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Obama and 'recognition of God'
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A North Bay friend who's an accomplished spiritual practitioner, in fact a realizer or "finder" rather than a "seeker," and is equally accomplished in business experience, is seeking a place in the Obama administration.
We were talking at breakfast today and remarking about Obama's legendary even-temperedness. I told him I feel like I'm going to school on the man's spirit every day, taking in his spiritual energy or "transmission." And I don't choose teachers casually or make a point of taking in anyone's energy unless they've impressed me deeply as worthy of most profound trust.
My friend told me that he recently read an interview with Obama from about five years ago. The interviewer was asking Obama, then in his early forties, about his religious life. He asked whether Obama prayed much, or how often.
Obama, as my friend recalled, replied that it seemed to him his prayer life was more like what in the Bible is called "prayer without ceasing."
The interviewer then supposedly asked, "Does that mean you're constantly in touch with the power of God?"
To which Obama — according to my friend's recollection — said, "Well, it's more like recognition of God."
I don't find that humility and spiritual intelligence, a focus on wisdom rather than power, surprising. And even if my friend's recollection is inaccurate, the anecdote is worthy of being shared. As a teacher of mine used to say, quoting a movie line I believe, it's "true enough to be said" even if it's not technically true.
Barack Obama has proved to me that he must be drawing upon some kind of deep confidence in the greater wellsprings of reality. His equanimity, consistency to his own message, flexibility anchored in key, unshakeable principles, under the fire of the endless testing of the campaign and now the transition period — whether he actually used that phrase "recognition of God" or not, he must be plugged in to something of that nature, something that deep and profound.
His graciousness draws upon something larger and yet simpler than the possible generosity and tolerance of a relatively balanced human personality. I feel it draws upon Grace itself. And in a universal, non-sectarian, truly tolerant and compassionate way, however tough-minded, cunning, warlike and even ruthless he may need to be in certain situations to fulfill his responsibilities.
Whatever name he would or really did give it, he must be smelling a flower just that sweet.
To have not just a public figure but the newly emerging leader of the most powerful country on Earth, ours, be so attuned to and at ease in his reliance upon the deeper mystery of his soul's apprehension of the divine, is, well, just about a miracle. That to me is at least as remarkable as anything else about this remarkable man and the passionate appreciation he has awakened in so many. This is a living faith far greater than any merely mental or conceptual, doctrinal belief. It's living spirituality, beyond nominal, conventional religion.
I'm reminded of lines from Bob Dylan:
"As I went out one morning
To breathe the air around Tom Paine ... "
For hopefully many years to come, we and the entire world will get to breathe the air around this uncommon man, and take instruction from the inspiring way he lives and demonstrates our distinctively American freedoms.
I fully expect him to make all kinds of mistakes and to sure enough reveal his share of faults and failings. He's already done some of that. He doesn't expect not to.
Which makes him all the wiser and truer as not only a leader but also a teacher and even, yes, a healer.
Lucky us all. Lucky America. Lucky humanity.
P.S. My friend read this piece, agreed I'd quoted him accurately, and then tracked down the original interview he'd read. Some of the language is a bit different — Obama actually said "recognition of the power of God," not "recognition of God" — but I agree with my friend that he had also more or less accurately quoted Obama. The spirit of the man's spirituality is certainly evident along the lines I acknowledge here. Which, again, I found my friend's quotes simply confirming of what I feel is intrinsically so in Obama after multiple months of seeing him day in and day out on TV, etc. The link to the interview is below. ~SB
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