May 12th

Call me squeamish; I prefer to think of myself as sensitive. Whenever I watch something violent on television, I have a hard time falling asleep and the images haunt me for days. So I choose not to watch violent shows - with one exception: Game of Thrones. Apparently if dragons are flying around, I find violence perfectly acceptable!
       In an attempt to justify this anomaly, I tell my husband that I find the character development in Game of Thrones redeeming. Take Jamie - one of the very numerous players in the mess brought on by various people seeking to sit on the Iron Throne. Seven seasons ago, he was a vain and arrogant man devoted to advancing his family’s claims. The finest swordsman in Westeros, Jamie’s life changed dramatically when his ability to wield a weapon was lost. Yet it was this very loss that enabled Jamie to see himself, his family and the situation in Westeros in an entirely new light. He became a more understanding, compassionate human being. 
       For me, Jamie’s story illuminates the spiritual journey many people have to make. Coming to a deeper understanding of one’s self and a greater ability to love other human beings often entails losses. Thomas Keating nuances my thoughts on the matter: “Suffering itself does not make one holy….suffering (by itself can not) lead to new levels of knowledge and love. Unless we are willing to sacrifice what we have now, we cannot grow. We grow by dying and rising again, by dying to where we are now and being reborn at a new level.” The spiritual journey does entail losses, but also a willingness to be move toward newness of Life.