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The Active Life: A Spirituality of Work, Creativity, and Caring
The Active Life is Parker J. Palmer's deep and graceful exploration of a spirituality for the busy, sometimes frenetic lives many of us lead. Telling evocative stories from a variety of religious traditions, including Taoist, Jewish, and Christian, Palmer shows that the spiritual life does not mean abandoning the world but engaging it more deeply through life-giving action. He celebrates both the problems and potentials of the active life, revealing how much they have to teach us about ourselves, the world, and God.
162 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1990
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1394 people want to read
About the author
Parker J. Palmer
72 books568 followersParker J. Palmer (Madison, WI) is a writer, teacher and activist whose work speaks deeply to people in many walks of life. Author of eight books--including the bestsellers Courage to Teach, Let Your Life Speak, and A Hidden Wholeness--his writing has been recognized with ten honorary doctorates and many national awards, including the 2010 William Rainey Harper Award (previously won by Margaret Mead, Paulo Freire, and Elie Wiesel). He is founder and senior partner of the Center for Courage Renewal, and holds a Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
September 15, 2017
Palmer deals with the tension between action and what is missing in many lives, the practice of contemplation. Contemplation is cast as having potential to penetrate through the prominent and delimiting illusions and to disengage from the dominant script(s) that are rooted in anxiety in our world. Hence, Palmer argues, the challenge is to live within the living paradox of action and contemplation. While action refers to any way we co-create reality with others, contemplation refers to the necessary ways we unveil the illusions that masquerade as reality while revealing the reality behind the masks.
Palmer aptly writes about vocation as "something I can’t not do, for reason I’m unable to explain to anyone and don’t fully understand myself, but that are nonetheless compelling." What one is truly good at or compelled to do, which one cannot escape, is connected at some level to mystery and must meet up with what the world really needs. Action thus cannot exist without contemplation, for action alone leads to a frenzy—"a frantic and even violent effort to impose one’s will on the world, or simply being reduced to surviving against the odds; while contemplation alone becomes escapism—a departure from the real world into a realm of false bliss."
Palmer further draws from the ancients and sees three living characteristics at work in a life actively pursuing a vocation or "call": work, creativity, and caring. All three require action, and what is lacking and hidden can only be fully met through the combined practice of contemplation. Work is action driven by the call of external necessity or demand. We work because we need to make a living, because we need to solve a problem, because we need to surmount and to survive. Creativity is driven more by inner choice or call from within than by the outer demands. In creative action, our desire is to give birth to something new. Caring is also action freely chosen that aims at nurturing, protecting, guiding, healing, or empowering something that already has life. However, without contemplation we may never fully hear the call to care, the voice that tells us what and who to care about, the call of God who hears the cries of the oppressed, nor the path to healing for which the therapeutic realm more that often can only diagnose.
Palmer aptly writes about vocation as "something I can’t not do, for reason I’m unable to explain to anyone and don’t fully understand myself, but that are nonetheless compelling." What one is truly good at or compelled to do, which one cannot escape, is connected at some level to mystery and must meet up with what the world really needs. Action thus cannot exist without contemplation, for action alone leads to a frenzy—"a frantic and even violent effort to impose one’s will on the world, or simply being reduced to surviving against the odds; while contemplation alone becomes escapism—a departure from the real world into a realm of false bliss."
Palmer further draws from the ancients and sees three living characteristics at work in a life actively pursuing a vocation or "call": work, creativity, and caring. All three require action, and what is lacking and hidden can only be fully met through the combined practice of contemplation. Work is action driven by the call of external necessity or demand. We work because we need to make a living, because we need to solve a problem, because we need to surmount and to survive. Creativity is driven more by inner choice or call from within than by the outer demands. In creative action, our desire is to give birth to something new. Caring is also action freely chosen that aims at nurturing, protecting, guiding, healing, or empowering something that already has life. However, without contemplation we may never fully hear the call to care, the voice that tells us what and who to care about, the call of God who hears the cries of the oppressed, nor the path to healing for which the therapeutic realm more that often can only diagnose.
