I had more to say back earlier today when I sneaked a peak at my phone in between meetings, but now that I've finally made it home I find I'm too tired for deep thinking. Still, I do remember that I wanted to comment that there are secular 'sacred' texts. That is, I think there are secular texts that people experience in the same way as religious texts. (Caveats: not everyone reads sacred texts the same ways, not all texts will have the same meaning or sanctity for all, etc, etc.)
So, for example, the way many react to the Gettysburg Address...and if you want to expand it to secular/sacred places, the Lincoln Memorial. And while I'm thinking of the Lincoln Memorial, I'd also include the I Have a Dream speech.
The way (some) people approach those things/places/texts, whether religious or secular has a kind of meditative quality to it, I think. It reminds me of that bit in firefly, you know: "It's not about making sense. It's about believing in something, and letting that belief be real enough to change your life. It's about faith. You don't fix faith, River. It fixes you. "
In less ramble-y terms, I guess what I'm saying is that I think faith is the key component when approaching something 'sacred' and though that sounds kind of obvious, it is an experience that goes beyond religion. Faith doesn't have to be religious in nature, and so that sacred experience doesn't need to be, exactly, either.
One could simply- say- choose to believe that freedom and equality really are achievable, that it's within our grasp, that people are generally good and kind and that we really can change the world. And even if you can only sustain that belief for short periods of time, when you have that mindset and approach the place or text, it can feel (and perhaps be) very transformative.
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I had more to say back earlier today when I sneaked a peak at my phone in between meetings, but now that I've finally made it home I find I'm too tired for deep thinking. Still, I do remember that I wanted to comment that there are secular 'sacred' texts. That is, I think there are secular texts that people experience in the same way as religious texts. (Caveats: not everyone reads sacred texts the same ways, not all texts will have the same meaning or sanctity for all, etc, etc.)
So, for example, the way many react to the Gettysburg Address...and if you want to expand it to secular/sacred places, the Lincoln Memorial. And while I'm thinking of the Lincoln Memorial, I'd also include the I Have a Dream speech.
The way (some) people approach those things/places/texts, whether religious or secular has a kind of meditative quality to it, I think. It reminds me of that bit in firefly, you know: "It's not about making sense. It's about believing in something, and letting that belief be real enough to change your life. It's about faith. You don't fix faith, River. It fixes you. "
In less ramble-y terms, I guess what I'm saying is that I think faith is the key component when approaching something 'sacred' and though that sounds kind of obvious, it is an experience that goes beyond religion. Faith doesn't have to be religious in nature, and so that sacred experience doesn't need to be, exactly, either.
One could simply- say- choose to believe that freedom and equality really are achievable, that it's within our grasp, that people are generally good and kind and that we really can change the world. And even if you can only sustain that belief for short periods of time, when you have that mindset and approach the place or text, it can feel (and perhaps be) very transformative.