Author: Fr. Ron Pogue

In 2005, former White House speechwriter Daniel H. Pink published a thoughtful and informed commentary on how R-Directed (right brain) Thinking is superseding L-Directed (left brain) Thinking as we make the transition from the Information Age and enter the Conceptual Age.  In this new age, high tech is no longer enough.  Well-developed high-tech capabilities will have to be supplemented by high-concept and high-touch abilities.  I just got around to reading this book and am glad I did!

In, A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future, Pink contends that in much of the Western World, the demand for L-Directed emphasis is diminished due to three causes: Abundance, Asia, and Automation.

Abundance – Our left brains have given us an abundance of things and that has lessened their significance.  So, we look for those things that stand out.  What makes things stand out is often a function of their design, a right brain directed activity.  We want not only utility but significance in our stuff.  We have a desire for beauty and transcendence.

Asia – People in other parts of the world are capable of performing left brain directed work at a fraction of the cost.  That usually elevates their quality of life but reduces the demand for similar positions here.  "One in four IT jobs will be offshored by 2010," says Pink.  He suggests that we think of this as an opportunity to develop a new set of aptitudes, "using R-Directed abilities such as forging relationships rather than executing transactions, tackling novel challenges instead of solving routine problems, and synthesizing the big picture rather than analyzing a single component."

Automation – Many heavily left brain directed professions and pursuits can now be done by machines. However, machines have not yet been able to accomplish what our right brains do.  So, software can now write software that was formerly written by human programmers, leaving them free to devote more attentioin to creativity, tacit knowledge, and the big picture.  Much of medical diagnosis can be guided by computers that process the binary logic of decision trees used by physicians, moving this profession more toward empathy, narrative medicine, and holistic care.  And,, inexpensive information and advice services are reshaping the practice of law, giving attorneys more incentive to develop their skills in "counseling, mediation, courtroom storytelling, and other services that depend on R-Directed Thinking."

Pink writes, "in the Conceptual Age, we will need to complement our L-Directed reasoning by mastering six essential R-Directed aptitudes.  Together these six high-concept, high-touch senses can help develop the whole new mind this new era demands."

1.  Not just function but also DESIGN.

2.  Not just argument but also STORY.

3.  Not just focus but also SYMPHONY.

4.  Not just logic but also EMPATHY.

5.  Not just seriousness but also PLAY.

6.  Not just accumulation but also MEANING.

At the end of his discussion of each of these senses, the author offers a portfolio of excellent exercises and resources for the reader's further exploration.

Of special interest to many of us, is his treatment of the final sense, meaning.  He stresses the importance of taking spirituality seriously.  "At the very least," he writes, "we ought to take spirituality seriously because of its demonstrated ability to improve our lives – something that might be even more valuable when so many of us have satisfied (and oversatisfied) our material needs."  Those who appreciate the labyrinth will be pleased at how much attention he devotes to this particular spiritual resource.

A Whole New Mind offers a positive look at a future that has already dawned and leads us to a new way of thinking about what we'll need in order to thrive in it.  There are significant implications for those in positions of religious leadership as we consider how to chart a course for the future and reinvent the way we go about being who we are and doing what we are doing.

.

Episcopal Relief and Development will be publishing a series of daily meditations for Lent, beginning on Ash Wednesday, February 25.  These meditations are adapted from the writing of The Rev'd Barbara C. Crafton and invite us to see ourselves, our neighbors, and the world through God's eyes.  You can subscribe here.

Also, as you begin your Lenten journey, I commend to you this fascinating worship video, something entirely different, with cartoons by Si Smith and music by Joseph Arthur.

Last year, I posted a video entitled e-piphanies from gumbo.  Click to watch!

Tomorrow, clergy colleagues from the Galveston Convocation, Episcopal Diocese of Texas, are coming to eat gumbo, enjoy fellowship, and watch the Krewe d’Esprit Rosaire Parade, which passes by our house in Galveston.  So, today I prepared the stock and roux which are the basis of my gumbo.  Tomorrow I'll add the shrimp or, for those who can't eat shellfish, chicken and sausage.  How about that Episcopal Church Shield pot holder!

