Every moment and every event of every man's life on earth plants something in his soul. Thomas Merton
Last week I had ordered two different documentaries to come one after another. The first was the story of Frank Lloyd Wright. I had been in his home, Taliesin West in Arizona, many years ago and found it quite interesting in terms of its connection to the land. So I thought it'd be good to learn more about his life-- of which I had known little. Creativity sounded good to me as one subject to explore. It was a Ken Burns special, which normally means good.
Farm Boss and I were tired that night. The farm has had more than a few upsetting hassles recently due to weather and who knows what all. So we turned it off after maybe 40 minutes with the intention of watching the rest the next night.
The next night, I asked him, do you really want to see the rest? He felt as I did. No. Wright was such an obnoxious person, even in that 40 minutes, that it was hard to separate that user of a personality from his work. To us, it was nearly disgusting at how he had gone into his career, used people, demanded his way. It was simply not bearable to spend more time with him
The next video to arrive was Merton: A Film Biography, which was the polar opposite from Wright. Thomas Merton, a prolific writer, philosopher, spiritualist, and humanitarian was as opposite from Wright as I think it's possible for two men to be which makes it rather interesting that I had chosen them to be watched so closely together.
If you have read any of Merton's writings (70 books, numerous essays), you know that as a Trappist monk, he had a dedication to first the monastic life which spread out into a love for mankind and a desire to speak out on what he thought it took to live life fully.
He moved on though in his thinking and that's part of what makes him so profound. He was willing to grow, to challenge even his old ways of thinking. He was a mystic but not religiously bound to any one system even as he remained a Catholic. If he had not died prematurely, one wonders where he might have gone on this lifelong hunt for spiritual truth.
His concern went beyond the Spirit to how this all impacted human life. It was flesh and spirit. Basically he believed it was impossible to have such a life without standing on your own feet, without having a certain sense of liberty. When others rule your life, and most frequently in our country, that could be corporate rulers, you cannot have a true openness to the spiritual truth of life. You are bound up in what you must do. He spoke out about that, against war, and for an understanding that religious similarities of beliefs that he found in a deep study of Buddhism and Christianity, as practiced by Christ, were very similar.
The documentary is by necessity cursory about a lot of Merton's life, but it really is inspiring. I felt, especially in our day and age where it's easy to become very disillusioned with life and all that is going on in the world, it was worth watching and spending some time thinking about.
'In the last analysis, the individual person is responsible for living his own life and for "finding himself." If he persists in shifting his responsibility to somebody else, he fails to find out the meaning of his own existence.' Thomas Merton
Image from Joy of Propaganda
Image from Joy of Propaganda
14 comments:
Merton was a profound thinker and a mystic as well...ANy of his books are worth reading...
I thought it was interesting in looking for information about him online how different spiritual writers felt about him. One source was telling Catholics it was okay to read the first phase of his life but stay away from the red phase as that would be confusing them unnecessarily. In short, don't read anything by a thinker who challenges instead of supports the existing system. It might be catching... :)
Merton was my first hero and as a consequence I did my first monkish explorations at the Trappist monastery in Snowmass at 17. Thanks for this post....
ps. Columbia turned out some good ones. My second hero was Alan Ginsburg! :)
I have been to Mepkin Abbey, the Trappist monastery outside of Charleston, South Carolina, several times. It is a very spiritual place and the monks are as well.
Most Catholics who I know revere Merton's memory. And just so you know Rain, most religions have believers who are chastised if they explore other religions and think outside the prevailing dogma.
Yes, Paul, I did know that. I have experienced it. Some of my favorite theologians like Anthony de Mello, Father Greeley, and Matthew Fox have experienced toe the line or else. In this case though what I read was not officially from the church but a religious site just recommending the person not read his 'red' phase as it would confuse him. It does do that. When people think and don't accept the orthodox answers, definitely it can lead to changes that aren't always comfortable. I've experienced that too. I sure wouldn't do it otherwise though...
I think I need/want to see the Merton film. I've read several of his books as the mystics have always fascinated me and truly need to read more.
