We have taller buildings, but shorter tempers; wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints.
We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We’ve been to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor.
We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We spend more, but have less; we buy more, but enjoy less. We’ve learned how to make a living, but not a life.
We have more knowledge, but less judgment; more medicine, but less wellness. We’ve done larger things, but not better things. We’ve conquered the atom, but not our prejudices.
We spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.
Guilty as charged, your Honor.
Adapted from: http://instantwisdom.bravepages.com/special/paradox.htm
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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Michelle 10.14.09 at 7:15 am
It’s a good thing that God loves us…
Eric 10.14.09 at 1:30 pm
I am reading a book “Fertile Soil in a Barren Land” by Rev. Renee Miller. She loves the desert and for her the spiritual commentary of the book is something she literally learned in the desert. However, she also proposes the desert as an analogy and encourages her reader to find or construct his or her own “desert”. The point of the “desert” is that it is a barren place stripped of all the many things Paul has listed. She then starts discussing silence, solitude, emptyness, etc. She encourages perseverence at spending time in the “desert” waiting for the voice, signs, feelings, and experiences that will come as gifts from God. We will then return to the noisy, busy, cluttered environment with different priorities and a much more acute perception of the presence of God.
Paul 10.16.09 at 7:05 am
Michelle,
Thank you for the timely reminder!
Paul
Paul 10.16.09 at 7:08 am
Eric,
Thanks for your comment. I have not heard of the Rev. Miller but I will be on the lookout for her book. Your description of returning to “the noisy, busy, cluttered environment with different priorities” instantly made me think of ending the Spiritual Exercises and trying to get back into the rhythm of “normal” life.
Paul