Thursday June 3, 2021

I have worn mismatched socks for most of 2021. Deliberately.

            The idea came from a reader in England, a retired Methodist minister named Ken Nicholls who admits to “being a little eccentric at times.”

            I decided some time ago to make a statement with my socks. I NEVER  wear what is usually considered a pair. Socks are bought often from large stores selling them in packs of seven pairs. Often, seven different colours. 

            “So I may wear one green sock and one yellow. Or one blue, one purple. People I meet tell me that I have odd socks on. My reply is that they are wrong. This IS a pair. The socks have the same size, the same material, the same shape, the same manufacturer, and the same thermal value. 

            “They only differ in colour. And colour is irrelevant to the way they are loved and valued. Why are you judging them by colour?”

            I liked his idea enough to try it. But as a symbolic act, my mismatched socks were an utter failure.

            Not one person noticed them.

Impractical time

            Of course, it was the wrong time to attempt that particular gesture. Under current lockdown restrictions, no one ever sees my feet. I am reduced to a face, on Zoom. Nothing below the neck ever shows. 

            It makes me wonder about the value of symbolic gestures. Does a symbolic gesture matter, if no one knows you’ve done it?

            Remember the vast crowds in Washington singing “If I had a hammer…” with Peter Paul and Mary?  Would the anti-war movement have the same effect if they had all stayed home and sung along with the radio?

            Would the Buddhist monks who set themselves on fire in the streets of Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City) have shocked Americans if they had chosen to immolate themselves in a secluded corner of a monastery?

            A friend said she “had to go” to join the Million Women’s March on Washington. It was important to “be there” – not just to offer silent support.

            A protest sign – no matter how carefully created – does no good in a corner of the basement.

On the other hand…

            But – isn’t there always a “but”? – is a prayer still a prayer, if it’s offered in private?

            Is Mass still a sacrament if no one is there to receive the bread and wine?

            During this pandemic, many priests have found themselves celebrating traditional congregational rites alone. Indeed, for centuries, that was the norm – the priests partook of the elements; the laity merely observed a ritual done on their behalf.

            I remember asking an Anglican priest what she would do if no one showed up for her midweek Eucharist. 

            “God is there,” she replied, “even if no one else is.”

            If that’s true for religious rituals, surely the same applies for people who keep their symbolic gestures private. God is there as they cut back on fossil fuels, without making public pronouncements. Or as they quietly become vegan. 

            Or wear mismatched socks. 

            Maybe this is “both/and” not “either/or.”

            If a symbolic act is supposed to change someone else, it has to be public. If it’s supposed only to change me, then private works fine. 

            The important thing is, symbolic acts matter. Both ways.

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Copyright © 2021 by Jim Taylor. Non-profit use in congregations and study groups, and links from other blogs, welcomed; all other rights reserved.

            To comment on this column, write jimt@quixotic.ca

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YOUR TURN

Last week’s column about crows playing in the wind seemed to touch a few hearts. It seems a number of you would share Janet Hicks King’s viewpoint: “I have always had a soft spot in my heart for crows, especially for their playfulness!“

Wim Kreeft: “Thank you for another wonderful column.  We as humans do not give animals the credit of having a sense of humour.  Animals do play!  Animals do frolic!  Animals do tease one another.  Animals do much more than mate, hunt, build lairs, dens, nests, etc.  Your description of the crows playing was wonderful and a great reminder of the diversity within animal life!”

Beth Burgess shared an experience of her own, that suggests crows may indeed have “religious” feelings: “I was hiking in Alaska when I came across an injured raven on the ground. I had been noticing several ravens circling above. If anyone got too near the injured raven, they dove down and kept them away. I sat a distance away with my dog observing. Over the next hour or so many more ravens joined those flying above. And as this time passed I was noticing the injured raven was no longer moving. Suddenly all the flying ravens seemed to move in a seeming deliberate fashion overhead, talking as ravens do. In a few more moments they dispersed in all different directions. And then there were none except the sole raven who had breathed it's last. The whole time there I felt I was witnessing a higher power. It was something I'm glad I saw and doubt I ever will again.”

Ruth Shaver confirmed that “The crows were playing. I've seen other birds do that, especially at the seashore when the winds shift from onshore to offshore or vice versa. If Lady Wisdom can play in God's creation (Proverbs 8:22-31), then it stands to reason that all living things can play in their own way. I wouldn't be the first to observe that human beings are better off physically and mentally when we spend time cavorting, whether that's on a volleyball court, with the parachute on our backs, or sitting at a card table holding a hand for Hearts.”

