This Sunday, I invite you to consider the spaciousness of Life. It's an expansive word, invoking a sense of openness...plenty of room here...Life is Vast, beyond the confines of our mental understanding and ability to measure: Spaciousness. Yet, within the world of Earth, places and spaces are sources of conflict. The second Monday in October. traditionally celebrated as Columbus Day {in recognition of Christopher Columbus' exploration of America, financed by Spain in 1492}, is now also met with Indigenous People celebrations. These celebrations arose in recognition of the fact that Indigenous civilizations lived on these lands for thousands of years before the "discovery" of Columbus and other explorers. Although Columbus Day has long remained a federal holiday, this year President Trump proclaimed an official reinstatement of the October holiday, emphasizing Columbus' Italian roots. The arrival of Europeans to the "New World" brought centuries of conflict, decimating the native population. The history of the world includes a repeating story of discovery, with a subsequent struggle for dominance, including the battle for land, for physical space. The wars that have raged on in 2025, may be rooted in ideological difference (political, religious, traditional) but resources, especially land, water, and even minerals, are tangible, essential necessities--found in spaces of conflict. All this activity and struggle is included in the spaciousness of Life.
What possibilities exist when we consider Life as boundless? There is an apocryphal story about Niels Bohr who won the 1922 Nobel Prize for his work on atomic structures. When waking up one morning in his upstairs bedroom, Bohr was seized with dread, afraid to to place his feet on the floor and stand. He was convinced his feet would sink through the floor, since ultimately, the floor was only a mass of atomic particles! Between those particles, he perceived the spaciousness of All. Obviously, along with the the animal and insect world, humans have learned to construct dwellings, bridges, canals, skyscrapers, install cables crossing the ocean floor, names spaces as countries, and even construct an International Space Station above the Earth. While we build, negotiate, and fight for our spaces, Life remains spacious.
There is space that has yet to be discovered, including the depths of our own interior spaciousness, as well as the vastness of the solar system, galaxy, and cosmos. This week, along with prayers for new Peace in Gaza, and in Ukraine and other world conflicts, spend some time exploring spaciousness within and around you. Let Life's spaciousness loosen what seems so tightly woven within your inner and outer world. Let the tight spaces loosen. New spaces can open new creative possibilities and deeper Spiritual discovery. Consider that even the Earth, with all it's battles and shifting environment has undiscovered spaciousness. (Susan Nettleton)
for poetry: https://www.poemist.com/octavio-paz/spaces
https://www.lieder.net/lieder/get_text.html?TextId=292925
https://genius.com/Imtiaz-dharker-living-space-annotated#about