Einstein, The Beatles, and John Calvin: God’s Gifts to the Generations
Posted: Monday, December 28, 2009
by Jeff Brown
Inner Projection
One gift was
Albert Einstein, a man who at one time saw himself so unfit to live, so despondent
with his lot in life that he desired to end it, saying "It would have been
better if I had never been born." And this is the lot of genius that which is
never disingenuous. It takes an honest, heart-felt
soul to take on common, fallible truths without merit to show the simpler,
greater truths that lie beneath-fighting the norm to reveal its inaccuracy. And
this is how Einstein's theory of relativity has often been explained, as simple
and elegant. It is the same with Mozart's greatest piano concertos. There is
great beauty in the honest, simplicity of genius that which reveals the great
truths of life that we often cannot see in our closed-minded focus on things
as we "believe" them to be, not seeing the greater unseen truths that one of average perspective can
rarely see.
Einstein was
one who did not receive great recognition until his early thirties. He could
not get a job because he often skipped class, his professors feeling he was a
lay-about therefore never giving him the recommendations needed. He worked for
years as a lowly patent clerk, yet these down times allowed him to ponder the
great complexities and questions of the universe.
But why was
he a gift to humankind?
Certainly he
gave us one of the most insightful looks into space and its composition through
his theory of relativity, and he was certainly prolific in his consideration of
the same in generating other theories and insight second to none. Yet why was a
simple, reclusive, humble, unassuming man of science, a physicist treated like
a rock star after his discovery was proven correct via observation of the stars
and its bending light coming around the sun during eclipse verifying his belief
that gravity wasn't pulling as much as it was pushing objects in space.
But his greatness was more than that of mere discovery. His
discovery came at a time when humankind was waking up to what the evil choices
of man unchecked and ignored can do to the world. In 1922 after WWI, a time
that the world for the first time experienced great horrors of the grandest scale, the world
was looking to look away to the heavens perhaps and the greatness of hope. Or
as Dorothy sings in The Wizard of Oz (a
film attempting to "take us away" from the realities of a second impending
world war):
There's a land that I heard of
Once in a lullaby.
Somewhere, over the rainbow, skies are blue.
And the dreams that you dare to dream.
Really do come true.
Behind me.
Where troubles melt like lemon drops,
Away above the chimney tops.
That's where you'll find me.
Somewhere, over the rainbow, bluebirds fly.
Birds fly over the rainbow,
Why then - oh, why can't I?
They slither while they pass, they slip away across the universe
Pools of sorrow, waves of joy are drifting through my open mind,
Possessing and caressing me.
Jai guru de va om
Nothing's gonna change my world,
Nothing's gonna change my world.
It is in the greatest minds of creative, euphoric insight that which attempts to take us outside ourselves and outside our current and impending problems that we find the greatest solace. It is here where God takes us once again into His Bosom to hold and nurture his ailing children. It is why so many sob uncontrollably many years later as they listen to Paul McCartney perform the songs of their youth, post Lennon, post Harrison, memorializing all that has been lost at the same time instilling the hope of all that is pure and eternal and giving.
The Beatles more than any other group have lasted way beyond their heyday as they continue to bring awe, and wonder, and hope and peace to the hearts of the many looking for, desiring, in desperate need for solace-a gift given us of God to heal us all.
To get back homeward.
Once there was a way..
To get back home.
Sleep, pretty darling,
Dot not cry
And I will sing a lullaby.
Golden slumbers
Fill your eyes
Smiles await you when you rise
Sleep pretty darling
Do not cry
And I will sing a lullaby.
The final gift of God here is John Calvin. Here I'm not going to get into the more specifics of Calvin's doctrinal change from that of the Catholic Church but more so generally what he did for humankind in his opening of our minds to greater possibilities and opportunity.
Calvinism came about in the early 16th century or the end of the Dark Ages. There is great debate as to what specifically this term means; nevertheless, this was a time of great social chaos and repression, superstition and ignorance. And a lot of that ignorance came from the oppression of the general populace by the Catholic Church in its keeping the Bible to itself allowing for interpretation according to the whims of only a few or chosen men-self-appointed priests. This was a time when religion was used to a great degree to oppress and control the general population. It was Calvin, along with Martin Luther, who began a movement of reform to a greater democratic church where the people took back the bible and control of their spiritual destiny in doing so.
Freedom
Freedom
Freedom
Freedom
I got a telephone in my bosom
And I can call him up from my heart
I got a telephone in my bosom
When I need my brother… brother
When I need my mother… mother
Hey… yeah….
"Freedom,"
Richie Havens
He desires us to be free. He desires us to
make the right choices. He desires us to be happy. But happiness never came
from any self-indulgent, self-serving desire. And it is here where He
constantly brings us back, to refocus us through gifts given that open our
hearts to the greater, higher possibilities of all humankind.
And His desire to re-connect it is not a
moving away but rather a coming home that He desires for all of us. So if we
look deep in our hearts beyond the veil that has clouded our minds we will all
see our divine inheritance. It is here in his giving of His gifts that He
desires us to come back, come back to all that is ours. But we can only do so
by following universal principles that may involved difficult, challenging
choices but choices, nevertheless, that will heal and empower.
Peace to you and yours this most giving of
seasons.
Great read! I am an Indian and would like to add Mahatma Gandhi's name to your list, not because he gave India freedom but because he chose to fight by using higher principles like non violence and self sacrifice! `Freedom at Midnight' by Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre is a must read to know the universality of his humane message, the same message Lennon and McCartney spoke of in some innumerable songs like Give Peace a Chance, Imagine, to name a couple!Great read especially on a New Years Eve! Here's wishing you a wonderful, peaceful and god filled New Year!Vinoo, I agree. I love Mahatma Gandhi and use him to describe one aspect of my spiritual fiction book. He was a man who talked the talk and walked the walk. I'm going to read that book. Looks great. He is actually a man I use along with Martin Luther King, and others, but I could only put so many people in such a short article. Thanks so much for the kind words. And may you be blessed in all you do. Peace!
I don't recall the Beatles song Golden Slumbers -I will have to look it up.It's on Abbey Road. Great tune. One of their greatest albums too.
someone can be beneficial to the material world, another very beneficial to the spiritual/religious world but the great gift is someone benefiting both the secular/material and religious levels.True, I could turn this into a book ;+) Thanks for the input.
Great read, and I'm glad you selected Abbey Road! Happy New Year.Thanks Mike. Right back at ya!!!
Enjoyed reading this - good thoughts. MarijoThanks Marijo for stopping by and take the time to allow my thoughts precedence over yours. A true form of giving. Appreciate.
