Hermit Perspective

Having much snow. Glorious. Took photos of wild rose today, over by the tracks. Also noticed a buck has used his antlers quite adroitly to tear off branches from the Skylands and a Siberian Spruce.... Nature. This is the way creatures mark their territories or react to something they don't agree with.

So it seems with human's expressing thoughts. One reason why I dumped the label of "hermit"--hermit of any variety or designation. Just living the nine s' as best possible. But decided to write about hermits, my thoughts on the topic of how hermits in the Church have evolved and concerns of where it is all headed. But just my thoughts, and I have a privilege and right to express my thoughts.

Odd how my blog has been such a threat to particularly canonically approved hermits! Amazing, really. But I wrote again recently about hermits after months away, and am not calling myself one. It is fair enough that I write about Catholic hermits, though. I know some about Catholic hermit life, after all. And I have ideas to express. Thoughts.

That is maybe the point of what recently I've noticed. The "hermit" label tends to incite intense opinions about what a "hermit" is or is not. Catholic hermit, canonical hermit, lay hermit, private hermit, even non-Catholic hermit. Just the word "hermit" brings strong associations to people's minds, and these notions become opinions, and soon if one labels him- or herself as a "hermit" of any variety, other people immediately are judging.

Should a hermit do this or that? Should a hermit say this or that, or think this or that, or live like this or that? Should a hermit have initials after his or her name, wear a habit or go naked, have short hair or long, be fat or emaciated, have vows or rules of life if so-and-so type of hermit, or not? Add Catholic to the hermit label, or not? Write about hermit life, or not? Have a job, be married, be single, be beautiful, be ugly, be this or that? Be smart, be dumb, be educated, be uneducated, be sick, be well, be identified, be hidden, how little or how much hidden? Pray? Oh? Pray?

Just gets sort of ridiculous after awhile. To my way of thinking and being. So I decided to dump the label. Just live. Just be. But have the right and privilege to write about Catholic hermits, all the same. Who's to say what I am other than maybe God to say? No one can really have too strong of opinions about what is or is not a wild rose. Fairly basic and known. Non-controversial.

But I did joke with some friends that if there was a canon law designating Catholic Nothings as consecrated religious, there'd be people clamoring to be approved as Catholic Nothings. Then there'd be all kinds of rules and regulations developed, and processes, evaluations, opinions, judgments, blog thugs attacking anyone who does not fit their view of what is a Catholic Nothing according to CL000. We'd have to have guidebooks developed and precedents set, and theologians to institutionalize nothing. We'd have to be identified by the ø after our names. What would nothing wear? Nothing? Oh my. See how it goes?

Some would want to be Catholic Nothings as a stepping stone to make up their own nothing religious orders. Others would want to have Catholic Nothing forums and support groups online. Others would only allow CL000 Nothings in their group, while other nothings would be attacked because they are nothing. Some would establish themselves as expert nothing, while others would seek for years to be approved as nothing. Some would have nothing ceremonies while others would have nothing nothing.

See? See how hermits in the Church have become a fuss-bucket of opinions, judgments, rules, regulations, known entities and even attacking people via the internet who might not go along with what some are attempting to promote of hermit hierarchy, logistics? Of course, many hermits are busy living their hermit lives and don't even know of the increasing liabilities of the hermit label. Criminals in prison might be more hermit like, have more simplicity and hidden lives, if the fuss continues. My take on it, anyway. And some might agree, and others disagree. Be at peace. Only a perspective. The more blugs flare up over it, however, the more one wonders if my thoughts have punctured an artery.

Anyway, am thankful to not use the label anymore. In my views, expressed in my blog, hermit life as formalized in the Church, has become tainted, weighted, fussed and processed; judged and misjudged.

And as a reminder to anyone who stumbles upon the blog of which I rarely write my thoughts, I'm not asking for your judgments and don't mean to be such a threat to those who like using the hermit label, as it is a good label, but not such a simple one, after all, I have discovered by experience. Those who log on obsessively only increase the readership. Thanks, but I don't care about numbers of readers.

However, the hermit who left the exquisite comment that I posted this morning--wow! You expressed briefly so beautifully what is a wild rose! God bless you, Hermit of Peace and Wisdom.