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"We are afraid of emptiness. Spinoza speaks about our "horror vacui," our horrendous fear of vacancy. We like to occupy-fill up-every empty time and space. We want to be occupied. And if we are not occupied we easily become preoccupied; that is, we fill the empty spaces before we have even reached them. We fill them with our worries, saying, "But what if ..."
"It is very hard to allow emptiness to exist in our lives. Emptiness requires a willingness not to be in control, a willingness to let something new and unexpected happen. It requires trust, surrender, and openness to guidance. God wants to dwell in our emptiness. But as long as we are afraid of God and God's actions in our lives, it is unlikely that we will offer our emptiness to God. Let's pray that we can let go of our fear of God and embrace God as the source of all love."
~~Henri Nouwen
From the free daily message found at the Henri Nouwen webpage. Subscribe.
I really needed to read this today. I met with a teacher friend who is helping me "write" my thesis paper. Today CS guided me through the supposed introduction to the realization that I don't know what I am writing about! So I am in that emptiness again. . . .
4 comments:
Nouwen is echoing the thoughts of 17th-century French philosopher Blaise Pascal, who said that "The sole cause of man's unhappiness is that he does not know how to stay quietly in his room."
Voltaire (whom I really like) made fun of Pascal (whom he really disliked) asking Yeah, sure, and what would a guy do all day in his room?
However, I don't think Pascal meant to be taken literally. He saw the way the nobility spent their days and nights gambling at Versailles or vying to be the favorites of the king. He wasn't fooled. He knew what all that empty entertainment and jockeying for political influence was really all about: "The eternal silence of these infinite spaces frightens me."
One of the things to which Lent points us (I think) is the notion of emptying so that we might be filled by God's wisdom and desires (I dislike using the word "will," it sounds so disciplinarian). Perhaps being empty is just what you need in order for God to speak to your heart (and head) about where this paper is to go. I have the sense that it will take you on a journey that will in turn lead to other things meant for you to explore and experience. Just a Holy-Spirit-sort-of-voice talkin' to be between the lines.
Blessings, in any event!
I am so glad to learn that you're working on your thesis! It sounds like you've found a good path.
Still willing to listen and talk, anytime!
Thank you for the quote--very beautiful and powerful.
Sometimes I wonder if one reason there is so much violence in the world is our fear of having no control.
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