There are two Frank Lloyd wright houses here in our city and I was told by a former owner of one that one really has to love them to live in one. I'm not sure what she meant but it makes a body wonder
I, too, was disappointed in Wright as a person when I viewed some accounts of his life. I had liked his architecture but think some accounts revealed appearance may have have been misleading with troublesome structural issues.
I recall when Taliesin West was being built during the time we lived in Phoenix/Scottsdale. I liked the concept and wanted to visit there, but our AZ travels took us further away and we never did more than drive by going or coming from elsewhere. Recall some of his family reportedly there during that time -- Peterson and Svetlana. (may not have spelled her name correctly.)
Thank you for this. I haven't read anything of Merton's yet, but now it's on my Kindle list.
I am renting that video ASAP, Rain.
Ashamed to say it, I am only vaguely aware of Merton. His work is something I am excited to read, thanks to your post. Thank you for opening up my world today!
I've also added this documentary to my NetFlix list. I have not read any Merton ( I had him confused with Thomas Moore) but I plan to do so as soon as I can ILLS a copy of "New Seeds of Contemplation" from my town library.
I'm so glad you enjoyed the Merton documentary. I am a long-time Merton aficianado and did my M.A. thesis on him and his work. There are several documentaries available but the one you watched is my favorite. I have all the books he wrote; I could ship you a few if you would like to read them. My favorite is Thoughts in Solitude.
As for Frank Lloyd Wright, I am fascinated by his work and have watched a few documentaries and read Loving Frank by Nancy Horan. He was obviously a deeply troubled man. I highly recommend Loving Frank, which is a fictionalized version of his life and of the women in his life. His last wife was pretty amazing.
Rain--You surely draw some learned people to your blog, don't you? I had not heard of Merton - or, at least, don't recall that name. Thanks for the peek.
I find that many, many people are more than willing to have others study their (the many's) religious system, but discourage anyone of their (the many's) pursuasion to seriously consider other religious systems.
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This sounds like a wonderful documentary, Rain....I am putting it on my Netflix Queue/List, as soon as I leave here....
As to Wright---I bave seen a couple of his Houses here in L.A. close up--And though I admire his Artists Eye, etc...I have always found these buildings cold and detatched from emotion---EXCEPT very very 'controlled'--If one can call that an emotion...lol! His work has to reflect the man.
I'm not putting that one on my Netflix List.
I have to agree with Mandt, when I went back and looked at his post. Columbia has turned out some incredible folks--and Allen Ginsberg is another favorite of mine. Speaking of Columbia, in the years I was advising my school's student newspaper I took students each summer to the one week high school journalism program at Columbia. After I had actually completed my thesis on Merton, after the "work" part of my trip was over, I did a Merton pilgrimage of all the places he frequented when he studied there. I started in the Columbia archives and darned if they didn't give me access to Merton's materials. I also spent some time with the pastor of Corpus Christi Church where Merton studied for conversion and was baptized as a Catholic. That priest had not known him personally but had lots of stories to tell. I visited some of the apartments where he lived and found a few of his hangouts.
I'm so excited you have written about Merton. Even though I am no longer practicing Catholicism, he made (and continues to make) such an impact on my life as a Christian. The Seven Storey Mountain was "early" Merton, a young zealous convert, but it was his later writings that speak to my heart. The later biographies, now that some of his sealed personal writings have been opened, have made me admire him even more.
I have always personally believed that his death was no accident. He was so against the Viet Nam war and spoke out more than perhaps he should have. I think the CIA, or some agency, had him murdered. It was especially ironic to me that his body was shipped back to the U.S. with bodies of soldiers from Viet Nam.
I was preparing a trip to Gethsemane Monastery the summer I was first diagnosed with cancer--1989. I seem to have postponed that trip indefinitely.
I have a handout I sometimes give at journal workshops called Merton's springboards. My all time favorite of his is:
My All-Time Favorite: From the Love of Solitude, Part II, “Thoughts in Solitude”
“My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about it. Therefore, I will trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.”
Forgive me for being so wordy, but I am just so touched by your post, particularly because he hadn't been on your radar screen before. Obviously others are introduced to him via your post as you have a large following at Rainy Day Thoughts.
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