What does it mean to be busy as a bee? Bees do what they are created to do. Humans do what they are created to do. Why do we compare ourselves to bees? For that matter, we live in such a frenetic culture, why aren’t we comparing ourselves to hummingbirds?
I had a number of zoom meetings today and it not only took up physical time, it unlocked a lot of emotional and spiritual material. I’m taking a Mussar class. In Judaism, it’s a way to look at one’s personal characteristics. We might be able to equate it to the twelve-step programs when we discuss character flaws. It’s about character building. We’ve spent three weeks discussing “silence”. It brought up lots of thoughts, ideas, and questions.
My last class of the day was a class on “Jewish and Christian dialogue, face to face, and side to side.” Each month we had the Rabbi teaching the class dialogue with a Christian colleague about various issues, in both cases using religious text as the basis for comparison.
At the end of the day, I was both exhausted and exhilarated. I love being challenged. I love asking the hard questions and being asked the hard questions. I don’t believe we learn if others let us off the hook.
So, is being busy enough? Does it make you look like you’re accomplishing stuff? What if your actions were more productive, engaging, and fulfilling?
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Man of the Cloth 