There are so many things in this world that move the soul. Some are moved by a restful sunset, others by a new adventure in life. No matter the vehicle we are all wired with the capacity and the desire to be moved. The point and purpose of this book is to pose the simple yet evasive question, “why?” Why are we created to move and be moved. You can look at the lives of countless others, movers if you will, and you are left scratching your head and asking what moved them to act. Whether you look back into the annals of history to some of the great movers like Gandhi, Mother Theresa, Martin Luther or to the wicked acts of those whose movements gathered many followers and caused the suffering of many there was something dynamic, something desirable and attractive to the followers of these men and women.
It seems timely to pen these words as we as a whole are at the pinnacle of a new day. In the United States we are witnessing changes that have never been seen in our history. On the world stage the experience is much the same. There is a world recession, Governments are looking for answers for something greater than they have seen within their own ranks. As a whole we are waiting to be moved. In January I sat with a few friends glued to our television watching history be made as the revolt of one young man inspired a revolt in Egypt that toppled an entire Government. I was in a flat in Kuwait watching such great passion as Mubarak renounced his leadership. Horns were blowing in the streets and there were many celebratory demonstrations as the people of Egypt stood unified after years of oppression. There was excitement and yet in the back of all of our minds a subtle fear. We had seen rebellions developing in neighboring countries and there was talk that Saudi, Bahrain, and even Iran may be on the brink of similar protests. What a terrifyingly exciting moment. We, Americans, outsiders, had been invited to be in the midst of movement, change, growth and sadly at many points even destruction. Rumors flew for weeks of civil unrest throughout the region, there were protests eventually in Bahrain and much blood was shed. People were crying for freedom, literally. Many of my dear Egyptian friends were constantly watching the news, checking emails, and writing blogs. They were in every sense of the word intertwined with their brothers and sisters in The Square with arms raised and hearts broken as their homeland was shifting to new unknown territory. One of my closest friends shared with me that tear gas canisters had been shot through the windows of his Mother’s home. The canisters were passed their expiration dates and the gas was much more potent than it should have been. The effects were almost fatal. We sat many nights and talked about what he would do when he returned to his home. There was always a settled determination in his voice and he would share of his plans to return home and rebuild. He was moved by something greater than the revolution, something terribly central to his heart was alive and ready to fight for his home. Suffering moves us, often in ways that words fall flat to describe.
Months later I was attending a church the founder and lead pastor of the church had passed away the night before the service. He was a very strong leader, with a charismatic personality that moved those with whom he led in fellowship. The service was a bitter sweet mixture of sadness at the loss of this shepherd and sweetness as they reflected over the person who had now gone on to the eternal life that he had hoped for and had led others to understand more deeply.
It is so often the case that in the midst of suffering that we ask the desperate why questions. Why me? Why now? Why did this happen? We cringe at the idea that there may be more in the moment than pain alone. We all have these basic fears, in my opinion they stem from the fear of being alone, abandoned. The why questions come, as a sort of security blanket for those in the midst of their anguish. I say this as a man who has experienced suffering, a therapist that has led other through their suffering, but more deeply as an individual who is terrified of being alone. We develop billion dollar space programs to search for life on other worlds and we ask both in conversations and headlines, “are we alone?” We want to know but if anyone has watched the movie interpretations of these potential discoveries they are terrifying. We want to know we are not alone but we are terrified to think that if we are not that we are indeed vulnerable. This is true not only in the extraterrestrial sense of the word but in the relational sense as well. When you look at any of the major psychological disorders at their base they isolate the individual. Depression, Anxiety, Bipolar Disorder, Borderline Personality Disorder, Paranoia and the list goes on. At our roots we are terrified of being alone and yet terrified of being known. We are desperate to be moved but are aware that there are always consequences, both good and bad in being moved. You and I are created to be moved, we are created to move and in nautical terms from tip to stern we are shaking in our boots to find ourselves anywhere on the spectrum.
This is an idea that in it’s basic form will be familiar. We will put flesh on the bones of this age old story and it is my hope that as you read you will be moved. I will pose one challenge for you that will span from cover to cover of this book, and that is simply, to embrace this great capacity to be moved. As you embrace it know that it has been placed in you for a clear and noble purpose. Simply put it is to be known in all of the simplicity and complexity of your being and to carry that knowledge to the world around you. Know and be known.
As always I would love your feedback and suggestions!
-JRS
