Thursday, March 18, 2010

Pandemic Warning

Are you ready for this year’s Pandemic? Are you prepared to be scared? You thought that SARS was bad. You thought that the Swine – I mean - H1N1 flu was scary – you saw your tax dollars pour out in prevention plans and injection sites and media releases for that one.

Well, this one, that I’m about to tell you about – is Panglobal. It’s symptoms are awful and many and it is fatal in 100% of the cases studied so far.

What are signs you ask? Luckily - they’re easy to spot. A gradual graying of the hair is a good indicator. Muscle tone diminishing in spite of regular exercise is another. A reduction in libido, need for sleep, and sense of humour are important signs. A general shutting down of organs, brain capacity and bodily functions occurs while susceptibility to the whole gamut of the earth’s free-roaming disease and infections increases substantially.

Doctors, Druids, and Necromancers have been working on a vaccine for centuries. So far they’ve only come up with a slew of expensive and complicated procedures designed to delay the inevitable effects. Finally…

Y’know that you’re over the hill
When your mind makes a promise
That your body can’t fill

“Old folks Boogie” by Little Feat from their Time Loves a Hero album

Now that I’m officially old. I turned 50 a few weeks ago and the month of celebrations has now dwindled off down along my ever fading memory lane. I notice that the epidemic of AGING has a new interest for me.

At the root of it all of course is another unavoidable condition. Perhaps even more insidious, and just as pervasive as aging, is our Fear of Aging.

Who doesn’t fear the loss of ability, the suffering, not to mention the big leap into the unknown?

Psychiatrists, gurus, and Self-Help hucksters have been working on cures for the effects of Fear on our nervous systems since Adam bit the apple. Is it just me, or does it seem to you as well that there’s an ever increasing variety of recipes for escape from fear, stress, and obsessive worry about the approach of aging, it’s associated life changes – and that unavoidable outcome - death?

Jesus, our old friend, offered not a cure – but an antidote for these so human and natural conditions. Are you ready for it? This is Doctor Alleycat about to write you a prescription.

Here it is. Both Aging, and the Fear of aging, can be helped by putting our Bodies, Minds, and soul energy into Mission and Service.

That’s it. Mission and Service. Simple and True. These are proven and highly effective methods – known to produce side effects of Joy and Peace.

So why aren’t people lining up for the antidote?

“Take up your cross” says Jesus
When you’re willing to lose your life in service
That’s when you find your life.
If you’re obsessed with trying to save your life
That’s when you lose your life.”

Taking up your cross doesn’t mean dealing with all the burdens and crap that life has dealt out to you. You can often hear the phrase used in this way. As in “she has her cross to bear”.

Nope, what it means is simply is choosing to serve someone else. Choosing to be a part of a Mission to change the burdens people live with. It could mean serving at your local Food Bank. Or so many other worthwhile ways to serve neighbour, stranger and enemy. I just hope that whatever service you choose, you don’t lose sight of the Mission
It’s Mission and Service in that order – not Service OR Mission.

“I have come to bring good news to the poor.” Says Jesus
To announce this year as the year of Jubilee.”
(Jubilee being the foundation of the law of Moses – the ten commandments are the pillars – but Jubilee is what it all stands on - a radical system of wealth redistribution) Luke 4: Isaiah 61 Dueteronomy 25

So, to serve at a Food Bank without also participating in the reform of our horribly broken Social Assistance System is to miss the point.

What if people who need Food Banks received a small portion of the tax benefits our Corporate Banks receive? (Harper just gave Banks further tax concessions).

What if our taxes were invested wisely in Small Farms & Business where most jobs are created?

What if our taxes were invested in Social Enterprises that employ the less that efficient workers who still want the dignity of a paycheque?

What if there were laws to ensure a living wage for workers and laws to protect Pension Funds from the scavenging corporate profiteers that Bankers and Politicians are so eager to kiss the hind ends of - as they run off with the bags of money – our money?

How about a grand and heroic Mission like changing Society – so that the beloved poor, Jesus’ friends, have enough to buy what they need to live on and not have to spend their precious personal dignity begging at Food Banks.

To get passionate about such Missions is to get passionate about what Jesus and all the prophets who’ve ever walked this dying renewing planet have been passionate about. What you’ll find is that you’ll still need your knees and hips and other assorted parts replaced. But you’ll care more about missing out on the action on the front lines than about all the annoying advice to “take it easy”.

When your time comes to leave the planet you’ll be sad for sure. You’ll not waste time worrying about what’s next – you’ll just be sorry you won’t live to see the day when Justice and Peace prevail on this tiny experimental workshop we call earth.

And that thought just makes you find the gumption for one more big push – cause maybe this’ll be the push to be the shift we’re all waiting and working for…

Or maybe we could just take a pill, take a course, take a vacation – quick before we’re too old to enjoy life – taste all its pleasures.

Good and important things to do – what a sin not to enjoy life to its fullest. Didn’t Jesus also say “I have come to bring you Life in its fullness.” (John 3)

It’s just that – as in all things – there is a balance, a circle, and a spiral that must be found on the journey towards that leap beyond the grave.

Unless we practice leaping – learning to jump beyond our own pain, suffering and pleasure – to a place where the lives of others are what we live for – then we just might find we don’t know how to make that final BIG leap when it comes.

That’s why we call Jesus our Saviour. He encourages us to learn to leap now – today – quick – cause well – y’know…

I’ve chatted with quite a few people now who are approaching the big cliff. The ones who do it with a smile on their faces, from my observations, are the ones who know all about Mission and Service. They’ve served and been served. They’ve made every day a Mission to change the world for the ones most hurting – starting by changing their own minds about who first to serve.

And when the Mission for you comes to and end. And your time to serve is finished. Well – we can still Boogie
This song was playing on my laptop this morning as I started to write.
“Old folks Boogie” by Little Feat from their Time Loves a Hero album

Old time Rockers - acting crazy
With the right medication
-won’t be lazy
Old folks boogie
Down on the farm
Getting just one more chance
-to spin just one more yarn

Y’know that you’re over the hill
When your mind makes a promise
That your body can’t fill

Back at the home
Your time is your own
You try to get a rise
from atrophied muscles
But try as you might
they only quiver and fizzle
So Boogie in our rockers we will
Cause we know – y’know
that it’s just as a good as a pill


You can see it live on You Tube via the link below ...

1 comment:

corrie said...

Hi Allan,
Great Blog, love the song! In your eyes I must be ancient, I am right smack in the middle of 60 and 70, hehe. I feel like I can take on the whole world, but when I get up my body tells me differently, so I do what I can. Each day is a blessing from God and that's the way I like it. Helping others and be of service where I can, that is my mission, and yes, m&s is happening somewhere in there too. I love nature, so with the weather the walking is more easy again, Hurray, spring is coming and so is easter! Thank you God! Hang in there Allan, you're still a young allycat! well..compared to me at least.
Corrie