Easter………..What does it mean to you, ancient dogma or a chance to reflect, reassess and revive your spirit?
I got to pondering as we head towards Good Friday and Easter Sunday…………….what does this mean in the 21st century when most people don’t believe in the traditional Easter story?
Is there something in this story that can assist us even when we do not believe in Christianity or is Easter just a chance for a few days off work? Be you Hindu, Jew, Muslim, Buddist, athiest or agnostic, metaphysician or Scientologist…………….the themes of Easter relate to us all.
What are the themes of Easter? If you think about it, these are many and varied but they are UNIVERSAL.
From my perspective there’s the element of suffering, submission to a ‘greater cause’ despite the pain it may cause ourselves and others, struggle with wether to take the easy path and regret it or to take the hard road and achieve something worthwhile. Don’t we all have to face these choices day after day?
We watch people suffer and we suffer ourselves, the cause of our suffering doesn’t matter…….it can be anything from illness, injury, poverty, lonleness, regrets, grief or isolation………..but suffer we do…all of us in our own way, with our own challenges.
We are forced to make choices on a daily basis……….do we support companies that are destroying the earth because we can buy a packet of buscuits 5 cents cheaper OR do we take the hard road and pay more for products produced by ethical companies who pay their workers well and care for the environment?
Do we say hurtful things to other people because they have hurt us OR do we forgive them and let go of the resentment that will eventually eat away at our spirit?
These things all relate directly to the Easter story and it doesn’t matter if we believe that Jesus was a real man, the Son of God or the figment of some ancient prophet’s imagination……..suffering and choice is reality for us all.
The main Easter theme, however is not that suffering is “a given” and we just have to endure it. I think the main theme of Easter is that transformation is possible, and in the midst of what may seem insurmountable odds, triumph is waiting for us to recognise it and “grab it with both hands”.
Resurrection is not a word that is owned by the churches……………….resurrection is something we can all achieve. It represents triumph over adversity and transformation of spirit………….it has been demonstrated by great peacemakers like Gandhi, Nelson Mandella, Lech Walesa, Desmond Tutu, Mikail Gorbachev, Xanana Gusmao, José Ramos-Horta, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, Rigoberta Menchú Tum, and Eddie Mabo. (If you don’t know of any of these people ‘google’ them and find out about their achievements).
Resurrection is demonstrated by contemporary writers, thinkers and peaceful activists. It is seen in the faces of diasbled sports men and women competing in the Olympic and Commonwealth Games. It is demonstrated by people controlling their alcohol and drug addictions and contributing positively to society. It is demonstrated by poor children in Africa who (with support) go on to study as professionals and return to their homeland to help their countrymen and women. It is demonstrated by Medicines san frontier staff who put their lives on the line for the benefit of others, by volunteers who leave their own homes to burn while they are in another state or country fighting bushfires, by volunteers who sit with people as they die, by frail, elderly parents who care for their adult disabled children with little assistance…………………the list is endless.
Look around you…………observe the suffering and observe the triumphs………the resurrections………….this is the true meaning of Easter. This is what we should be thinking about as we sit around leisurely over the next few days, relaxing with our families and friends.
How have we suffered? Are we suffering now? What path will WE take…….the easy road or the road that leads to personal transformation and the resurrection of our OWN spirit?
The answer to this question is up to us…………..but THE most important thing is to think about it……….to think about the relevance of the Easter story in our own lives and to not fall into the “dark night of the soul” which is always the result of DOING NOTHING.
Easter brings us hope………………apathy brings us dispair……………..which will you choose?
I hope you find Easter a contemplative and relaxing time and emerge refreshed, revived and with your spirit transformed!