Humanity seems to be throwing its arms and hearts wide open to the End Times. We are ushering her in out of the cold and into our homes. We are providing her with food and shelter, slippers and tea by the fireside with the hopes that she will bear down the gauntlet unmercifully on the unsaved while crowning the saved with God's glory. It is afterall the fulfillment of Biblical prophecy and we should all be humble hosts to our demise, our doom. Or is this just a self-fulfilling prophecy?
Author Chris Hedges points out in Chapter 10 of American Fascists that there is regretably some evidence of the end of community found in the ubiquitous tar grids lined with uniform and souless fastfood restaurants, strip malls and nail shops. He wrote that the "disdain for nature, balance and harmony is part of the deadly, numbing assualt against community." p183 I have been thinking a lot recently about architecture, inspired in particular by the wave of green thinking and building, and I beleive that the architecture of isolation is something we need to give more attention to as ministers, activists, humans. I am coming to understand that how we live, in what environments and certainly under what conditions impact our levels of joy and health and how we relate to our community. If Christ is found in community then how we build and live must be taken into consideration. I love to buy old design and architecture magazines from thrift stores and found an interview with the famous American architect Richard Meier. Regarding the single family home he said it "served a critical social function; it makes a comment on society as well as on architecture." He went on to say that there is a direct connection between architecture and culture. He questioned whether architecture must become a vehicle for renovating society. Meier revealed to me that there is a distinction between "the moral content of the work from its symbolic function."
Yes, even architects will play a role in, as Meier says, "renovating" society. We all play a part in whether doom will be put to the curb with the morning trash. Ultimately everything will come to an end but let us not forget our Architect of Hope. We have no time to host doom. We have a world to love and a message of hope to pass on.
Love or perish. Love or perish. I choose to love.
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4 comments:
Hey Kathryn! Yes, we build our world and begin with our homes. Once we are more isolated by living as nuclear families it takes a strong resolve to open our homes and constantly choose engaging with the world around us. That is the beauty of children, since they spend every minute engaging with anything and everyone who passes within sight. It can spread into every part of living once the commitment to create community evolves. We realize that we are actually as much the engineers as the participants who observe the life around us. Now that Eduardo and I bake bread to sell at the Farmer's Market we really understand what it means to know your community food sources, down to the melons and pumpkins. Choosing a simpler life for the sake of community has allowed us to become part of a healthy microcosm where people are choosing real interactions over efficiency and packaging. Speaking of food, I need to go cut the fruit for the naturally leavened scones now. Yum.
Well said!
Around 1380 Catherine of Siena wrote a book titled "The Dialogue."
There is a chapter in that book she titled "The Bridge," she writes about her vision of Christ as a stone covered bridge between Heaven and earth. There are rough waters for certain that each of us must face. Unfortunately, for many the rough waters are more familiar than the warm, stable saftey of land. Perhaps people welcome the apocalypse because they are more comfortable with endings than renewals. More familiar with wrath, vengance and powerlessness than with mercy, transformation and joy. People know dred, and understand endings - people loose hope and need great Love to regain it.
Siena writes "How foolish and blind are those who choose to cross through the water when the road has been built for them!" The road is the love about which you have written, walking takes only hope that it will get you somewhere else and faith that its foundations will hold. Once you take the first step the rest is delivered by grace.
On this anniversary of 9/11 it helps to remember that there is a structure that will hold - that even when attacked will not change, crumble or disappear. (and has the power to transform the attacker from the inside of his or her own heart!)
God is quite an architect, I agree!
Dear Kathryn,
After Ardie died we gathered our courage and started to fix the house. First the foundation that had a 6 inch-wide crack, then the plumbing, which leaked all over, then the roof (ditto), then the wiring,which had not been changed since the house was built 80 years ago, then the windows, and then termite bitten floors, and finally the attending to the lawn and flowers out front. Our neighbors have followed every step with great interest and support. Rebuilding life into our home, builds life into our street and the neighborhood. It is symbolic I think of our collective capacity to keep believing in tomorrow and trying to rebuild no matter what. The architecture turns out to be scaffolding for our spirit of togetherness as a community.
Love you,
Sylvia
I just realized that one amazing thing about blogging is the story telling and sharing of stories that goes on. I previously thought blogs were just a medium to complain (which has its place too) but I see now that it is a way to build community. Thanks for your comments to the "Host to the Apocalypse" post. Peace.
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