The Holiness of Contradiction
(The Book of Exodus: The Burning Bush)
Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.”
When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!”
And Moses said, “Here I am.”
“Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.”
I remember the absolute sense of horror when walking into a beautiful Hindu temple in India, to the shocking sight of a massive Swastika on the far wall. It was huge. What kind of Nazi hell hole is this, I thought, before removing myself from the scene of the crime.
I had no idea of its spiritual history and wisdom. I had no clue that the Nazis stole this ancient symbol of divine prosperity and good luck. I know it’s not the worst thing the Nazis did, but it’s an atrocious abomination all the same. Partly, because it’s such a profoundly beautiful physical representation of the spiritual reality of holy contradictions. It’s a wonderfully harmonious paradoxical image. It’s a perfectly imperfect sign. Fortunately, there are other great symbols of holy contradiction to contemplate: The Cross, the Yin Yang, and the burning bush that doesn’t burn!
Interestingly, The Nazis tilted the Swastika on its axis, perhaps to make it their own, or maybe to make it more symmetrical, strong, and imposing. Either way, they literally distorted this paradoxical symbol. And, of course, when we twist the divine contradictions for our own utopian solutions, we create a land of sin and separation, and not a holy land – or indeed, a Wholly Land!
And like me in the temple, it’s tempting to turn our backs, and look away, from the uncomfortable contradictions of reality, and flee to new utopian solutions – the opposite ones, of course! But, if we keep running, we end up in a different kind of hell. We still end up splitting, sinning, and separating in the name of our ‘better solutions’ – instead of taking our sandals off and standing on the holy ground of the fire that doesn’t burn. And why should we! It makes no sense!
Well, I think it makes more sense than ever in these times of either-or, black or white, us or them, in or out, left or right, red or blue, yes or no, friend or fascist, traitor or saint, patriarch or matriarch, racist or woke, enemy or ally, feminist or misogynist, ignorant or elite, far-this or far-that, cruel or compassionate, hero or villain, privileged or oppressed, victim or perpetrator…
We need to face the burning bush that doesn’t burn.
We need to hold the paradoxes of truth.
The truth will set us free.
Perhaps one of the paradoxes we need to somehow face is the contradiction between traditionalists and progressives. Interestingly, both seem to call each other Nazis a lot at the moment. And for good reason, perhaps. After all, both traditionalists and progressives end up having to separate from the reality of paradox, and put their faith in their own utopian solutions, rather than the holy contradictions of a fire that doesn’t burn.
Both sides believe in heaven
Both sides want peace on earth
Progressives dream of a new world
Peace in purity
A pure future – free from the sins, systems, and stories, of a not-so-straight-forward evolution
Traditionalists believe in a mythical past
Peace in the familiar
A safe home we knew, loved, and deserved
Both paths lead to rage
Both visions an illusion
Hope is a face of fear
Hope crashes into reality
Shock + Disappointment = Rage
Yet the truth is:
We cannot fly into a future free from history, complexity, and deeper roots
We cannot deconstruct everything and start again
We cannot travel back in time to a wholesome haven in our past life
We cannot fight the flow of an evolving consciousness
We must let go of the either/or
Embrace the reality of paradox
The Holiness of Contradiction
The Sins of Absolutes:
Tolerance becomes Intolerance
as we tolerate the intolerant extremists among us
Liberty becomes Anarchy
as we flee from fairness for the sake of the free
Equality becomes Oppression
as we forgo our freedoms in the name of fairness
No more absolutes!
Oh dear, is that another absolute?
This isn’t going to work...
So, join me
at AA
Absolutists Anonymous
‘A new Twelve Step program for The Utopian Junkie’
Step One:
‘We admit we are powerless over Absolutism – that our lives have become unmanageable.’
And now...
let us end our first step (on holy ground)
with the ‘Serenity Prayer’:
God, give me grace to accept with serenity
the things that cannot be changed,
Courage to change the things
which should be changed,
and the Wisdom to distinguish
the one from the other.
Amen