Isolation Stories

Learning How to See with Brian McLaren

Center for Action and Contemplation

Christianity, Religion & Spirituality

4.8 • 748 Ratings

🗓️ 3 November 2023

⏱️ 37 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

“To be fully in the world is to believe that we can love other people and places more than we fear them.” –Gareth Higgins Have you convinced yourself that you are better off alone? Today we're exploring the dynamics of the Isolation Story — the belief that we can avoid pain by avoiding others. As Gareth Higgins explains, “While it may not be physically violent, the Isolation Story is more than harmful, because it does two things. First, it moves us toward less connection with others, and therefore less community and support when we need it. And second, it turns life grey, where we miss out on the gifts of the rainbow.” Resources: The transcript for this episode can be found here. To learn more about Gareth Higgins, click here. To learn more about Brian McLaren, click here. To explore the seven stories in more depth, visit the website here. You'll find details about the children's book, essays for adults, and more. Connect with us: Have a question you'd like Brian or Gareth to answer about the seven stories? Email us: podcasts@cac.org or leave us voicemail. Questions for this season will only be accepted until November 22nd, 2023. This podcast is made possible, thanks to the generosity of our donors. If you would love to support the ongoing work of the Center for Action and Contemplation and the continued work of our podcasts, you can donate at https://cac.org/support-cac/podcasts/ Thank you!

Transcript

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0:00.0	You know, the word retreat is a precious word to many of us.
0:07.0	It means getting away for rest, refreshment, re-centering, reconnection.
0:12.0	But there's another kind of retreat that is driven by fear and even hatred.
0:19.0	And that's the desire to withdraw into an enclave
0:22.3	where we seek self-preservation and say,
0:24.8	get me away from everyone else.
0:27.6	Jean-Paul Sartre said,
0:28.9	hell is other people.
0:31.1	And lots of us, even though we don't understand that,
0:34.3	we act as if he was right.
0:36.4	There have been entire communities who have withdrawn
0:40.3	into what we might call the isolation story. They've seen themselves as a holy remnant or the elite
0:47.3	or the chosen fleeing the corrupt or the end times. Even today, some folk are preparing for a cataclysmic future.
0:59.4	I knew people in Belfast when I was younger who believed as members of a religious community
1:05.5	that they needed to be separate from anyone who wasn't the same as them.
1:10.0	In some cases, that actually meant that they did not allow their children to go to university
1:17.5	unless they mingle too much with others.
1:21.5	And in one case that I knew about, they believed they could not even live in a row house,
1:26.8	what we would call a terraced house,
1:28.3	because it would mean that their home would be physically joined to a stranger's home.
1:34.3	That's an extreme example of the isolation story, but of course it's not just religious communities that do this.
1:40.3	Political parties, cultural movements, and even whole nations have defined themselves
	...

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