3 The Moon of the Sore Eyes
The Moon of the Sore Eyes
Now the man Moses was very humble,
more so than anyone else on the face of the earth.
If anyone would like to acquire humility, I can, I think, tell him the first step. The first step is to realize that one is proud.
IN SPITE OF DIFFICULTIES
The second of the Lakota virtues is Wowacintanka, “perseverance.” It is said of this virtue, “In spite of difficulties we persist in our efforts which is a deeply empowering source of strength rising from within. . . . Many of our ancestors were faced with challenges that could only be helped through spiritual strength. This perseverance was what carried them through even to the afterlife.”
Even without the benefit of the full revelation we have in Jesus Christ these are instructive words. I’m glad to think on them.
A GOOD LENTEN EXPERIENCE
Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. I took a pass on the liturgical service where the pastor/priest places the sign of the cross in ash on the forehead. Not because I have anything against it. Indeed, I rather view it as one of the more meaningful rituals connected with Lent . . . it is a good reminder that we are dust and to dust we shall return. No, I passed on the service because I have yet to frame what might be a good Lenten experience of “humility and repentance” for me.
I have just begun reading The Lakotas and the Black Hills by Jeffrey Ostler. Perhaps it will help me find a right personal practice for me for Lent.
LENTEN MEDITATION 1—A PROPER SPIRIT
Okay, I feel clear to focus this Lenten season in “humility and repentance” on the blatant land grab of the Black Hills from the Lakota people in the mid-1800s, depriving them of many of their sacred sites such as Wind Cave, Devils Tower, and Bear Butte. I’ll use The Lakotas and the Black Hills as a kind of devotional guide through Lent and see what I can learn. Most of all I’ll need a prayer-filled inwardness to guide me through these forty days. Dear Lord, do lead me into a proper spirit of humility and repentance for atrocities of the past.
THE QUALITIES OF HUMILITY
I’ve noticed that it seems much more difficult to write about virtue than about vice. Think of the number of books written on one aspect or another of the seven deadly sins. How many books do we have on the virtues? A small number by comparison, I am sure. The same is true with film. It seems so much easier to explore the dark recesses of evil than it is to personify goodness. So, I’m thinking of devoting the next few weeks to seeing what I can do to explore some of the qualities of humility.
FREEDOM, JOY, AND HOLY HILARITY
Tonight I am reflecting on the distinguishing features of those who are characterized through and through by humility of heart. As I watch and consider such folk, three things always seem to stand out: freedom, joy, and holy hilarity.
Freedom. I’m thinking of things such as the freedom from always needing to speak up and straighten out everyone on this issue or on that matter. The freedom to be genuinely happy when others succeed. The freedom from the perennial urge to control or manage others.
Joy. I’m thinking of that deep, heart-felt joy in the goodness of God. Joy that the power of the Lord is over all. Joy that I can trust those I love in the care of God.
Holy hilarity. It seems to me that humble folk laugh a lot. Somehow they can easily see the comedy that the twists and turns of ordinary life bring us. Not the boisterous laughter that is at the expense of others. No, I mean joyful laughter at the quandaries that come to us almost daily. Laughing is the other side of weeping, and those soaked in humility are able to do both freely.
FREEDOM FROM DOMINATION AND CONTROL
I think one of the clearest signs of humility is a complete freedom from all domination and control. Humility has no desire and no need to force anything on anyone. Demanding is a posture foreign to a humble spirit. Humility possesses a friendly ease with others.
Humble folk seem to have almost an unconscious playfulness about them. My guess is that this is because they have no human reputation to protect and they are free from building a reputation for others to admire.
LOVED FOR HER BEAUTY
Somewhere in my reading I came across the phrase, “Humility is loved for her beauty.” I failed to note the source and now I cannot remember from whence it came! But I rather like it. Still, I wonder if it can be borne out in experience. Is this just a warm sentiment or is it empirically verifiable?
A WELCOMING KINDNESS
As I watch humble people I find in them a welcoming kindness. They have no need to impress or show off or do anything that calls attention to themselves, hence they seem able to fully enjoy the presence of others. It is an inviting quality that I find quite pleasing. Indeed, every time I see it I long for this quality to be in me too.
I find it instructive to see how Paul links kindness and humility together with a host of other virtues: “As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony” (Col 3:12-14).
WISDOM IS WITH THE HUMBLE
Proverbs 11:2 says, “Wisdom is with the humble.” A rather bold, flatfooted statement. Of course, this is characteristic of proverbs: they just come right out and say it, and then leave it up to us to test out the saying in life experience.
THE WISDOM FROM ABOVE
James 3:13 seems to second the motion made by the proverb: “Who is wise and understanding among you? Show by your good life that your works are done with gentleness born of wisdom.” James goes on to teach us that “bitter envy” and “selfish ambition” are far removed from the wisdom of God. In summation he adds, “the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy” (Jas 3:17). To my mind all this fits nicely with the spirit of humility.
