But when I thought how to understand this,
it seemed to me a wearisome task,
until I went into the sanctuary of God…
— Psalm 73:16-17 (ESV)
As I listened to the people around me squabbling with each other that night, I felt a vague sense of unease. They snapped at one another. They were petty. On the surface, things were almost civil, but you could feel the hostility of unhappy people taking their feelings out on others.
I felt completely out of place.
I felt as though the boiling anger in these people’s spirits should be obvious to everyone. Much of what I was seeing seemed to be outward projections of internal rage at self. The tension in the air felt emotionally painful to me.
Once more, I felt like an alien among creatures who made no sense to me. Once more, I needed to find peace somewhere. I needed sanctuary from the world. I needed a person, a place or a loving spirit which made sense — which gave me refuge from the storm of this world’s banal and routine hatred.
Again and again, I’ve tried to make sense of this world — and of the people of this world — and I’m left frustrated and feeling alone. What’s more, I can’t find a sense of peace. And like the ancient psalmist, I found myself needing sanctuary — where there might be refuge and understanding.
Trying to force others to be like us is arrogant and destroys relationships
Demos, GOP name Charlotte Clinton and Bush baby to be named for 2056
Fiscal sanity is dead because most people are irrational hypocrites
For some of us, loss of trust is a deep existential threat to heart
Without things to look forward to, the human heart gets ready to die
A year later, my father’s death looms large, but I have no regrets
Correcting an old error: there’s no such thing as ‘We the People’
Check out my re-runs if you’d like, because I’m on vacation for a bit