Here's how it is going…

First, the stock, which is made with chicken stock (to which stock from seafood may be added) and the "holy trinity," celery, bell peppers, and onions (white and green), plus the main ingredient, okra.  Gumbo is okra stew, made from okra, which was introduced into the new world by African slaves.  The word "gumbo" is derived from the African word gumba.  It may be a great stew, but if there is no okra, it isn't gumbo!  I use five cups of liquid, three cups of vegetables, half a teaspoon of minced garlic, and ten ounces of cut okra.  Fresh onions, celery, and  bell peppers are best, but frozen okra is a good idea.  Besides the flavor, okra is a thickening ingredient.  When it is time to serve the gumbo, you can also sprinkle some file powder on each serving, or let guests do it for themselves.  This ingredient is made from the leaves of the Sassafrass Tree, well known in Southern states where gumbo is popular, and is also a thickening agent.

Next, the roux, which is made from equal parts of vegetable oil (I use corn oil) and flour.  The basic recipe I follow uses one-half cup of oil and the same amount of flour.  Get the oil hot before adding the flour.  It is best cooked
in a cast iron skillet and stirred with a wooden spoon.  If you don't have these implements, get them.  They are cheap!

It must be constantly stirred!!!!!  The seasoned gumbo cooks say, "never step away!"  I place a wooden pepper mill that is about the color of the roux I prefer near the skillet so I have a basis of comparison.  See it in the corner? 

Take a look at that wooden spoon.  See how charred it is?  That skillet gets really hot and my special spoon takes a lot of heat. 

This part of making gumbo really needs to be done at a time when you are not in a hurry.  Put on some quiet music, wear comfortable shoes, and just stir.  I tend to stir in a clockwise direction.  Some karma people will probably tell you it makes a difference.  I doubt it.  Don't let the roux burn.

Be sure to have plenty of hot pads on hand because you are going to need them to handle the vessels in which your elixer is prepared.

Now, you combine the stock and the roux.  After the roux has reached the right color and I've turned off the fire under the cast iron skillet, I ladle the (hot) stock into the roux to cool it down.  Then, I transfer the mixture into the pot that contains the stock.

Let this sit overnight on the stovetop or in the refrigerator.  It improves the flavor.

On the second day, add the seafood or meat.  For tomorrow's guests, I'll have one large pot that contains shrimp.  After peeling the shrimp, I'll boil the shells and heads, then pour that stock into the pot.  I find that the shrimp taste better if they are added closer to the time the gumbo is served.  We've cooked a chicken and will remove the meat from the bones to add to the second pot for those who don't do shellfish.  In addition to the chicken, we'll add some Andouille sausage, a cajun favorite.  Use 2 lb. of meat for one recipe.

Sometimes, we add crab and/or other seafood to the gumbo.  We don't normally use crawfish, although
they are a very sacred tradition with gumbo, because here on Galveston Island, they have to be imported.  Here, we raise our own shrimp, crab, and chicken.  The sausage is a concession.  One concession is enough when making gumbo.

According to legend, St. Valentine's ministry was one of little acts of kindness. I wonder if we could reclaim that in our time. People give boxes of candy, flowers, greeting cards, and other simple and usually romantic gifts on February 14. I just saw a 6' 6" young man on a skateboard carrying a 4' tall Teddy bear down the sidewalk, probably to his TL.

What would our world look like if we did little acts of kindness and affection more often and throuought the year? What if we even did such things for people we don't particularly like or know? What if it's the little things that touch hearts and change the world one heart at a time? What if we tried it and it made a difference on March 14 or June 14 or any old day?

