Food for Thought ~ The Burden of My Neighbor’s Glory

 

“It may be possible for each to think too much of his own potential glory hereafter; it is hardly possible for him to think too often or too deeply about that of his neighbor. The load, or weight, or burden of my neighbor's glory should be laid daily on my back, a load so heavy that only humility can carry it, and the backs of the proud will be broken. ...

"It is in light of these overwhelming possibilities, it is with the awe and the circumspection proper to them, that we should conduct all our dealings with one another, all friendships, all loves, all play, all politics. There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations—these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub and exploit...

Next to the Blessed Sacrament itself, your neighbor is the holiest object presented to your senses.”  ~ C. S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory

 

::  Have you been following this story on one of my favorite Facebook pages, Humans of New York? Brandon roams New York, taking photographs of people and letting them share small bits of their stories. And this story all begins with one boy. Now Brandon has given readers a chance to do big things for this school and these children. And we’ve met other incredible human beings involved, human beings who are daily carrying the weight of their neighbors’ glory. [This is another favorite Facebook page. Just in case you needed another encouraging and entertaining place to land while on FB.]

::  How Children Learn: Portraits of Classrooms Around the World @ Brain Pickings. Speaking of students in other learning environments… [I love these portraits, as well as the other series by the same photographer.]

::  McKenzie is my own little neighbor. Her mom is a friend of mine, and I’ve been following her story since the day she went into the hospital just before Christmas and her 7th birthday. She and her family have a long, hard road in front of them. Please keep them in your prayers!

::  The Likely Cause of Addiction Has Been Discovered, and It Is Not What You Think @ Huff Post. [This article is fascinating, but it’s also a call to all of us to pay attention to the lonely and isolated around us.]

This isn't only relevant to the addicts I love. It is relevant to all of us, because it forces us to think differently about ourselves. Human beings are bonding animals. We need to connect and love. The wisest sentence of the twentieth century was E.M. Forster's -- "only connect." But we have created an environment and a culture that cut us off from connection, or offer only the parody of it offered by the Internet. The rise of addiction is a symptom of a deeper sickness in the way we live -- constantly directing our gaze towards the next shiny object we should buy, rather than the human beings all around us.

::  New Research Discovers That Depression Is An Allergic Reaction To Inflammation @ Feel Guide. Speaking of your neighbor struggling with loneliness… It is likely you have neighbors with depression as well. Be kind.

 

Take the time to love and encourage the people who cross your path as you go about your week.

 

Have a great one, friends!