Scraping the Sky

The city. Also known as the urban jungle, the rat race, call it what you will. Full of a strange breed of creature that lives by the Darwinism creed that only the strong will survive. Along the busy streets they race like cheetahs to the next potential "kill" that will put food on the table, this kill being the next business appointment, sale, or for the cliche starving musician(thats me!), the next "gig". We call these odd city dwellers humans, or more commonly, us. Through the noise of cars rolling on the pavement and the jabbering jaws of those in front of, behind, to the left and the right of you, it is hard to even fathom a thought dealing with anything beyond what the city calls one to: "Do what you need to and move on." Simply do what you must that day, and that night lose yourself to a sleep from which you will awake ready or not to do the same thing over again. This is the mentality of the big city and big business. In large part, it is the mentality of our nation as a whole. While this ambitious path tread by so many in our land o' liberty isn't necessarily a negative mindset, it is all too easy to become lost to. The symmetry of the structures that make up the city, the straight ahead one way streets, the stop and go traffic, the morning rush, the afternoon rush, and well, the rush period. It all seems very routine all the while maintaining a hypnotic quality, resonating with a sense of dutiful security. It's no wonder then why so many who work the 9-5 job find themselves lost in a stagnant life, unable to find a way out of the intricate urban maze they've so diligently worked themselves into. But in our world of technology beyond our grandparent's (or even our parent's) wildest dreams and a competitive economy the likes of which rarely seen, there is little else one can do to survive and be successful but to submit to the normal grind of the work week. Now, don't get me wrong, I love the city. From the seemingly endless mass of faces that continually crowd the streets by day to the never ceasing wavelike sound of distant traffic in the neon and orange lit night. The city truly holds a special quality unique to any other environment on the planet.
For those who find themselves in this position though, it may be found that the job(or school) itself is not the problem. The vantage point of it all plays a much bigger part. The veritable maze of city life may not be solved by simply looking side to side, wall to wall, or taking the next to turn to see where it may lead. Perhaps it is looking skyward that will provide the answers.
The towering monuments to economic prosperity we have dubbed "sky-scrapers" are a staple of almost every major city on the planet. The nickname of "sky-scrapers" as always provoked a unique train of thought in my mind. The vision that habitually popped into my head at the sound of this word when I was young was something like the needle of the empire state building cutting a hole into the blue sky like a warriors blade through flesh, exposing the starry blackness of outer space. The stratosphere's "guts" if you will. But this child spawned gory image is not the reason the term still sparks my imagination. It is that these man made Goliaths are reaching for the stars, higher than any around them, not ashamed but proud, attempting in beautiful vanity to break free of gravity and the laws of physics which hold them to the earth like a mighty dragon chained to it's cave. If only the mundane task-minded workers within their walls would take a hint from the structures they spend so many of their days in. An abashed pride in who we are as children of our creator and a passion to reach higher than we know possible and to see beyond the sky like the buildings we've built so well would make an unbelievable difference in so many lives it would be truly unstoppable.
Looking up is underrated. It allows one to see the big picture and the whole of it, not simply the straight ahead, blinders on view adopted by our society. I would go as far out on a ledge as to say many don't even dare to glance sideways or look across the street while walking along the sidewalk out of fear of losing a few precious seconds off of their arrival time at their destination of choice, or for fear of what they might see which they usually ignore blissfully. A homeless man on the corner begging for change, and he really is begging for change, a change in his own world. Or the broken face of a stranger beaten down by the grind, the same one all are subject to that wears on self, spirit, and family. But even the unfortunate can be redeemed and made glorious by our own actions. A willingness to look up and every which way alone will increase one's insight ten fold. An awareness of surroundings is essential to a life lived out at full capacity. Offering a friendly glance or smile along the sidewalk or a hearty good morning could potentially make a big difference in some one's day. Looking beyond the bad attitudes everyone encounters and produces themselves each day and offering a countering attitude of kindness might just make things that much better.
In the rush there is truly much more to gain than to lose. Taking in the sights, smiling or greeting a passerby is apparently a rarity in the morning routine nowadays.
If we are willing to look beyond the routines of the city, the repeating brick patterns, constant traffic noise, and the broken roads under construction, a reconstruction could start on the repetitive prose so many fall victim to. Mindsets living up to the buildings that reach beyond the stratosphere are what we need.
Last night I looked out the window onto the city, and I saw one of the most breathtakingly beautiful sights I've ever encountered in a photograph or in my life. As the day fell, the sun had dropped behind clouds of a deep mauve cast against a darkened blue sky and twilight had begun it's darkening of the majestic city structures, silhouetting them against the brilliant orange and blood red sun rays. A serene end to another fast paced day. But it's moments like these that remind me life is much more than hectic and stressful if we let it be. And when we do, it is beautiful indeed.