I just finished reading My Stroke of Insight, by Jill Bolte Taylor, Ph.D..  It is the remarkable story of a 37 year old brain scientist who suffered a stroke and through the experience and the recovery has a remarkable epiphany to share with her readers.  The stroke occurred in the left hemisphere of her brain, leaving the right hemisphere to process consciousness by itself.  As Dr. Taylor says, the right brain is about "right here, right now" while the left brain is about the past and the future.  She describes her powerful experience of peace, joy, and oneness with the universe and maintains that all of us can know that experience.  Moreover, she explains how we can "step to the right" when our left brain function is prompting us to feel anger, despair, grief, or any other negative emotion.  She explains how the chemical released when the left brain is doing that will dissipate in about 90 seconds and we can choose to continue the release of the chemical and pursue the negative emotions or not.  We can pursue discord, conflict, and polarization or we can pursue peace, compassion, and harmony.  We have a choice. Dr. Taylor explains how we can learn to retrain our brains to make a better choice.  And, we don't have to experience a stroke for that to happen!

As I reflect upon what she has to say, it occurs to me that the right brain experience she describes as Nirvana sounds a lot like Jesus' description of the Kingdom of God.  And, the process of achieving a better balance between the left and right brains sounds to me a lot like "seek first the Kingdom of God…"

In any case, whether you read the book for the benefit of your spirituality, to help you be a better peacemaker, to understand what happens when a person has a stroke, or how to better respond to someone who has had a stroke, I highly recommend that you do read it. I promise it will be an epiphany for you.

You can find out more about Jill Bolte Taylor here.  And you can view an 18 minute video presentation she gave last year at the TED Conference website.

Today I finished the 40 Hour Basic Mediation Training at the University of Houston Law Center.  I took the training because it will help me be more effective in working toward reconciliation in the churches and communities I will serve in my ministry.

As I left the last class, I took this photo of the statue that graces the entrance courtyard of the Law Center.  The statue honors Albertus Magnus, or Albert the Great, a medieval theologian and "Man of Universal Knowledge."

Born in Lauingen, Bavaria sometime between 1193 and 1206, he was a bishop, doctor, and saint of the Roman Catholic Church, having as one of his students Saint Thomas Aquinas. He taught in Paris and at the Studium Generale in Cologne, a university run by the Order of the Dominicans in the 13th century and one of the first universities in Europe. A dominant figure, he was an influential teacher, an experienced traveler, a keen observer of life and nature and the one learned man of the Golden Age to be called "the Great." He was later declared a saint by the Roman Catholic Church. Albertus Magnus is the best-known work of German sculptor Gerhard Marcks (1889 – 1981) and considered to be his finest by many scholars and artists. The U of H Law Center’s signature sculpture was made from a special cast in Dusseldorf by permission of Marcks and his family. Two other castings exist: one at Albertus Magnus University of Cologne, Germany, and another at the University of Bogotá.

Law students often rub the toe of “Big Al” for good luck.

President Obama concluded his inaugural address yesterday by reminding the nation that it is our values that will make it possible for us to overcome adversity and regain a position of true leadership in the world.

So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who
we are and how far we have traveled. In the year of America's birth, in
the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying
campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The
enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when
the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our
nation ordered these words be read to the people:

"Let it be told to the future world…that in
the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could
survive…that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger,
came forth to meet [it]."

America. In the face of our common dangers, in
this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With
hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure
what storms may come. Let it be said by our children's children that
when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not
turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and
God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and
delivered it safely to future generations.

Let us prayerfully consider the wisdom in this message and resolve to help one another take it to heart!

Ron+

 As I start a New Year, I am reminded of the words of the writer of the Letter to the Hebrews, “Therefore,
since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside
every weight and the sin that clings so closely,^* and let us run with
perseverance the race that is set before us, 2looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our
faith…” (Hebrews 12:1-2a NRSV).  A lot of people who have gone before me have helped me and inspired me to reach this point in my pilgrimage.  They have cheered me on and still do.  The journey continues into the future.  Jesus Christ, the pioneer who set out before me is the One who calls me forward toward fulfilment.  I'll lay aside the weights and all that clings to me and slows me down so that I can run with perseverance.  At such a moment in his life a half-century ago, Malcolm Boyd asked, "Are you runing with me, Jesus?"  I've thought about that prayer for a long time and have decided that it is a good one to offer from time to time.  If he's not running with me, I may be on the wrong track!

