Thought experiment: soul cameras

Cameras abound: cell phones, computers, stores, drones, dashboards, gear that people wear.

What if we each had a soul camera? A camera showing what the soul sees?

Let's use our imaginary soul cameras to try to see, in the light of compassion, others’ pain, grief, anger, fear, love, pride, courage, grit, yearning, and ways to connect.

January 17, 2021

Cameras are everywhere these days.  Computer cameras enable this meeting.  Cell phone cameras record events, historic and personal.  Life is recorded by security cameras.  Drone cameras.  Dashboard cameras.  Police body cameras.

What if we had soul cameras?  What if each person had a camera for what the soul sees? 

What would a soul camera reveal, particularly in American society today?

I imagine that our soul cameras would show people’s pain.

Grief.

Anger.

Anxiety.

Loneliness.

Fear. 

Yet soul cameras would also show people’s yearning, and potential, for connection.

People’s struggle between self-righteousness and self-protection, on the one hand, and openness and vulnerability, on the other.

People’s yearning to matter.

People’s yearning to contribute to others.

Soul cameras would show God at work in every person.

Soul cameras would show love, and the need for love, in every person.

Reality check #16

Do I expect people to admire me for getting up in the morning and doing little to contribute to others?  For, as a friend, parent, co-worker or citizen, doing for others much less than my time and abilities would permit? 

A tougher question: When I actually use what seems to be a reasonable amount of my time and abilities to contribute to others, do I expect people to admire me - maybe even be grateful - for choosing to do what they are already doing?

Do I notice and show appreciation for others' attitudes and actions which I would like to be rewarded, repeated, and emulated - acts of service, sacrifice, generosity, kindness, growth and self-care?  Do I strive to emulate those attitudes and actions?

Life as a best efforts proposition

Life is a best efforts proposition. Our best may be only the best we can see to do: a limited perception, in the moment, of what we can do. But we can do our best to be alert to what we are being called to do, to what our options are, and to which option is best. We can, like athletes, prepare ourselves so our best tomorrow is better than our best today. 

Our best efforts may fail.

But no one, not even God, can reasonably expect anyone to do more than their very best under the circumstances at hand.

In addition, consciously or not, we decide – best efforts toward what end?  Just the task at hand?  Service to others?  Being an example to others?  Safety?  Looking good (or avoiding looking bad)?  Power?  Influence?  Financial security?  Health?  Growth?

For the sake of our own growth, for the improvement of our best, let us examine often how and why we determine what to do with this moment.