NO EMBELLISHMENTS, NO EXAGGERATIONS
It seems that all the great virtues are connected in unseen ways: love, courage, duty, bravery, honor, and so much more. Humility, it seems, is right there among them. Humility appears to be especially important because it has no need to say more than what is actually the case. No embellishments. No exaggerations. No need for an oath to insure the truth. The humble person simply says what is actually the case, oath or no oath.
LENTEN MEDITATION 2—THE SPIRIT OF GREED
The Black Hills (Lakota He Sápa) is an isolated, five-thousand-square-mile, oval-shaped mountain range rising out of the Great Plains of North America. We know that it was the center of Lakota culture since at least 1776, and likely long before. In 1868 the US government signed the Fort Laramie Treaty, establishing the Great Sioux Reservation west of the Missouri River and securing the Black Hills for the Lakota people “forever” after earlier treaties had been broken. However, in 1874 George Armstrong Custer led an expedition into the Black Hills, resulting in the discovery of gold. Hence, in 1877 by an act of Congress the United States confiscated the Black Hills from the Lakota Nation.
The taking over of the Black Hills was an act of greed par excellence, the thirst for gold. How destructive, how evil is the spirit of greed. It was a horrendous act displacing an entire people. In my small way I repent of this grievous act.
As I do this I also need to search out the spirit of greed that hides in my own heart. Not greed for gold perhaps . . . maybe greed for the good reputation of another. Forgive me, Lord. Cleanse Thou my heart from the spirit of greed.
A FORCE OF CHARACTER
I’m beginning to wonder if humility possesses that essential “something” in an individual’s personality which gives rise to a certain force of character. A force of character that is winsome and compelling, a force of character that stands out in contrast to all the hubris and babble that permeates the very air we breathe today.
THE FEELING TONES OF HUMILITY
I am wondering about the feeling tones of humility. Can we feel humility? Can we touch humility? Perhaps . . . with the fingers of faith.
AUTHENTIC CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY
Authentic Christian community is shaped by virtues that the world cannot grasp. And humility in particular is central for such community life to function.
This is especially critical for today when we are witnessing a shrinking moral vocabulary in public life. These thoughts draw me to Dallas Willard’s final work, The Disappearance of Moral Knowledge. Are we slipping into a new dark age? I’m not sure. Regardless, one contribution we can make in these dark days is to create new expressions of Christian community life where a rich moral vocabulary can be preserved. Even more, we want to take such a vocabulary and incarnate it into the push and shove of daily life.
LENTEN MEDITATION 3—THE LOSS OF A WAY OF LIFE
Today the best-known site in the Black Hills is Mount Rushmore with the figures of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln carved into the granite.
The Lakota name for this magnificent granite bluff was Thunkášila Šákpe, “The Six Grandfathers.” The name came from a vision of Lakota religious leader Nicolas Black Elk: “The vision was of the six sacred directions: west, east, north, south, above, and below. The directions were said to represent kindness and love, full of years and wisdom, like human grandfathers.” For centuries the granite mountain remained carved only by the wind and the rain until 1927 when Gutzon Borglum began his blasting and chiseling work.
I am ambivalent about the Mount Rushmore site. I’ve been there and I understand the awe and patriotic feelings it aims to inspire. But I am also told that Lakota people coming to this site weep for the loss of a way of life. In my spirit I too weep for the loss of a way of life.
STRENGTH AND HUMILITY
Are the humble strong? Hmm. I wonder. The general culture often associates strength with aggressiveness, even ruthlessness. Is this a proper understanding of strength? I doubt it. Certainly firm convictions and humility work together in a kind of symbiotic relationship.
This leads me to think that I need to explore issues related to humility and leadership. But later. I’ll want to read up on the subject some first . . . and most of all to ponder the matter more carefully.
HOMEY, EVERYDAY TASKS
I don’t quite know how to describe the quality I am thinking of. I don’t even know if it is a quality . . . maybe just a tendency. It seems like humility enables a person to undertake homey, everyday tasks more easily and with greater equanimity. I mean things like washing dishes or sweeping the floor. Things like mowing the lawn or changing baby diapers (for this one I had to reach way back into my memory banks!). And, if so, doesn’t pride (humility’s opposite) tend to make such ordinary tasks more burdensome? It seems so in my own experience.
A CHEERFUL, INTELLIGENT CHAP
I am helped by C. S. Lewis’s description of humility:
Do not imagine that if you meet a really humble man he will be what most people call “humble” nowadays: he will not be a sort of greasy, smarmy person, who is always telling you that, of course, he is nobody. Probably all you will think about him is that he seemed a cheerful, intelligent chap who took a real interest in what you said to him. If you do dislike him it will be because you feel a little envious of anyone who seems to enjoy life so easily. He will not be thinking about humility: he will not be thinking about himself at all.
What appeals to me here is how Lewis in a few carefully chosen words is able to give us such a vivid picture both of humility and its opposite, pride.
HUMILITY AND TRIUMPH
Yesterday the Gospel reading in church was John 20:19-29—the story of “doubting Thomas.” I’ve always felt empathy with Thomas who, having missed out on the first appearance of the resurrected Christ to the gathered disciples, wanted empirical evidence: “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”
The next Sunday Thomas receives exactly what he needed. Jesus appears to the disciples a second time (even though the doors were bolted shut) and first says to the whole group, “Peace be with you.” Then he turns to Thomas saying, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.” What an encounter! And dear Thomas, he responds with the stunned confession, “My Lord and my God!” Quite appropriate!