At the end of my column, I speculated on the possibility of the crows having danced for me. Karen Toole commented, “Wouldn't it be wonderful if they did it all for you, Jim?  For me that is meaning of a holy realm of sacred connection, that is truly kin-dom. 

            “And can they ‘see’ wind? Likely.  We can't. We don't take the risk of flying because we don't trust that we have wings.  Metaphor of course, but who knows.  Thanks for your observations.  Open our eyes and we will see.”

Tom Watson also thought my ending had merit: “Perhaps we shouldn't too quickly discount the possibility that the crows were doing their dance for you. From what I have read, crows are among the most intelligent of species. 

            “As for why they call a group of them a ‘murder’ there are apparently several different explanations, most based on old folk tales. One folktale claims that crows will gather and decide the capital fate of another crow. Ornithologists simply call them a flock. So go ahead and dance freely, the crows will enjoy seeing you entertaining them.”

Sandy Warren called it “a delightful column, so full of surprising pairings of images -- crows dancing/ playing, surfing waves of wind, crows in the abandon of a religious ritual. I could feel the pleasure and amazement of watching them.”

            Sandy added, “’Cabal’ is the perfect word to describe a group of crows!”

David Gilchrist offered another, even more alliterative, word – “a Caucus of Crows.” It even sounds like them! 

Ruth Buzzard mused on the game:  “The crows dancing on the wind, showing off, playing chicken with each other. Just having fun.-- I think they can feel the wind, the way we can feel currents in water. I think of them [crows] like kids playing at a water hole, daring each other to jump off the cliff, splashing each other, showing off, delighting in the cool water.”

Photographer Isabel Gibson made a penetrating observation: “What an experience! And likely much better held in your head than on a video in your phone.”

Plus half a dozen more letters that simply said they enjoyed reading about the crows.

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Psalm paraphrase

The lectionary offers a choice of psalms for this coming Sunday: 138 or 130. I don’t like the black mood of Psalm 130, but I like my paraphrase of Psalm 138 even less. When I wrote this paraphrase of Psalm 130, I was thinking about war refugees, but it might fit anyone suffering tragic loss. 

My baby just died, Lord of the Universe.

Is this your holy will?

That wars should rip us from our homes,

That drought should wither our crops, 

That even my breasts should dry up?

Hear my cries, O Holy One. 

Are you doing this because we displeased you?

Did we fail to say our prayers often enough?

Were we too concerned with sheer survival?

If we have wronged you, forgive us. 

We will honour you even more for your compassion.

I shrivel in the scorching heat.

I huddle under a tattered tarp in a refugee camp.

I cower in the rubble of an apartment building.

I have no water, no food, no hope.

I wait.

Yet still I believe that you are powerful,

That your power is the power of love,

And that it can change the world. 

I trust you, Lord of the Universe, even though I don’t understand you.

You can find paraphrases of most of the psalms in the Revised Common Lectionary in my book Everyday Psalmsavailable from Wood Lake Publishing, info@woodlake.com.

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TECHNICAL STUFF

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PROMOTION STUFF

To use the links in this section, you’ll have to insert the necessary symbols. Some spam filters have blocked my posts because they’re suspicious of some of the web links.

            Wayne Irwin's “Churchweb Canada,” an inexpensive service for any congregation wanting to develop a web presence, with free consultation. http://wwwDOTchurchwebcanadaDOTca He’s also relatively inexpensive!

            I recommend Isabel Gibson’s thoughtful and well-written blog, wwwDOTtraditionaliconoclastDOTcom. She also has lots of beautiful photos. Especially of birds.

            Tom Watson writes a weekly blog called “The View from Grandpa Tom’s Balcony” -- ruminations on various subjects, and feedback from Tom’s readers. Write him at tomwatsoATgmailDOTcom (NB that’s “watso” not “watson”)

ALVA WOOD’S ARCHIVE

            I have acquired (don’t ask how) the complete archive of the late Alva Wood’s collection of satiric and sometimes wildly funny columns about a mythical village’s misadventures. I’ve put them on my website: http://quixotic.ca/Alva-Wood-Archive. You’re welcome to browse. No charge. (Although maybe if I charged a fee, more people would find the archive worth visiting.)