Digging Up the Buried Life

"... But often, in the world's most crowded streets,
  But often, in the din of strife,
  There rises an unspeakable desire
  After the knowledge of our buried life;
  A thirst to spend our fire and restless force
  In  tracking out our true, original  course;                        
  A longing to inquire
  Into the mystery of this heart which beats
  So wild, so deep in us--to know
  Whence our lives come and where they go...."

      

“The Buried Life” by Matthew Arnold, 1852

 

      

I got a call a week ago from a young man named Johnnie  Penn. A newspaper editor had referred  him to me, thinking I might be able to help him in his quest. I invited Johnnie to pay me a visit at my church office.  Johnnie is one of four Canadian college students who dropped out of school to do the one hundred things they want to do before they die, and travel around North America  helping others to do the same. The funky old transit bus  in which they travel broke down in Sausalito . While it was being repaired, they continued their quest to find people with  special needs in fulfilling the goals of their lives.

 

      

They call their project “The Buried Life”. It’s a reference to a poem by Matthew Arnold,  from 1852, by the same name. Arnold ’s poem expresses the yearning for the authentic lives that we set aside when we take on our conventional roles in society. Each of us  needs to express the “fire and restless force” that are uniquely our own, but  that all too often are “buried”.

      

I took Johnnie on a walk through downtown Sausalito , introducing him and his quest to  people along the way.  I invited him and  his friends to show up in worship on Sunday and tell their story.  After my initial introductions, Johnnie and  his friends continued looking people with special needs in Sausalito and found one: a middle-aged man  with terminal illness, living alone in an empty apartment on a low income.

      

On Sunday, the four young men showed up in worship. To my surprise, they came with a film  crew! These clever young men have  parlayed their mission into a media event. A documentary is being made about their trip. They’ve been on MTV, and have corporate  sponsors. (See more at theburiedlife.com .) This answered my question about their source  of funds to keep their bus on the road.

      

I invited them to stand at the altar and describe their effort to dig up “The Buried Life” and live it to the full, helping others to do the same along the way. Our church people  enthusiastically offered their help in providing furniture for the dying man’s  apartment. Our congregation was moved by Johnnie, Ben, Dave, and Duncan ’s story.  The four young men were surrounded by admirers at coffee hour downstairs after worship.

      

Then they gathered in my office to ask me what I want  to do before I die - as the cameras were running. I told them that as far as achievements or  experiences in this life are concerned, I feel like I’ve already made it. From now on, any new worldly accomplishments  will be gravy for me.  But spiritually,  I’m not yet where I want to be. There’s  still part of my soul that’s “buried” by the rush of activity in my everyday  life. I want to reach a state of  spiritual equanimity in which I am full of compassion for others and fully  aware of the divine. When my time comes,  I want to die with a twinkle in my eye and a heart full of love for my family  and all those around me. That may seem  like a simple thing to want to achieve before I die. But I’m going to need to make some real  sacrifice of spiritual, physical, and mental effort to get there.

      

What do you want to do before you die? What are you doing to make it happen? What part of your life is “buried”, and needs  to come to light and action? Thank you,  Johnnie, Ben, Dave, and Duncan, for asking such a good question – and having  the nerve to live it!