YEAR END, PEACE AND PAINTING

YEAR END, PEACE & PAINTING … the way I see it.

Thanks for respecting my right to express a faith. This morning I looked into the face of Leonardo da Vinci's 'Salvator Mundi.  I saw peace.  Using the soft painting style of his 'Mona Lisa,' and 'John the Baptist,' da Vinci rendered the 'Saviour of the World,' holding a globe in his left hand (symbol for the world) and offering a sign for peace with his right. It is the Saviour's eyes that speak the language of peace. As 2017 ends, Peace is the antidote to life today.

The human spirit is fashioned to inhabit peace. Craving peace, humanity has confused peace with abundance, pleasure, ecstasy, altered states of consciousness, exhilaration, joy, and amusement. Peace remains absent. At auction at Christie's in New York on November 15, 2017, Salvator Mundi sold for a record $450,312,500.00. Someone possessed enough discretionary money to purchase the painting while another person begged for coins to buy a MacDonald's coffee. Peace is the antidote to life today. Whether one's situation is palatial or squalid, sumptuous or meagre, vigorous or indisposed, free or restrained, life carries inherently those experiences that are common to humanity. Life is burdened by distrust, poverties, melancholy, agony, misery, and sadness.

The eyes of the Salvator Mundi tell me that Peace only seems to be universally inaccessible. It is readily available but contingent upon a relationship with the Creator. On the night before he died, amid his disquieting comments to his frightened disciples, Jesus the Salvator said, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” John 14:27 On that same evening he further stated, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” John 16:33. Christ's resurrection convinced the apostles that Jesus is the Prince of peace and the apostle Paul exhorts his listeners, "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful." Colossians 3:15

Christine and I are investing 10 days in another Habitat for Humanity project beginning today. We will be involved with a team of 14 people. They cary in age from mid twenties to near fossils like me. We will work at a house construction site that has already begun. Foundation and perhaps flooring board is down. We have a chance to begin framing walls. That’s fun, specially if you can push them into place and see the walled hime take shape. The new owners will likely be there to talk with us. That’s a joy. These are families who otherwise may never own their own home. It’s not a free house. People pay a reasonable price but a fraction of the actual cost, and they contribute many hours to building someone else’s home. Only island residents are entitled to apply for a H4H home. Did you read the word 'island.’ Well of course, when we have December chills here, the optimum place to volunteer time is Hawaii. This time it is the island of Oahu. Why not?

This is my own scribble drawing. This is attractive Main House at the Baptist Conference Centre where we are bunking. And I do mean bunking because we don’t stay in this stately place but in bunk house on the property. On our work days we take off at 6:30am and travel to the work site and put in a day of work. I can hardly wait. It’s productive and it is helping someone.
We also have some leisure days scheduled where we see the island, sit at the beach, prowl beach stores.

On this particular trip Christine’s brother Robert Langlois has joined us. The three of us are going to have a wonderful time working and playing. We are even there for the surfing championships at the north shore where the notoriously tall waves break. Tell you more later perhaps. Another scribble drawing anticipates the surfing.

The Workplace is Going to Change

Sexual harassment - the rush of offending men may soon require a hashtag similar to 'Me too' that went viral, becoming a movement of women announcing their experiences of physical & sexual assault or harassment by named men. Perhaps 'Him Too' will do. Now TSN sports analyst Greg Zaun is gone, gone, gone; fired by Rogers for 'inappropriate behaviour & comments.’  

Where once women at work or in social situations felt compelled to passively or silently accept male presumptions that it was okay to touch women, undress them, be undressed in their presence, speak to them with sexually explicit thoughts and suggestions, they no longer do. They won’t be silent. Thy won’t stand for it. Society is on alert. Men will change. They must. Their own reputations and careers depend upon a upgraded conscience and conduct. I say that with respect because it is right and good.