Rooms
Last night I watched the medical show on Fox called "House". The main character is obnoxious, nihilistic, rude, pretentious, and a self-proclaimed grandiose philosopher (all what makes watching a show worthwhile!!). His philosophizing often displays a poor view of humanity and his actions often betray complete submission to his own ideology (again, all that makes watching a conflicted character worthwhile!!). Last night's show brought an interesting metaphor to mind.
Life is a series of moments when you find yourself in a room with someone (or more people). Who you are and your experience in life is made up of what happens in those rooms. What matters at any given moment is what is happening in that particular room.
I thought the concept was fascinating. Not where Dr. House on the show went with it, but the concept of living your life by series of rooms.
In a way, it sort of simplifies the complex for us. It makes living manageable for us. In our complicated and conflicted culture where our attention is divided and being multi-tasked, we find ourselves (our heart, our mind, our soul) often lost in a "city" of it all. We are not culturally special... we are only a consumer to the culture of the various things. This metaphor of living and experiencing things and people from room to room seems to bring some semblance of sanity to it all.
Even more direct would be what we do as spiritual directors, pastors, parents, teachers, coaches, etc. with people (children, youth, or adults) in the various rooms. We encounter people in rooms all the time. What do we do in the rooms? Do we take advantage of that moment in time in that room? Or do we sometimes waste it?
I don't know... I'm not saying that we need to live constantly maximizing every opportunity and kicking ourselves over and over again for missing or not maximizing that moment. But I am saying that maybe we need to think strategically about what we do in those various rooms in our lives (and the lives of those we minister to and with) not just let them happen naturally. Intentionality is in play here. How much do we live with intention in those rooms?
I haven't completed my thoughts on this metaphor... I only just started them. Perhaps they are really off. I don't know... the thought of life being a series of rooms where we meet people and experience things struck me as a powerful concept.
What about you?
Life is a series of moments when you find yourself in a room with someone (or more people). Who you are and your experience in life is made up of what happens in those rooms. What matters at any given moment is what is happening in that particular room.
I thought the concept was fascinating. Not where Dr. House on the show went with it, but the concept of living your life by series of rooms.
In a way, it sort of simplifies the complex for us. It makes living manageable for us. In our complicated and conflicted culture where our attention is divided and being multi-tasked, we find ourselves (our heart, our mind, our soul) often lost in a "city" of it all. We are not culturally special... we are only a consumer to the culture of the various things. This metaphor of living and experiencing things and people from room to room seems to bring some semblance of sanity to it all.
Even more direct would be what we do as spiritual directors, pastors, parents, teachers, coaches, etc. with people (children, youth, or adults) in the various rooms. We encounter people in rooms all the time. What do we do in the rooms? Do we take advantage of that moment in time in that room? Or do we sometimes waste it?
I don't know... I'm not saying that we need to live constantly maximizing every opportunity and kicking ourselves over and over again for missing or not maximizing that moment. But I am saying that maybe we need to think strategically about what we do in those various rooms in our lives (and the lives of those we minister to and with) not just let them happen naturally. Intentionality is in play here. How much do we live with intention in those rooms?
I haven't completed my thoughts on this metaphor... I only just started them. Perhaps they are really off. I don't know... the thought of life being a series of rooms where we meet people and experience things struck me as a powerful concept.
What about you?
posted by Jeremy at
8:19 AM
2 Comments:
Jer,
Good and exciting thoughts. Now, what is lost when there are hundreds of folks in the "same room", think American corporations for a second, that have been systematically divided by a mase of "dividers" or "cubicles". They are in the room together yet life has been cut off from them. Cars accomplish the same thing. We have these self-imposed barriers that are constantly telling us that we are not in the same room. Yet, really we are! This becomes so obvious when we are in an elevator with others...or in a Wal-mart line. All of the sudden folks look so uncomfortable. You can see the cubicles of their soul beginning to partition off the room into tiny spaces. "We may share a room...but this is my space", they say as you watch their body language.
Part of spiritual formation is the renewal of a communal paradigm for living. We must start with the assumption that we were not created to be alone. We were created to share rooms together. A large aspects of Christ's redemption is the reconciliation of human relationships. It's like by His death the walls, partitions and cubicles start to dissemble themselves until we are all standing in that large room with demolished cubicles laying at our feet and looking at one another for the first time and saying, "wow, we're like all in the same room. Why didn't we see this before?"
Anyway, random thoughts on my end, but excellent insights and GREAT metaphor!
By
Heath, at 9:12 AM
heath-
you know, i often speak of the middle school age range as being the ones who begin to do some partitioning in their lives. i see it more as students go from 5th grade to 6th grade than anything. 5th grade and below, students (in hayward at least) seem to think of themselves as still being in the same room with everyone. they may have their specific friends around them more often than others, but all in all, these elementary age students speak to everyone , aren't afraid of what somewhat else might think (yet), and are willing to still be goofy (a kid).
the education really begins in middle school. students in this age begin to "see" the differences in people (especially their peers). they begin to partition and separate themselves from others, forming exclusive groups (otherwise known as cliques). now cliques aren't inherently negative (i don't think). they are developmental. people tend to gravitate toward people that are like them. middle school students become more ego-centric. their appearance is a much bigger deal (to impress the group they are in or want to be in). students don't see everyone as being in one large room anymore. they see everyone in their own partitioned way via behavior, looks, abilities, talents, etc.
i often wonder when this idea transfers to the adult world of corporate jobs, or interaction on any job for that matter, not many people have moved on from the developmental level of a middle schooler. maturity stopped at the middle school level. interesting. this seems like our world: us and them; muslims vs. christians; east vs. west; rich vs. poor; and on and on it goes.
maybe this idea of communal living in the kingdom of God is truly a "gospel" - good news to the world. this idea of one large room where the cubicles and partitions have been demolished. wouldn't that be freedom of living and interaction no matter where one is when walls that divide are demolished?
By
Jeremy, at 9:49 PM
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