God, help me stay on the right track this year!

RDP+

St. Bernard of Clairvaux once remarked that three miracles are reported in the story of the Annunciation:

That a virgin should conceive a child

That God and humans should be united in the child
That Mary should believe what had been announced to her

Commenting on the three miracles, Martin Luther said that the first is a trifle for God, the second is greater, and the third, that Mary should believe that the first two miracles would be accomplished in and through her, is the greatest.

God frequently wants to work miracles through us.  If by some miracle we happen to be listening and hear the divine voice, will we believe it enough to "let it be?"  Or, will we take a pass because it is too fantastic, an imposition, or something for which we are surely not worthy?

In the likely event God should get your attention and you are tempted to take a pass, remember that God's choice of people through whom to accomplish things leaves something to be desired by human standards.  The biblical record alone shows that God prefers to work the greatest miracles through unlikely people, from unlikely places, at unlikely times, and in unlikely ways.  There's a reason angelic messengers usually begin by saying, "don't be afraid."  Next time, as unlikely as it may seem, it could be you!

Whenever that happens, may faith conquer our fears and excuses so that Mary's prayer might be our own:  "Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word."

RDP+

In his First Letter to the Thessalonians, St. Paul exhorts Christians to be people who always rejoice, always pray, and always give thanks.  How in the world does one go about living such a life?  It is a very important question to ponder since, as St. Paul says, it is God's will for us.

To rejoice does not mean simply to adopt a positive attitude, cheer up, or have a nice disposition.  To rejoice means to be centered in the joy that comes from having been joined to Christ in the waters of Baptism and thus in his ultimate victory.  That joy in our lives is born of the awareness that no darkness can ever overcome the Light to whom we belong.  In every circumstance, this is all the reason we need to rejoice!

To pray without ceasing does not mean to spend our days on our knees with our nose in the Book of Common Prayer.  Prayer on our knees, alone or together, using the prayer book is an essential part of the life we are called to live.  Those prayers are extended as we grow in conscious contact with God during our routine daily activities.  Brother Lawrence called it "practicing the presence of God."  In this conscious, constant dialogue with the Divine, our offering of all that we see, do, and think encounters God who is constantly giving himself to us.  God is with us.  We are never alone.  In every circumstance, this is all the reason we need to pray!

To give thanks in all circumstances does not mean to give thanks FOR all circumstances.  Not every circumstance is a cause for thanksgiving.  Many circumstances are not God's doing.  But no circumstance is beyond God's reach.  When we know that, we look more carefully to discern God's hand at work for good, God's power at work to overcome evil, God's mercy at work to heal and transform.  What we see is not all that is there and gratitude opens our eyes to see what God wants us to see.  In every circumstance, this all the reason we need to give thanks!

So, rejoicing, praying, and giving thanks always are expressions of a life that is conscious of God and conscious of the circumstances in which we live our lives moment by moment, breath by breath.  This is an especially helpful insight at this particular time on Galveston Island in the wake of  Hurricane Ike.  The other day, someone observed that life here right now in these circumstances is an emotional roller coaster.  One day, you make a little progress toward normalcy; the next day you have a setback.  St. Paul's exhortation to always rejoice, pray, and give thanks grounds us and centers us in a normalcy that can't be conquered by the ups and downs of life. 

The truth is, the more we rejoice, pray, and give thanks, the more conscious we are of the presence and power of God at work in us leading us through the present with all its ups and downs and into a hope-filled future.  For it is not the divine will for us to draw life from the circumstances, up or down, but from our relationship with God, the Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer of all life.  Even now during these days of Advent, God is coming to us in power and might to make of us more than we can make of ourselves.  In every circumstance, that is all the reason we need to rejoice, pray, and give thanks!

RDP+