As described by my “On the Trail of Dante” series (see blog entries of July 19-22) I've experienced both heaven and hell on earth with a continued oscillation between the two planes. From this experience, I’ve devised a kind of moral compass, forged by the fires of hell, so to speak. As we stay in the metaphor of blazing a trail to the Promised Land, the use of a compass is merely an instrument to help find our way. Looking at my life one way, comparing myself to an individualistic ideal, I may well seem the last person to be providing anything to do with moral guidance. But that just might be the divine point of it all. As it appears to me, it is not so much our shortcomings but our redemptive qualities that we must harness towards our salvation.
The way it points is not to wealth, or power, or status, or even happiness. The magnetic north of this compass is love. Because love is not necessarily rewarded, recognized, reciprocated, or appreciated, to follow this compass may also court a gauntlet marked by poverty, debt, humiliation, sorrow, longing, regret, and bitterness. A true test of faith, in the Christian context it's referred to as “bearing the cross.” Following this compass, one will be tempted to chuck it down into the nearest chasm that presents itself; and who can blame anyone for doing this. To take such a path individually, one may well look and feel like a complete idiot, something akin to Cervantes' Don Quixote, the knight of the sad countenance.
Collectively, however, such a path can be transformative. What is it about our human nature that's capable of overriding self-interest? What is it about our human nature we must call upon to overcome the entrenched narrow interests that threaten our democracy? This would be the prospect of true progress through actions inspired with meaning beyond our individual existence. I believe it to be inherent in all of us and it is that which we're trying to tap into here.
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