Maya Angelou
Silence
I have a feeling many people may not like this woman - her close friendship with Oprah and all. I expect she may be a big liberal feminist as well. I don’t care, I happen to like her. (And no - I have never read an entire book of her’s - just excerpts.)
When she was a little girl she was raped, and after she was asked to identify her attacker, she did so. The man was killed, and young Maya felt she had killed him with her words. She never spoke again - for years. That is just so profound, such a lesson to me, one I find so hard to put into practice.
Reading other blogposts - I won’t name them - I notice, as anyone must - lots of anger, contempt, and disrespect for so many fellow Catholics, but none more so than bishops and often times priests. I think it takes a good year or two of blogging to learn not to do that kind of stuff - and much longer to avoid com-box combat. It perhaps takes others a very long time to abstain from referring to the USCCB bishops as buffoons, or to have the effrontery to call a Cardinal an idiot and by his last name when mocking him outright. But I digress.
I realized I’ve probably offended a few bishops and priests myself, and I’m not proud of that. My first temptation is to imitate Ms. Angelou and say no more - ever - or at least to quit blogging. Instead, I’ll continue writing posts for awhile, because there are a few matters I want to finish, but my conversation will be limited - so as to avoid insulting anyone else. God willing, from now on, the only person I will defame is myself, the only criticism will be of me, and I will try to have fun doing it so everyone may continue to be entertained.
Someplace in Scripture the Holy Spirit speaks: “Set a guard on my tongue, and upon my lips an effective seal, that I may not sin by them.”
May 6th, 2008 at 7:24 am
Terry - I find your blogging to be kinder and more thoughtful than most. Don’t be so hard on yourself. We have all said/written things we wish we could forget or take back, but I honestly do not think you are glaringly guilty of being uncharitable. You are right - there is a lot of hatefulness out there in blogworld. I think some of it is hurt feelings and frustration, and a lot of it is purely human nature. I do not believe you have been inconsiderate. Just my two cents - Susan
May 6th, 2008 at 8:56 am
I agree with Susan.
You are sweet and kind!
Susan
May 6th, 2008 at 10:00 am
If you stopped blogging Terry I would miss you. I find your posts intelligent and edifying.
May 6th, 2008 at 10:16 am
I’ve given a lot of thought as to why someone would “spill their guts” for the entire world to see. The only conclusion I can see is they have become frustrated and feel powerless. Blogging about it is the only way they envision having a bit of control.
I am not condoning this since it really is no solution. Prayer, humility, and meekness might go a long way (all of which I need to do more of)
As for the hysterics in the blogoshere? I just try and avoid them. It is just not healthy to fill your mind with the constant ranting.
The people who “report the news” in an honest or humorous way stay on the list. Those that call names and get ugly are gone.
May 6th, 2008 at 1:24 pm
I like her, too. Good poets are hard to find, nowadays.
May 6th, 2008 at 10:28 pm
I read one of her books in college and had the opportunity, unexpectedly, to serve as her local security (plainclothes) when she was in town. That put me in her direct proximity, and into a place to directly meet her.
Maya Angelou does not do autographs…she does not cater to crowds. She is, in fact, a very humble woman, and a very charismatic one.
I’m happy to have met her, and after that meeting I read the rest of her works, realizing profoundly that I had shaken this woman’s hand.
I’m sure she is quite the feminist, but then I consider the culture that produced her, and the compassion that her culture also produced.
Not a one of us has everything. She will never be declared to be a Saint…but she will forever be a women who changed the face of the earth, and made it better.
Suffice to say..I like her, too.
She made me undestand why the caged bird sings and why we all need walking shoes, and why our journeys are worth nothing to anyone other than ourselves, and God.