"Possessing Courage" - Zen of OZ

My sermon given on July 5th at the First Unitarian Church of Philadelphia.

My friends, we live in troubled times. When I last spoke with you during August 2008; it was the Sunday after the shooting tragedy that had occurred at the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church. Unfortunately not much has changed for the better with respect to mitigating the continual occurrence of various tragedies - as recently evidenced by the shooting of a well known gynecologist, the events taking place in Iran, missiles be shot off in North Korea, political scandals, extensive bankruptcies, employment at an all time low, blue people hating green people, orange people hating turquoise people, and purple people hating everyone, to name just a few.

Back then, I offered some thoughts on how we might use some Zen Practices of Healing and the virtue of love to help us cope and to achieve a more loving, peaceful, and caring world. By way of illustration I referenced a fairly well known book and movie, “The Wizard of OZ.” For it is within this simple story, not only did I find it beset with moral values, but something deeper – spiritual guidance (Zen wisdom, if you will).

Previously, I reflected on the Tin Man in the story, who was seeking a heart and the Wizard’s response that he should remember that “a heart is not judged by how much you love, but how much you are loved by others.” But in these times, it seems that the virtue of love (alone) is not sufficient and that it needs to be augmented with the virtue of courage. So this time my focus will be on Courage - a virtue that was so prominent within our forefathers and mothers in their struggle for this country’s independence which we commemorate this July 4th weekend.

Accordingly, today let us journey again down the Yellow Brick Road with a Lion in his quest for courage from the story of the “Wizard of OZ” and hopefully pick up some helpful, useable Zen philosophy, as well.

Let us consider briefly the meaning of Courage and of Zen.

Courage transforms fear into determination. It is the embracing of life fully and doing what must be done even when it is difficult, risky, or unpopular. It allows us to face adversity with confidence. Courage opens us to new possibilities and gives us the strength to sacrifice for what we love. It is being fearless and brave. Spiritually, it is acting on moral values of what is right.

Zen practice is Buddhist in origin; it is a form of meditation that seeks to attain an intuitive illumination of mind and spirit. One, hopefully, realizes an “awakening” and spiritual enrichment through the direct individual assessment of one’s own experiences rather than through theory and the study of religious texts.

Now with regards to the quest for courage, in one of the chapters and/or scenes during Dorothy’s journey to meet the Wizard, she encounters a Lion. The great Lion bounds out in front of her with a terrible roar, gnashing his teeth and striking out with his sharp claws. Dorothy’s dog Toto, in a protective stance, runs barking towards the Lion. When the great beast opens his mouth to bite the dog, Dorothy fearing that Toto would be killed and heedless of the danger, rushes forward and slaps the lion upon his nose as hard as she could. The Lion immediately retreats and starts to whine in a cowardly fashion. When asked why he was such a coward, the Lion replied – I don’t know; it is a mystery and I suppose I was born that way. But others expect a Lion to be courageous so I learned if I roar very loudly, I can frighten others and have them think I am very brave.

Let us consider who was really courageous in this episode. Not the Lion who admits to being a coward and because of what others think he must be - has been forced to play out a fraud to live up to their expectations. It is apparent that Toto and Dorothy in their protective stances were the courageous ones, not by “roaring” the loudest or making bolstering claims but by taking decisive action. And what spiritual lesson can we learn from this tale - - excuse the pun?

I submit that one’s true self – one’s spiritual essence, one’s very internal nature – is completely fearless and does not fear any challenge. Unfortunately, a lot of our thinking and behavior tends to be shackled by the material world and is generally based on fears. Consequently, there arises a compulsion to conquer others to compensate for not having conquered one’s own fears. We see this played out every day in the real world from the posturing of dictators, terrorists’ acts, so-called “ideological” murderous shootings, discrimination, to bullying on the playground. The Lion was foolishly confusing courage with intimidation. An individual possessing true courage does not resort to intimidation. Only a bully uses intimidation and is cruel and/or demeans others.

In another episode, the Lion is walking down a hallway towards the Wizard’s throne room, twisting his tail nervously when he suddenly wails out in pain. “Someone pulled my tail,” he cries. The Scarecrow points out, “You did it yourself.” This single moment captures a profound Zen teaching of “There is no greater illusion than fear.” Referencing back to one of our forefathers, Franklin Roosevelt put it this way: “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” Later on when marching through the Haunted Forest toward the Witch’s Castle, the Lion self-destructively chants: “I do believe in spooks, I do, I do.” Instead the Lion should be using a positive affirmation to conquer his fear – the same way Dorothy does by chanting: “Lions, and tigers, and bears – oh my!”

How then does the Lion finally find his courage? It is when the Lion discovers that Dorothy is being held prisoner in the Witch’s Castle and his love for her overpowers his fears. In a flash, the Lion discovers his higher self, recognizes his unique talents, and impulsively decides to use his strengths to save Dorothy. As a famous Zen sage wrote: “Because of deep love, one often finds courage.”

Finally when the Wizard presents the Lion with a medal for exhibiting courage and bravery, he states that the Lion is simply under the delusion that because you have fears, you have no courage. The Wizard then with Zen-like clarity confides: “You are confusing courage with wisdom. Courage lies in how one deals with fear, not in the absence of it.”

I believe the message here is clear. If you, like the Lion, discover your true self and your purpose in life, you too can access the infinite potential of the cosmos, freeing yourself to experience life as a miraculous expression of love. All it takes is a little courage.

