Last night I had the occasion to hang out at my house with several 20-somethings, kids who were quite self-possessed, very cool, dressed in black, tattooed and working in the world of contemporary style and fashion — of which I am remarkably ignorant, even after 50+ years of life. So much of their world I have no idea about; so many crazy things go on in my own fair city!
For example, they traveled to my place via Uber. I didn’t know about this new ride industry, where through a phone app, you put in the address of where you are, click to request a ride and you can see how long it will take for an independent Uber driver to come pick you up. Cheaper than a cab, and way, way more cool. Brilliant, eh?
It's true; there is more happening in this world than I could ever wrap my brain around.
I certainly felt a gap, a gap about the size of the Grand Canyon, between my world and theirs. (And how strange to now be on the north rim of the gap!)
At the same time I felt a gap about the size a crack in the sidewalk, between my soul and theirs. I felt this strange yearning to really connect . . . like, to connect for real. I wanted so much to sit in circle with them and ask them about what’s really in their hearts, what they fear, what they know. And I wanted to open myself to any questions they might have, about life and meaning. Somehow I felt that perhaps they too wanted to connect at a deeper level. Perhaps they are starving for elders to truly listen to them, to hear their hearts, though the yearning may be only semi-conscious, as mine was at their age.
But there is no structure for that connection to happen in 2014 where our villages have become re-stratified into self-chosen groupings based on affinity. It would be socially weird to share my depths with kids that live on the far south rim of this Grand Canyon. And so our worlds go on, not touching each other, even as something inside reaches out.
It makes me sad.
Yet, who’s to say that our souls aren’t connecting? Outside of space and time, beyond the reaches of our personalities?
Because if there is one thing I have come to know from my short half a century on this planet, there that is more Mystery happening in this world than I could ever wrap my brain around . . . for who really knows how far our souls are able to jump?