“This and That”

This past weekend we visited the Cahokia Mounds, a UNESCO world heritage site right in our “backyard” - just a few miles east of downtown St. Louis. Walking the grounds of what a thousand years ago was the largest settlement of indigenous Americans north of Mexico (estimated at between 10,000-40,000) was quite the experience. For some perspective, this population would rival and even exceed that of European cities like London and Paris in the thirteenth century. Among the dozens of earthen mounds on this site that took many decades to construct is what later came to be called “Monks Mound,” rising 100 feet above the ground. This site likely housed the ruling family and, for those of us visiting in the present, offers amazing views of downtown St. Louis. These Mississippians farmed, traded with peoples are far north as the Great Lakes and as far south as Mexico, and even had their own solar calendars positioned onsite and reconstructed and known now as “Woodhenge” marking the changing of the seasons.

As I walked the grounds and learned about the Mississippian culture that thrived here so long ago, I was struck with just how passing such a settlement is in the grand scheme of time and history. The city arose sometime between 700-800 C.E. and all but disappeared by 1400 C.E.

Today one could easily miss these earthen landmarks when traveling east into Illinois. Even the “trash dump” ironically positioned within a mile or two of the state park dwarfs Monks Mound. Time passes, and with it civilizations and cultures. A thousand years from now I wonder if there will be those who will be digging through that mound to find artifacts about us? Time will tell.

In the Buddhist tradition, impermanence is a concept used to describe just how temporary all things are. Every new beginning will have an ending. Every love and relationship will involve grief. No “thing” lasts forever. The Wisdom literature in the Hebrew Bible is chalked full of references to how fleeting and fragile life is, and isn’t focused at all on “The Sweet By And By” of modern Evangelical Christianity as much as savoring every moment of life in the here and now. As human beings we naturally struggle with this reality and, dependent upon the meaning we find in the truth of our finiteness we move toward despair/fear or a deeper appreciation for each present moment and each “thing” we experience. For most of us I’d guess that is a constant dance and a continual challenge. A key part of our humanness.

As we approach the fall season once again with all its reminders that life and death are continually dancing around us and within us, I wonder if the impermanence of things can move us toward seeing how who we are and what we do…today, tomorrow, and next week truly are poignant and impactful. That is my hope. Every moment matters. Every authentic word matters. Every kind act matters. Every thing we do with what we have matters. No, it won’t change the reality that each life is born and will die. But it is this work, this calling, that can allow us to be in tune with the One who gives life and journeys the path with us and for us. Momento mori? Yes. AND deo fisus labora!

Help us to remember we must die, and so wake us up, breathe more life into our lives, and help us work while trusting in God..

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