What I find thought provoking about the story is the unlikely combination of humility and triumph. Thomas was humbled, no doubt about it. He had asked for evidence and he sure got it. Yet he also ends up in triumph with a confession that would be fully accepted in any liturgical service in the world. Humility and triumph . . . I rather like the combination!
TENDING THE FIRE
A nice snow began this afternoon and according to the meteorologist it is expected to continue on through the night. Two days ago I hauled in a good store of wood in hopes of this eventuality. Since this is likely my last fire of the season, I decide to tend my fire all through the night, sleeping in the rocking chair facing the fireplace.
Two events from my past nudge me in this direction. The first occurred one winter when, as a boy of eight, I slept every night in a rollaway bed by the fireplace, our sole source of heat. That winter I become the tender of the fire, and to this day my memories of that time are deep and happy.
A second experience is tied to the time I helped our son Nate drive his van from Michigan to Florida. The van had been left with a friend in Michigan when Nate and family moved to Florida. It was now time to retrieve the van along with several boxes of leftover packing. Nate brought his son Kyren along, hence the three of us had a high, hilarious time all the way down to Florida. The experience was all the more memorable for a hole in the van’s muffler which grew in size and sound as we made our way south, and we harbored some concern that the highway patrol just might pull us over!
By design the highlight of our trip was driving through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. We paused to hike and marvel at the superb flora and fauna of this region. Lovely, simply lovely. At the southern exit of the park we made an unplanned overnight stay in Cherokee, North Carolina. Early the next morning we stopped at the Oconaluftee Indian Village, an attraction intent on providing visitors with as authentic an experience as possible of eighteenth-century Cherokee village life.
We were the first to arrive that morning, allowing us a personal teaching guide. The experience was a delight in many ways, and it came to my mind this afternoon because of the Cherokee tradition of appointing two men to tend the central fire of the village from which all other fires were lit. It was a position of high honor in Cherokee society but it carried with it the grave consequence of death if the fire was ever allowed to go out.
So, tonight I am tending my fire. Whenever I wake up, I stoke the fire some. My supply of oak wood is limited so I am using a mixture of the fast-burning pine and the longer-burning oak. Anyway, at about three in the morning I awake to find my fire reduced to barely flickering embers. Quickly, I place kindling and a medium-sized log on the embers; my informal rule being not to use matches. I wait . . . and wait a bit longer. Finally a blaze springs up, keeping my reputation as the tender of the fire intact!
This little story has no essential connection to humility . . . I just wanted to write out the experience. However, an unintended connection to humility did occur. After reviving my fire I pick up my iPad and key in John Michael Talbot’s worship album Come to the Quiet. With this meditative music by my side I slip back into sleep only to be startled awake several minutes later by the words from the song,
My sacrifice is a contrite spirit;
a humble heart you will not spurn.
That was all, and with these words I fall into a restful sleep.
LENTEN MEDITATION 4—NAMING AND SUBSEQUENT RENAMING
Sites that are sacred to the Lakota people abound in the Black Hills. For centuries they have been used for vision quests, burials, and other religious ceremonies. One such site is Black Elk Peak (formerly Harney Peak), the tallest point in the Black Hills. The naming and subsequent renaming of this mountain is significant.
The ancient Lakota people referred to this mountain as Hinhán Káğa or “Owl Maker,” after the owl-looking rock formations along its ridge. In 1855 it was named Harney Peak to honor the US General William S. Harney who gained fame for his military campaigns against the Lakota people following the Custer massacre at Little Bighorn.
Harney’s successes were also his undoing. In 1855 Harney was the commander of a military campaign known today as the Battle of Blue Water Creek, which resulted in the wholesale massacre of Lakota women and children. For fifty years Lakota leaders had tried to have the name of the peak changed. A key figure in these efforts was Basil Brave Heart (of the Pine Ridge Reservation and a Korean War veteran) who argued that General Harney had disgraced the military by his actions. Finally, on August 11, 2016, the mountain’s name was changed from “Harney Peak” to “Black Elk Peak.” The spokesman for the federal US Board on Geographic Names said of their decision, “In this case, the board felt that the name [Harney Peak] was derogatory or offensive, being that it was on a holy site of Native Americans.”
Black Elk was an early twentieth-century Lakota religious leader best known to us for his 1932 book Black Elk Speaks, which I read back in 1981 and was moved by it endlessly. At the age of nine Black Elk received his “Great Vision” atop this very mountain. He writes,
I was standing on the highest mountain of them all, and round about beneath me was the whole hoop of the world. And while I stood there I saw more than I can tell and I understood more than I saw: for I was seeing in a sacred manner the shapes of all things in the spirit, and the shape of all shapes as they must live together like one being.
I bow in Lenten repentance at the arrogance of naming a central sacred site of the Black Hills after such a ruthless military figure. And I bow in humble thanksgiving that Hinhán Káğa is now associated with a name of honor, Black Elk.