Finding our center

I was reading an article in the British magazine *'The Tablet' by Daniel O'Leary - a man whose wisdom I admire very much. He is writing about some of the 'social anxieties' of our day. In particular he tells the story of someone he was taking somewhere in his car. They had traveled six or seven miles when his passenger said 'Please turn back. I have forgotten my mobile'[cell phone]. He goes on to say 'Even though there was no emergency in her life just then, and we would be back in a few hours, the thought of being phoneless was very distressing. Full blown FOMO - the Fear of Missing Out - is one of the most insidious social anxieties of our age'.

I of course, had never heard of FOMO but as I read further it began to make sense. The need frequently (constantly?) to check Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites is so ever-present not just for young people but older as well. Daniel goes on to suggest something about what he feels is happening, ' There are, currently, an increasing amount of reports and warnings about people's deep fear of losing a sense of themselves, of right relations with others...anxious teenagers are constantly monitoring their popularity among their peers, tormented by feelings of inadequacy and doubt'.
             
O'Leary then goes on to speak about our human need to believe there is meaning to our lives, to believe that I am worth something. He suggests we need to become more attuned to that sense, deep in our selves, of being valued, loved. 'However driven, drained or damaged people may be, is there not always some inner belief in a feeble flicker of a finer self, a moral, mystical seed still alive in the depths...?' Daniel goes on to say 'From that awareness emerges their true identity. It is a treasure hidden in the neglected fields of their souls'.

I do think Daniel is touching on something so vital in our modern lives which are lived mostly, without an awareness of the God who loves and cherishes us. We seek to be loved for superficial things (designer things, monetary success, etc) and miss the beauty which is there and is true and is worthy without having to prove anything. 

                                                                           How do we get to know who we are?

Which leads me to another article from *Sojourners that someone sent which is about the recent death of Philip Seymour Hoffman a most wonderful actor. The author suggests that a very special gift that Hoffman had as an actor was his ability to reflect back to us, our frail, vulnerable humanity...and our dignity in the midst of it. Here is the link: 

http://sojo.net/blogs/2014/02/04/philip-seymour-hoffmans-invaluable-gift-revealing-our-humanity?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sojourners%2Fgods-politics+%28Sojourners+God%27s+Politics+Blog%29   . 

Modern life presents so many challenges to our humanity; to our ability to accept who we are and how we are. It challenges our yearning to be true to ourselves; to accept our failures (if indeed they are); to love ourselves just because we are, just because we exist and for no other reason.

Both these articles have raised for me, such vital questions about our existence as we move forward in an ever more challenging world. We can help each other first of all, by caring.

 *http://www.djoleary.com    http://www.thetablet.co.uk/
 *http://sojo.net/magazine