Of late nights and open hearts

If only I could be blessed with foresight enough to understand all of the subtleties and nuances of the human heart. This thought came to me today as I pondered how each and every day I find new paths to be trodden in my own heart and soul as well as in others. Not to mention the new people encountered on a given day.
It is a wonder to me that each person created by our loving God has within them a tapestry of thoughts, feelings, and memories each woven in such a way that is unique to them. What fills me with even greater wonder along with sheer joy is when someones bears all of these things that are inside them for the world to see, holding nothing back.
"The glory of God is man fully alive." St. Iraneus
To be in the presence of one fully awake and alive is comparable to staring at the sun. While a beautiful sight to behold, it is at the same time blinding but in the most pleasant way possible. When all one's heart bears is open to you, you are given a glimpse of the light that is the glory of God.
A couple of days ago I had a three hour conversation with a new good friend of mine. We swapped stories of recent happenings in our lives, gradually moving into topics dealing with our relationships with others and our relationships with God. Laughing, verging on tears of both joy and sadness, and being filled with the joy of our fellowship in the Lord. The only reason for stopping the dialogue was the fact that 2:30am had snuck up on us, and we both had morning classes. Dang. Now, it is not that I have never had a deep conversation with anyone like this before. What made this encounter unique was the unabashed opening of each others souls to one another through simple conversation, sharing our hopes, dreams, fears, and stories.
Nothing was held back, the musings of our hearts were free to sing out, and even more touchy topics that most would try to avoid seemed not at all awkward or out the ordinary. These are the moments in which I feel a closeness to God that is nearly unmatched, the moments in which I am close to another human being's very soul. This sort of recklessness in relationship with one another has somehow become a rarity in most people's lives today. And what a sad misfortune this is. I would venture a guess that throughout the course of the day, half the people I know do not engage in many, if any conversations that go beyond the generic "How's it going?" "What's up?" "How was this, How is that?" Now granted not every conversation can go deep, and it is something that ought not to be forced. Talking randomly to someone over lunch about how their peanut butter sandwich reminds you of your own smallness in the universe probably won't get you very far in a deep conversation. In fact it would probably get you a queer look from the other party, followed by a slow backing away out of fear for what strangeness will spill out of your mouth next. But we must strive to seek deeper relationship with one another, for it is in each other goodness can be found. As much as Christians seek after close relationship with God, they do not seek close, strong relationships with one another nearly enough. I at times will find myself at church, but not really wanting to talk with many people. Just to go, play, listen, and leave. But by doing this I not only perform a disservice to myself, but to everyone around me who might have just needed a friendly heart to talk to that day. If we are to love God, we must love others. This is simply a non-negotiable truth in our relationship with God. We strive so hard to be like God yet at times seem to forget that it is hard to live like and love God, if we cannot first live well with each other and love as to break down all barriers. As humans we were not meant to live life alone. When people are able to truly open up to the core of their being, they are able to let shine the glory of God. I have seen it before and saw it with my friend two days ago. Inside and out we should strive to be made up of what Christ is; Love. To open up completely to someone is to love. To love is to let them in.