Turning negativity around
for positive results

Speaking of Religion
The Rev. Dr. Tim Griffin

There was once a traveling monk who went from temple to temple carrying a big bag of horse manure over his shoulder.
When he arrived at a new temple, he would set his bag down and exclaim, "This place smells like s—-!"
He would then pick up his bag and move on to the next temple only to discover the same thing, surprised each time.
(An old Zen as recorded in The Great Heart Way.)

There is much truth and wisdom in this old Zen story. I carry a large bag like this around with me much of the time, and you may too. In fact, most of us do.
My bag is filled with stories about old wounds, slights and insults — real or imagined — and attitudes and prejudices of one sort or another, etc. In short, my bag is filled with the strong stench of habitual patterns of negative thought.
And unfortunately it takes very little jostling for the stench to escape. Perhaps an inconsiderate word or a funny look from another, a comment from someone who does not share my point of view, or someone who simply rubs me the wrong way, and my bag is jostled.
When this happens the smell can become unbearable. And, of course, I make matters worse by refusing to accept responsibility for the smell. Sadder yet, I even delude myself, so I fail to comprehend that the stench arises from my bag.
The image of manure is apt because we all understand just how unpleasant this negativity can be and how easy it is to make others the cause.
But in reality, the problem is not with the other person but with me. I project the problems in my life — the contents of my bag — on to others. I blame the other person for the smell of my bag.
And ironically, by doing so, I give the other person power over me while depriving myself of the freedom that accompanies accepting responsibility for myself.
Of course, manure is unpleasant because it creates such a smell, and if it is simply kept in a bag, it does nothing other than become more and more foul.
On the other hand, manure is a wonderful fertilizer, and if spread in one’s garden, it can produce wonderful flowers and vegetation.
Similarly, if we use the contents of our bags to fertilize our lives — if we sit with the story lines watching the negative thoughts rise and fall without reacting to them — we may find our lives becoming more beautiful and aromatic, like a garden. In this way, the contents of our bag can be put to good use, and we can become the people we desire to be and who God desires us to be.
Does this mean that the manure in our bags will no longer smell? Of course not.
It will continue to smell because manure is smelly stuff. But when I accept responsibility for the bag and the smell, then I can go some way toward putting this foul-smelling material to good use.
So this old teaching tale can provide us with welcome insight into our lives. But the lesson is not confined simply to individuals. Groups and nations also have their bags, and they often expose other nations to its smell. In fact, when harsh and judgmental language is directed at another nation, we can be sure that something of this sort is occurring.
Think, for example, about the language that is so often used to describe nations that do not share our national interests — axis of evil, enemies of democracy, etc. — and think of the language that they use to vilify us. And think about the body language and facial expressions of the speakers using this language. In some cases, the stench from these bags affects the entire world.
This is really a critically important point. Imagine how much better we would get along, both individually and collectively, if we all assumed responsibility for the stench emanating from our bags of manure.
What keeps us from accepting this responsibility? Why do we find it so much easier to try (unsuccessfully) to change others rather than ourselves? Shall we work on overcoming this tendency so that we may experience greater freedom and more beauty in our lives? ••
Father Tim Griffin is priest-in-charge at the St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, at 1946 Welsh Road in Bustleton.