I offer for consideration Six Steps in the Practice of Courage. 1) Reach beyond your comfort zone, 2) Welcome new challenges, 3) Do what you know is right regardless of the cost, 4) Face the truth - being humble and open, 5) Don’t let your fears hold you back, and 6) Fully accept life’s invitations.

Hopefully, I have illustrated a little of the Zen philosophy that is contained in the story of the Wizard of OZ. May your journey down the Yellow Brick Road make your life glorious and joyful in every way. Let us be thankful for the gift of Courage for it allows us to spread our wings. “May it be so.”

Home Again

The ruby slippers have returned to the National Museum of American History in Washington D.C., which re-opened last November 2, 2008 after a two year, $85 million renovation. This exhibit has become one of the most popular ones attracting thousands of visitors each year. One of only five pairs of shoes known to survive from the MGM 1939 Wizard of OZ film, were purchased at a 1970 auction for $15,000 by an anonymous buyer (not me), who then donated them to the Smithsonian in 1979. The whereabouts of the pair of ruby slippers stolen (not by me) from the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minnesota in 2005 remains an Ozian mystery. (Credit: Baum Bugle Winter 2008).

My Evening of Drugs and Television

The other evening, I decided to spend it watching some commercial television programs. To my surprise it turned out to be an evening beset with inducements to partake of various drugs; consisting of over 25 solicitations for drugs ranging from anti-depressants to remedies for erectile dysfunction. Considering the barrage of the drug commercials that our populace is subject to on a daily basis; not just via television but radio, magazines, newspapers, billboards, direct mail, etc., it is no wonder that there is such wide-spread drug dependency and addiction. I am bewildered by the government’s extensive efforts to control some drugs such as marijuana and steroids but is doing nothing with respect to curtailing or regulating some of these other advertised drugs that can be just as harmful, if not more so.

A sample of these drugs included: Crestar for plaque buildup, Flomax for urinary control, Calais and Viagra for erectile dysfunction, Omnaris, Claritin and Zyretec for allergies, Zantac for heart burn, Celebrex for arthritis pain, Alli for weight loss, Pamprin for period relief, Lunesta for insomnia, Excedrin, Aleve, and Tylenol for pain/headaches, Bayer aspirin for heart attack prevention, and (my favorite) Cymatia for depression – after watching that advertisement, it so depressed me that I could have gone for some. After praising all the benefits of the drugs (appeared that one would magically transport me to a Caribbean island complete with beautiful people and delicious foods and drinks), the possible side effects are mentioned very quickly and in a cheerful tone. What is with cheerfulness when side effects include: blurred vision, heart palpitations, fall in blood pressure, nausea, diarrhea, uncontrollable bowel movements, headaches, heart attack, skin rash, trouble breathing, swelling of tongue, agitation, hallucinations, confusion, vomiting, seizures, suppression of immune system, erection lasting for hours (Mmm), fainting, dizziness, and death?

In fairness, I should mention there was one anti-drug advertisement but I found it bewildering in that it featured a young man who stated that his supplier was his parent’s medicine cabinet. Then there was the attorney ad that blared out that you should call them if you suffered any incurable side effects, became disabled or DIED (not sure how you do that) from taking any “prescription” drugs.

What is the purpose of this rant? Nothing more than to express my aggregation and annoyance at the profusion and irresponsibility of these commercials, dismay over all the money that is spent on promotion instead of lowering drug costs, the false message that it is okay, even acceptable, to ingest this or that drug to remedy whatever twitch, ailment, or mood is being experienced and the hypocrisies of it all. I am just saying ----.

Ruffled Tail Feathers

I have been rather lax lately in blogging; mainly due to the fact that nothing of great significance has been happening in my life and there has not been any “event” that have ruffled my tail feathers. Well, of course that was not going to last. I was delighted to hear this past week that the House of Representatives finally passed the Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act, a/k/a Matthew Shepard Act, by a vote of 249-175 and hopefully will be sanctioned by the Senate.
The LLEHCPA will authorize the Department of Justice to investigate and prosecute certain bias-motivated crimes based on the victim's actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or disability. Currently, the federal government can only investigate hate crimes motivated by the victim's race, color, religion, and national origin. It will also provide local authorities with more resources to combat hate crimes and give the federal government jurisdiction over prosecuting hate crimes in states where the current law is inadequate.
What I found to be “disturbing” was, not just the very high number that voted nay but anti-gay speeches made by some of the representatives arguing against its passage. Particularly that of Rep. Virginia Foxx who stated that the Matthew Shepard incident was just being used as a “hoax” to get the legislation passed. Yes, she used the word hoax and it took some effort to contain an outburst of angry on my part. Breath in slow – Breath out slow. I am forever perplexed at the denial of substantiated facts and evidence that is maintained by some individuals and particularly so when they are propagated by those is positions of authority and responsibility. Perhaps legislation should be passed to require all members of Congress to take and pass an IQ test before they can “seated.”
Does Rep. Foxx still believe the world is flat, constellations are celestial beings, sea monsters swallow up ships at sea, the universe was made in six days, the holocaust never happened (Bishop Williamson), the stork brings babies, the sun moves around the earth (condemn Galileo for suggesting otherwise), use of condoms causes AIDS (thank you Pope Benedict), and that California is a country (oops that was Miss. California). What is so disheartening is that it is not just Rep. Foxx making such innate assertions but so many others who unfortunately have a public forum and that so many others listen and believe. I can only hope that in the end common sense and reason will prevail – in the meantime, I must go and smooth down my ruffled tail feathers. After all, they are rather pretty - don't you agree?