MY good friend and compassionista, Rev Dr Bill Shaw OBE, was lucky enough to attend the Bob Dylan gig in Dublin last Monday night, and by all accounts from Bill and other avid fans it was a legendary concert by the 81-year-old legend himself.
On reading all the rave reviews of the Dublin show, I couldn’t help but reminisce on our past and how from the days on marching on our streets for rights, the times, in the words of the maestro, are a-changin'.
One thing we all know is that change is where we grow. In my world of Zen we learn that everything is impermanent, in a state of transition. The seed becomes the tree and I would love to know if the tree as a seed knows that it will become a majestic tree, giving shelter and home to our feathered friends. I believe that this is the mystery of living and that the waves of change change us, mould us to who we are today. Sometimes the waves are soft, sometimes strong but the truth is we are becoming who we are and who we are are meant to be. The good news is that there are many, many possibilities as we grow together and, like the trees do, shade and comfort each other and be homes to those without a home.
I remember my very first AA meeting after many years of being nothing more than flotsam and jetsam, being tossed and turned by the harsh waves in the prison of alcoholism. The message in my bottle was screaming: 'Help, I can’t get out, someone, help me break out of this prison.' I’m glad to say that when I went into that first meeting I was loved out of that prison rom insanity to sanity. I felt at home with my family of wounded people who knew the solution to my ism – alcoholism.
I remember in the early days that sense of safety in the group and how the group helped me grow independently into my own free man. To this day no-one can describe to me the power of the group but I know within myself that the power is in the group, the strength is in the group and collectively we grow. We grow to shade others in their discomfort and home those who are living in the madness of addiction.
The times are a changin' and I’m now able to change with the times. Look around and see what happens to those who resist chang – they suffer. I look back to primary school, with pencils and nibbed pens that you dipped into an ink well that was sunken into your desk like an oil well. Nowadays, there are computers, laptops and all the latest gadgets, like this iPad that I’m typing on. Change we must and, if I’m being honest, changes that I have resisted through my ignorance have turned out to be of benefit to me and to others when they came.
So let’s please embrace change and help each other grow together along the way. The maestro, Bob Dylan, has definitely changed if you listen to his new album – and I must admit, changed for the better.
