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A Letter to a Solitary (A Letter to You)

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A Christian Monk on Roadturn

Dear [One] in Christ

The words I write to you today are but a stepping stone. A humble invitation to hear the call of the ONE who knocks at the door of our hearts and calls us to follow His footsteps out into the desert.

From the beginning of Christian Monasticism there have been such souls: From those who walked out into the desert, to the Anchor holds in the city, to the Charter House, to Camaldoli.

And this vocation [following Him] is still alive today in the changing times of a modern world.

One sentence above all seems to have come down through the centuries from the first desert dwellers… [a sentence] from which every other word they spoke seemed to flow.

Once a Father was asked to speak a word, a message from God. He replied in a simple sentence:

“Sit in your cell and your cell will teach you everything.”

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Days of Awe

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With High Holy Days just ahead, President Ronald Reagan’s keynote address to a Baptist convention in Washington, D.C.–just after a monsterous act of terrorism in Beirut–reminds me of one more reason why I’m mighty glad I live in the United States of America.

May you and yours be inscribed for a healthy, happy, prosperous…blessed… good year. Shana Tova!

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Liu Xiaobo: Jailed Nobel

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Some stories are tough not to notice, and Liu Xiaobo’s saga is definitely one of them. Brave enough to stand up to the Chinese regime, Liu has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize… only he won’t be able to attend the ceremony. He is imprisoned for telling the truth.

A good treatment of Liu’s plight may be found on the NPR website. Here is a blip:

The country detained hundreds of other dissidents — including Liu’s wife — and warned other countries of potential repercussions if they sent representatives to the ceremony in Norway. China also blocked access to the websites of the BBC, Norway’s NRK and other news organizations ahead of the ceremony.

My prayer is that Liu Xiaobo finds peace, even in his suffering… and that we all get a taste of the courage he has shown. Good choice, Nobel judges. Thank you.

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Freedom for Aijalon; Kudos for Carter

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It appears that this may be the day that sees Aijalon Mahli Gomes released by North Korea. The Telegraph and others are reporting that former President of the United States, Jimmy Carter, is in Pyongyang and that the DPRK leadership has agreed to release Aijalon Mahli Gomes.

It may be that Mr. Carter, a man of peace, could play an instrumental role in helping to tone down North Korea’s war yelps at a time when tensions are running high. The plight of Aijalon Gomes has set the stage for more than the release of a trespasser. Here is a blip from the Telegraph article:

The Foreign Policy report said Mr Carter, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002, would be travelling as a private citizen, similar to the mission carried out by former president Bill Clinton last year when he secured the release of Americans Laura Ling and Euna Lee, two television journalists who were also jailed after wandering across the North Korean border with China.

Mr Carter made an unprecedented visit to Pyongyang in 1994 when the United States came close to war with North Korea over its nuclear programme. He helped defuse the crisis through talks with then-leader Kim Il-sung.

Often maligned for failures during his term of presidency, Jimmy Carter has had a tough go in the press. Say what you will, though, it would be difficult to find anyone on the planet who has done more for the protection of human dignity than the former president. I salute him for going to bat for Aijalon. God bless Jimmy Carter, Aijalon Gomes, all the prisoners of compassion… and God bless you.

Welcome home, Aijalon Gomes. I hope you choose to speak out about your mission and your discoveries.

Update: It is official; Aijalon is free and is on his way home. Thank you, Lord. Thank you Jimmy Carter. Thank you Kim Yong-Nam. It is a time for rejoicing, for thankfulness, and for reflection on the preciousness of freedom. Aijalon, we prayed for you and held you dear in our hearts during your imprisonment. You were not alone. The Father moved in the spirit of many to not forget his son, Aijalon.

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Aijalon Gomes Still in the Hospital: Why?

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An update on Aijalon Gomes: CNN World says that he has been visited at a Pyongyang hospital by “U.S. officials.” No details about Aijalon’s health were given (citing “privacy issues”), but the State Department says that there is concern for his health. Once again, a request was made to the DPRK that Aijalon be released on “humanitarian grounds.” That’s like asking a tiger to release its prey, based upon concern for the victim. The upshot is that Aijalon Gomes will continue to be held captive in North Korea until he has been of sufficient benefit to those in power.

Question: What can you and I learn from this saga? What does it have to do with Turnaround Theory, about living our dreams and fulfilling our individual missions? For me, the significance of Aijalon Gomes’ decision to enter North Korea is wrapped up in the Why of the situation–what was his motivation? Was it his deep concern for the people of that country? Was he trying to help Robert Park? Without knowing his “Why”, it is difficult to speak about results. If my goal is to reach Delaware, but I end up in Florida, then I have missed my mark. Yes, I ended up somewhere–but it wasn’t where I was headed. That isn’t necessarily bad, but it is substantially different.

Friedrich Nietzsche wrote that “He who has a ‘why’ to live, can bear with almost any ‘how’.” Is Aijalon’s Why sufficient to the circumstance? Is yours? Is mine? The RoadTurn takeaway for today is this: How strong is my Why? Will it sustain me through the certain struggles ahead? Will it keep me from despair and enable me to keep on going without giving up? If not–I’d better be searching inside for another Why. It is the fuel for the journey. It is my reason to be.

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