From Atheist To Eucharist
As human beings, you and I know there are many questions that have been answered overtime. We also know there must be many questions that have not yet been answered. Questions are an essential part of our existence, yet at some point, we seem to reduce or ignore some of the important questions we can ask. Take, for example, the question of truth. What is truth? Can we see it? Can we feel it? Can we taste it? Is it an ontological phenomenon? Is it simple or complex or both? Could it be a relative interpretation that is confounded in space and time? Or even a psychological experience that influences the reality of existence?
Some people may answer the question of truth by saying “it is what you believe.” Others may say “it is what you perceive.” We can probably imagine that to begin answering such question many things need to be taken into consideration. Things like the relative topic of the sought out truth, points of reference, personal experiences, etc. For many, this could make answering such question a difficult and lengthy task to tackle. Which could cause many to give up on answering such question. Of course, once in that habit, we may fall into avoiding many questions that we find complex or time consuming in nature. Thus, missing out on opportunities to possibly evolve our way of living…until…some tragedy strikes.
Your son was at the bottom of the pool
Once, in the not so distant past, I came across a new father of a toddler child. The man was driven, focused, and had strong desire to work hard in order to provide the best he can for his family. The father, caught up in the traditional corporate culture, would work significant amount of hours including travel to prove himself to the company. He wanted to move up quickly in the company, because he figured higher positions provide higher salaries, which can provide more for his wife and child. His typical day, consisted of leaving the house before the family woke up, and return home sometime in the late evening when all the managers and bosses of the company were leaving. Leaving with them, gave him the personal opportunity to be known by the bosses. It also gave him the opportunity to be recognized as someone willing to put in the hours and do hard work. When he gets home in the evening, it would be just in time to help put his child to sleep and spend few minutes with his wife. Then off to bed early, to wake up and do it all over again.
One day, while at work, he gets a phone call from his wife while he was in the middle of one of his meetings. He sees the call, but does not answer. During a previous agreement, the two had made a signal that indicates if the call is important or urgent, a second call should immediately follow the first. That day, the man gets the second call immediately following the first, so he excused himself from the meeting. Going to his office, he answers the call. As he said “hello,” he can hear his wife crying on the other end of the line. At that point, we can imagine certain chemicals are released in his brain activating confusion and necessity for more information to understand why she is crying. The husband might have had previous experiences where this type of crying meant something negative has occurred. Regardless, the first thing that came out of the husband’s mouth was the question “what’s wrong?” Then comes the dreadful crying reply from his wife: “your son was at the bottom of the pool.”
This is where we take a moment to reflect and observe our own thoughts and feelings from such statement. We might also observe what questions are formulating inside the father’s mind. The father would certainly want to know the state of health of his child. Is the child alive and might conclude not due to the crying of the mother. Which, in seconds time, could raise many more questions: what happened? Why is this happening to me? Did I really lose my child? Does that mean my child is gone?
It is at that moment, perhaps, that a person would realize the true meaning of mortality, and how short life can be. It is also the moment that the father realizes how long few seconds can really be, as he waits for the answer from his wife on the status of the child. Then the answer comes: “your son is ok. We got him out in time. It was a very emotional moment and I can’t help but cry.”
We can probably imagine the relief the father felt after hearing that his son is ok. We can probably also imagine what the father is going to do when he sees his son after coming home from work that day, if he has not already left. To add to this imaginative scenario, we might even be able to picture the drive home for the father and all the reflections he had running in his mind. One thing that certainly stood out during that drive, is how many business trips the father had taken throughout his career. How many times, he was upgraded to business class or first class and all the high positioned individuals he had met. Most of which were very happy to have a conversation with him, and he always had two questions for them: what do I need to do move up? and what do you regret most being in the position you are in? The answer to the first question was almost cliché: “work hard, don’t be afraid to take risks, don’t be shy, fight for what you want, educate yourself, dedicate yourself, etc.” The answer to the second question, however, was very shocking. It was almost verbatim the same: “I wish I would have spent more time enjoying my kids when they were young.” Based on these thoughts, we can imagine the new set of questions the father may raise in his mind: “How am I going to spend time with my son and family?” “What do I need to change in my life today to prioritize what I care about?”
The story above gives us few insights about our topic of questions. Aside from questions being an inevitable part of life, it can helps us recognize that some of the complex or deep questions arise during difficult situations. The relevance of this and the story lies in the simple conclusion that acquiring meaningful answers to deep questions just might shape a person. Thus, if that simple conclusion is true, we left with a question: is it necessary for a tragedy, near tragedy, or even a pandemic to take place in order to focus on the deep questions?
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