On James' Passing

Friends -

I want to first mention that of course James's passing is a big shock. A man such as James taken at such a young age (I think 40 is now the "new 30") is a real tragedy. And the fact that he leaves behind 3 kids and a young wife behind only compounds the heavy heart.

As you all know, I met James in 7th grade while attending a most awful private school. James had been "invited not to return" the year before I arrived, but eventually the Powers That Be showed some clemency. For my part, it was my first and only year there. And, as you can imagine, James and I, though if memory serves did not get along at our first meeting, eventually came to see one another as remarkably similar for being so very different from one another. Specifically in the following sense: we both hated authority.

Now, one can downplay the significance of what that means/meant. One can chalk it up to rebellion of youth. But that would be to simplify it and miss the point entirely.

If you notice the people on this list - you may see a pattern emerge. James respected most those that would not be cowed. He saw it as more than a simple personality trait. He saw it as a sign of spiritual maturity. Because the Spirit cannot be squashed unless the individual permits it to be. And because he knew very well that what we all really desire most in this life is something that is in very short supply: namely, as a friend of mine reminded me this morning, Peace.

In James's view of the mechanics of the cosmos, and more specifically, the actuality of the Human Person, we souls chose to be manifest on this plane of existence. And, in his view, we souls chose to enter into this awful physical realm in order to have an opportunity to break free of this physical and metaphysical plane. In his view, what we can observe with our limited senses (the 5 senses we learn about in school), we are given to certain perceptions about the cosmos that are absolutely illusory.

For him, existing as both physical and spiritual being was a bummer. In his view the physical was nothing but a cell within which the soul was imprisoned. This does NOT mean he didn't enjoy his existence here. He took pleasure in all of the little and big miracles of this life experience - just like the rest of us. But he DID believe that his mission here on earth was to evolve in such a way as to be permitted to escape the confines of the physical. Yes - he believed in reincarnation. And, no, he was not real eager to spend more lifetimes in what he saw as the great wheel than he had to. So, for him, it made sense that he needed to spend as much time working on the Spiritual aspect of self as was possible.

James did not believe that the Spirit could/would end up in hell - as we typically envision it. But he DID believe in a Creator God. He was NOT a polytheist. But he also did NOT believe that he had found one religious tradition that adequately represented God Creator. In this sense he was very much Buddhist: once we try to describe the Cosmic Oneness (God), we are further from understanding the actuality of God that before we set out to explain God. This does NOT mean he thought we could not sharpen our insights about what/who/why/how of the Creator God and Creator God's Creation - the Cosmos. Far from it: he spent his life trying to peek behind the curtain, so sure was he that there were glimpses of the Divine to be discerned.

It is important for me to communicate this to you. For a couple of reasons.

1) James has either broken free of this plane or not - if you tend to agree with his view of the Cosmos.
2) If you see the Cosmos through the prism of Christianity, on the other hand, I am encouraged that James has met his reward. He really did believe that the Christ was a Bridge. He really did believe that if you walked the path of Christ, you would find God. What he disagreed with was what he saw as the bastardization of the Christ Story - the manipulation of it throughout history for political gain. If you know me at all, you would see this as a major divergence in belief between James and myself. And there were plenty of these.
3) If you do not believe in existence after death - then James is gone. Both physically and Spiritually. And none of this matters. For you, I would suggest that you reconsider.
4) James LOVED to talk about the Cosmos - all of it - and the economy of souls! He loved it because for him nothing raised to the same level of worthiness - he was always ready to share his ideas with others and to hear theirs. To exchange insights.

So, this is his gift to you and very much to me.

Always ask questions
Ask follow-up questions
Read, study
Contemplate
Pray
Meditate
Introspect
Visualize
Realize

REBEL - DO NOT BELIEVE WHAT THE THEM TELL YOU - DO NOT BELIEVE THE SLOGANS - DO NOT BELIEVE THE CHOICES YOU ARE PRESENTED WITH - ALWAYS ASSUME THERE IS MORE THAN YOU ARE SENSING - NEVER, EVER CAPITULATE OR ALLOW YOURSELF TO BE INTIMIDATED. FIGHT LIKE A MOTHER FUCKER.

MANIFEST the person - SPIRIT - you are called to be.

The rest, James would tell you - the physical, material - is, was, and ever will be "complete fucking bullshit." - A distraction.

And most of all - he would implore you, in a war-like manner, to LOVE and PEACE of your fellow... to the best of your ability.

Please join me in a song of prayer for his rapid passage and celebration of the wonderful soul we, his beloved friends, had the gift of knowing.

Ill let you know when plans are ironed out.

Matt