Yes!
In the past few months, I have been asking the forest in the town of Natick for permission to walk on its earth, mingle among its trees, listen to the tapping of its woodpeckers and the hoot of its owls, hear the rush of its waters, along with many more other delights.
Before I enter the forest, I pause for a moment in the quiet to feel the currents of its silence and then say something like this: “Hey do you mind if I enter your space?” And guess what I have discovered?! Every time I asked permission, I find that I get a “yes” back — something along the lines of “Absolutely! Welcome. Where have you been? I’ve been waiting….” Sometimes it feels resounding and other times quiet, but it feels like an unconditional acceptance all the time.
Wow, where can you get such unconditionality these days?! With all the roles, identities, and descriptions we cling to for self-protection or self-preservation — unconditional acceptance, welcome, real love, is hard to come by. I’m not saying that roles, identities, self-descriptions that we define ourselves with are not useful at times; but holy smoke, we cleave so desperately to these definitions that it begs the question: what are we so afraid of!?
What fear drives the political identity of a person who, despite having zero evidence, clings to the belief that an election victory is a big lie? What fear drives an officer to see in his or her role, the authority to shoot an unarmed person in the back? What fear drives the parent to cling so tightly to their role that they only know how to live through their children’s lives? What fear drives the business owner or the corporate executive in their roles to feel no responsibility to provide a living wage to their employees? What fear drives the Judeo-Christian, in their self-described biblical role as stewards of creation, to feel that it’s okay to treat the planet as a commodity for our consumption and a convenient garbage dump? What fears drive us!
What fears grips the American who thinks that freedom is not wearing a mask, even when their action or inaction results in putting another’s life at risk? What fear grips the American who thinks freedom is the right amass weapons no questions asked? What fear grips the American citizen who thinks freedom means making it as difficult as possible for a fellow citizen to cast their vote? What fear grips a person who thinks freedom means there is no common good, no non-negotiable rights such as a right to healthcare, education, clean drinking water, or safe and affordable housing? What fears grip us!
And what fear paralyzes us, in our national identity, that makes us forget that we have brothers and sisters in Hong Kong, Brazil, Myanmar, Tibet, Uyghurs, China, Russia, Middle East, North Korea (to name a few) who look to us for inspiration as they yearn to live free from autocratic rulers? What fear paralyzes us!
Why are we so captured by our personal and national definitions? Could it be we are afraid that if we no longer hide behind these roles, identities, and descriptions we would discover that nobody cared about us? That nobody has our back? That we might not feel important or deserving? That there really isn’t enough love, welcome, or resources on the planet to sustain us? Could it be that we fear our lives may have no meaning?
All the definitions, descriptions, roles, and identities that we use to run and hide from these fears only allow the fears to grow. Fear has carved out an unsustainable path! If we let it, fear can rob us of everything we value and love!
The Natick town forest has been whispering, hooting, tapping something for centuries for which we would be wise to pause and listen. As I look at the forest outside my window, I am reminded of a line from an e.e. cummings poem:
I thank you God for most this amazing day
For the leaping greenly spirits of trees and a blue true dream of sky
And for everything which is natural which is infinite which is yes!
This is the kind of Yes, I hear unconditionally and emphatically from the forest whenever I asked permission to enter. The forest doesn’t care about roles, identities, descriptions. It only cares about what is indescribable about us– our goodness, our desire to be loved, to be welcomed, our desire to be free.
Take a stroll in the forest and you walk out saying, Yes, somebody does have my back! Yes, there is enough to sustain us of what we truly need. Yes, we are a democracy (a work in progress, not a set definition) and everyone has a right to vote! Yes, there is a common good and there are basic non-negotiable rights because we do want to have each other’s backs! Yes, the forest is family with all its silence, stillness, welcome, sounds, delights, and questions of “where have you been?” Yes, the planet is mother, neither a commodity nor a dump. Yes, we can build a society where we can go to a concert, school, church, mosque, synagogue, and the grocery store in peace and safety. Yes, we are loved! We are all accepted. We are all welcomed. As St. Paul says: “Only Love can Cast out fear!” We can free ourselves from fear! Yes, we can!
Be well,
Bill