Subscribe to RSSkill yr. idols
I’ll admit to only infrequently reading some of the blogs on my list these days, but I visited Velveteen Rabbi and found a piece she had contributed to Radical Torah which I found interesting because it sort of relates to where my head is at right now.
It’s almost a Buddhist teaching. When coveting enmeshes us, we can so easily become caught. And in a strange way, it feels good. It’s a familiar groove to slip into, wanting what the dominant culture values. And wanting feeds more wanting, and before we know it our cravings have overgrown the longing for connection with God. One’s heart can only long for so much at any given time, and when the heart is busy longing for what sparkles it is not longing for righteousness and for God.
Craving appears in subtle forms, too. The desire for praise. The desire for fame. The desire to be in control. One of my college professors used to point out, ruefully, that we like nothing better than righteous indignation — we like to be put-upon so we can puff up our chests and revel in how good it feels to be angry. That’s a kind of idolatry, too.
Read the rest here. The concept reminds me a little of Jane Eyre, which in turn reminds me of Mr Spencer. Which makes me think of him changing in the school’s parking lot.
But the issue is killing our cravings, not strange Englishmen.
