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Meditations with Matthew Fox
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Governing Humans is Hard for Humans |
We humans are not always good at governing ourselves and getting along. It’s a struggle. |
We have tried and are still experimenting with many versions of governance whether it be democracy or altered versions of democracy; whether it be governance by politburo; or governance by dictatorship; or governance by threat and intimidation and one | A matter of definition: Adaptation of An Incident in the Rebellion of 1745 by David Morier depicting the Battle of Culloden, in which Jacobite
forces of Charles Stuart “The Pretender” were defeated by William of Orange. Wikimedia Commons. |
voice rules; or governance by an abbot or father figure; or governance by fiat; or by an “infallible” leader; or just burying our heads in the sand and retreating. Maybe much of our trouble is due to the chimpanzee DNA in us that often goes to war between tribes. Maybe this tendency to war and power-over dynamics is our “original sin” we inherit from our chimp
ancestors. |
Five dead bodies on the field of Gettysburg. Photo by Matthew Brady: first war photographer to show the horror of battle rather than
heroism. Wikimedia Commons. | Biblical stories take up this problem of humans have governing themselves. The Cain and Abel story comes to mind: killing our brothers and relatives with a stone and given
today’s technologies, |
with bombs and rockets much more efficient than stones. The Tower of Babel story also comes to mind: The difficulty in communication and speaking in so many diverse tongues and ways of experiencing the world. The Feast of Pentecost in the Christian Bible is meant to signify a healing to all this babbling and all this misunderstanding and miscommunication, a cutting through the separateness of languages and cultures that can so easily torpedo civility and peace among peoples. |
Consider the days of monarchies and their bloody demise as in the French Revolution. Consider the American revolution and what it took to overthrow the British empire of the
18th century. Consider how the Declaration of Independence and the | “Remember the Ladies” A capsule history of men’s resistance to women’s suffrage in the U.S. Steele History Videos |
American Constitution offered promise but was deeply flawed since 2/3rd of
the signers to a declaration that claimed “all men are created equal” were slave owners so it did not apply to black slaves or the indigenous peoples or to women. It took a Civil War that left 750,000 persons dead and many more wounded to apply its
noble aspirations to ex-slaves by adding the 13th to 15th amendments. But within ten years a backlash occurred and the Ku Klux Klan, No Nothings, lynchings and Jim Crow laws (that held sway until the 1950’s and 60’s)
did everything they could to obstruct such advancements. Then came the voting rights act of 1965. And now the current Supreme Court threatens to jettison such hard-won advancements. |
Defeated Brazilian strongman Jair Bolsonaro refuses concession but agrees to abide by the constitutional transfer of power after days of unrest. CNN | Consider fascism in Italy, Germany, Spain and the Catholic Church (Opus Dei in particular) in the 20th century. And the appeal of fascism in Hungary, Poland, America and Brazil where, after four hard years, the recent authoritarian leader |
was just barely voted out for a second term. No, it is not easy for humans to govern themselves. Many versions of governance have been tried. |
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If you can't reach Matthew's video on the website, try his Vimeo channel HERE. |
See Matthew Fox, Creation Spirituality: Liberating Gifts for the Peoples of the Earth. And Fox, A Spirituality Named Compassion. Banner Image: The assassination of President John F. Kennedy, November 22, 1963: beginning of a turbulent decade that would also see the assassinations of Medgar Evers (1963), Malcolm X (1965), Martin Luther King, Jr. (1968), and Robert F. Kennedy (1968). Photo by Mary Ann Moorman (Mary Krahmer). Wikimedia Commons. |
Queries for Contemplation Why do you think humans find it so hard to govern themselves? |
Responses are welcomed. To add your comment, please click HERE
to go to our website and scroll down to the Comments field. |
Creation Spirituality: Liberating Gifts for the Peoples of the Earth
Fox’s spirituality weds the healing and liberation found in North American Creation Spirituality and in South American Liberation Theology. Creation Spirituality challenges readers of every religious and political persuasion to unite in a new vision through which we learn to honor the earth and the people who inhabit it as the gift of a
good and just Creator.
"A watershed theological work that offers a common ground for religious seekers and activists of all stripes." -- Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice. | |
A Spirituality Named
Compassion: Uniting Mystical Awareness with Social Justice In A Spirituality Named Compassion, Matthew Fox delivers a profound exploration of the meaning and practice of compassion. Establishing
a spirituality for the future that promises personal, social, and global healing, Fox marries mysticism with social justice, leading the way toward a gentler and more ecological spirituality and an acceptance of our interdependence which is the substratum of all compassionate activity. “Well worth our deepest
consideration…Puts compassion into its proper focus after centuries of neglect.” –The Catholic Register | |
See Matthew Fox's full calendar HERE |
Join Matthew Fox at the Louisville Festival of Faiths for an online/onsite workshop on “Significant Stories for Our Times: A Workshop with Matthew Fox: Earth Survival
from Thomas Merton, Science, Creation Spirituality Mystics and Ourselves” November 9-12, 2022 (Wed-Sat) Louisville, KY: Onsite and Virtual - Friday Workshop – 4:00pm-5:15pm ET on-site (1:00pm-2:15pm PT virtual)
- Saturday Spiritual Practice – 8:30am-9:15am ET on-site (5:30am-6:15am PT virtual)
https://festivaloffaiths.org/ Purchase a Friday ticket HERE Join Matthew Fox for the monthly Our Lady of the Prairie Retreat, discussing Matthew Fox: Essential Writings on Creation Spirituality. Thursday, November 17,
4:00pm-6:00pm PT. Register HERE. Join Matthew Fox for the monthly Our Lady of the Prairie Retreat, discussing Christian Mystics: 365 Readings and Meditations. Thursday, December 15,
4:00pm-6:00pm PT Register HERE. Creation Spirituality Conversations |
In a podcast episode with the Earth and Spirit Center, Matthew Fox reflects on how creation-centered spirituality, and the marriage of the divine feminine and sacred masculine, can help us respond with hope
to the troubles of our apocalyptic times. Listen HERE. | |
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