Imitation
Kicking off the new year by Cherrypicking some of Thomas á Kempis's advice from "The Imitation of Christ."
Weekly Three
HEAR: “The Underdog” by Spoon
READ: Yes, it’s another novel this week, but a great one (would I suggest anything less?). Give Silas Marner by George Eliot a go. Beautifully written, not too long, and all around lovely.
VIEW: I’m in snowy Illinois, and I recently visited the historical town of Galena with Grace. Here’s some photos I snapped on our walk around town. We visited Ulysses S. Grant’s family home. He smoked 10 cigars per day!
No. 57: Imitation
Tonight we enter 2022. WOOO! I’m optimistic despite having every reason not to be. COVID continues. Mask mandates have been removed and reinstated (and removed and reinstated). Many have died. But such is life, always changing — sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse. On the surface these last couple years represent a change for the worse. But nothing is black and white. Amid the bad, lots of good has come.
For example, while our country's status has declined and local communities have split along partisan lines, the status of the individual has grown as a result of these pandemic years. Each of us has had to look inward and find out just who we are; it’s become clear that no one will save us if we don’t save ourselves; and the true and selfish interests of big business and other rogue capitalists have been made more obvious than ever before.
Yes, there has been adversity. Lots of it. But adversity isn’t bad. These years will shape the rest of our lives in a good way. What doesn’t kill you . . . right?
I do have one concern, though, and it has to do with a potential downfall of our rediscovered individuality.
Have people have forgotten what it means to be kind to one another? Or, put another way, to love one another? Have we “sheltered in place” and become comfortable there? Combine the Sept. 11 attack, recent political ridiculousness, and a global pandemic, it’s not farfetched to surmise that Americans are more divided than ever.
I hate to admit it, but I see this lack of brotherly love in myself sometimes, too.
I can be skeptical of others, having witnessed the passionate support of a man like Donald Trump, a storm on the capitol building, and a widespread refusal to react intelligently to severe and contagious disease.
I can be selfish, having felt the competition that results from supply chain shortages.
I can be isolated, having found solace in isolation and new anxieties when it comes plunging myself into big groups of people.
It’s painful to see these reactions, especially when I think back to the Beforetimes. Back then, any and all were my friends; sharing was my default; and the more was always the merrier.
I’m guessing I’m not the only one who feels this way. So, as we head into the new year, I want to talk about a controversial book, The Imitation of Christ, and see what we can draw from it. I found it earlier on the coffee table at my girlfriend’s parent’s house, here in Illinois.
Written by Thomas á Kempis in medieval Latin (De Imitatione Christi) sometime during the early 1400s, the book is a devotional text offering spiritual instruction to early Christians. In short, it aimed to help believers live more like Jesus Christ.
As you might imagine with a text as ambitious as that, it's imperfect. Actually, about 80 percent of it is pretty much bogus. I agree with the theologian Hans Urs von Balthasar when he writes, critically:
[The book] is written for those who have turned from the world — disregarding the world, in all its richness, as a field for Christian activity. . . a subdued resignation runs through the book. There is an excess of warnings about the world, illusions of egoism, and the dangers of speculation.
Basically, the author went a little overboard. And that's putting it mildly.
Even then, though, the book contains valuable concepts as we head into the new year with the intent to actively mend the breakages inflicted upon brotherly love by stupid politics and plague-like sickness.
I’ve cherrypicked my favorite of Kempis’ suggestions below (and have even reinterpreted them a bit).
18 Worthwhile Suggestions from The Imitation of Christ by Thomas á Kempis
Seek the truth. This means not only finding new ideas, but putting them into practice to find out what, in fact, is true and what is not.
Think before acting. Don’t believe every word you hear or follow every suggestion.
Adversity is useful. Hard times put things into perspective, giving us the opportunity to discover ourselves while also learning to lean on others for help.
Don’t judge (too harshly). And be more willing to judge yourself than others.
Be charitable. The amount of work one does is less important than the amount of love and affection put into the work. He does much who loves much. Work done out of love immediately carries merit and value.
Be compassionate. And especially to those with characteristics you perceive as defects.
Be present. Live each day like it’s your last. It might be.
Promote peace and live peacefully. Violence is never the answer.
Keep a good conscience. Act that you many have have a clear, joyful, and peaceful conscience.
Love truly. Amid temptations and adversity, love constantly. Don't be a fairweather lover, and don’t expect any gifts for your love. Your gift is loving.
Seek comfort and consolation in healthy ways. Try to avoid resorting to drugs, alcohol, bad company, or unhealthy food for comfort.
Never give up. People are imperfect and bound to fail. When we take the wrong road or fall down, the thing is to turn around or get back up. No one lives immaculately (whatever that even means).
Don’t worry about what others think. Be you.
Think freely. And don’t rely on books only to strengthen the mind. All life contains valuable teachings.
Don’t worry. Things will work out, or they wont. Do what you can, and let that be enough.
Don’t seek validation from others. Validate and honor yourself.
Don’t pay too much attention to exterior things. Look inward and learn to find happiness by being confidently you.
Be humble. Even at the height of your success, there is still more to do.
My goal for 2022? To do my best to live — and love — like Jesus Christ. Will I succeed? No. But it’s worth a try. Happy new year. ♦
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