April 14, 2013
This book helped me do a lot of thinking about the balance in my life between action and contemplation and not thinking of them as opposites but complements.
A few of my favorite quotes:
"An expressive act is one that I take not to achieve a goal outside of myself but to express a conviction, a leading, a truth that is within me. An expressive act is one taken because if I did not take it I would be denying my own insight, gift, nature. By taking an expressive act, an act not obsessed with outcome, I come closer to making the contribution that is mine to make in the scheme of things."
"The only thing we have to bring to community is ourselves, so the contemplative process of recovering our true selves in solitude is never selfish."
"Learning from failure is not a cool and calculated act. It tears at the heart and opens us against our will."
"suffering can never be solved. It can only be shared in compassion, shared in community, and every effort to put ourselves in charge of the relief effort weakens the very sharing in which our hope resides."
"A primary task for every healer is to help people understand that love is not distributed on the curve but is abundant in the very nature of things."
A few of my favorite quotes:
"An expressive act is one that I take not to achieve a goal outside of myself but to express a conviction, a leading, a truth that is within me. An expressive act is one taken because if I did not take it I would be denying my own insight, gift, nature. By taking an expressive act, an act not obsessed with outcome, I come closer to making the contribution that is mine to make in the scheme of things."
"The only thing we have to bring to community is ourselves, so the contemplative process of recovering our true selves in solitude is never selfish."
"Learning from failure is not a cool and calculated act. It tears at the heart and opens us against our will."
"suffering can never be solved. It can only be shared in compassion, shared in community, and every effort to put ourselves in charge of the relief effort weakens the very sharing in which our hope resides."
"A primary task for every healer is to help people understand that love is not distributed on the curve but is abundant in the very nature of things."
July 22, 2022
One can be a contemplative and still lead a life of action. Also, Palmer's look at the temptations of Jesus is very good. It takes it well beyond the moralistic tale that it's often made out to be, smack dab into everyday life where all of us struggle with an over-active ego. Or under-active ego, as the case may be. I also like his treatment of the process, or elements, that he thinks are present in all action: motivation, skills, the other and results. Mostly, I found that part freeing because it gave me permission to feel things deeply and it somehow gave dignity and normality to the weird and contorted emotions, and questioning of motivations, that I often feel when I try to do something in life.
September 2, 2019
Palmer does it again! He takes two themes, two ideas -- action and contemplation--which so easily could be collapsed to ease the tension and shows his readers how to engage them as a paradox. I'm grateful for anything and everything I've ever read by Palmer and this work is no exception.
April 28, 2020
I love reading Parker Palmer and it took me a while to read through this book. It was interesting to read it together with Bell Hooks as they tend to quote each other.
"There are many reasons, but one of the most creative is that by risking we may learn more about ourselves and our world, and the bigger risk, the greater the learning. If we do not value learning, we will not risk, and our actions will be limited to small and predictable arenas in which we know we can succeed."
"The only thing we have to bring to community is ourselves, so the contemplative process of recovering our true selves in solitude is never selfish. It is ultimately the best gift we can give to others."
"Our gifts may be as simple as a real interest in other people, a quiet and caring manner, an eye for beauty, a love of rhythm and sound. But in those simple personal gifts the seeds of vocation are often found, if we are willing to do the inner and outer work necessary to cultivate our mastery."
"There are many reasons, but one of the most creative is that by risking we may learn more about ourselves and our world, and the bigger risk, the greater the learning. If we do not value learning, we will not risk, and our actions will be limited to small and predictable arenas in which we know we can succeed."
"The only thing we have to bring to community is ourselves, so the contemplative process of recovering our true selves in solitude is never selfish. It is ultimately the best gift we can give to others."
"Our gifts may be as simple as a real interest in other people, a quiet and caring manner, an eye for beauty, a love of rhythm and sound. But in those simple personal gifts the seeds of vocation are often found, if we are willing to do the inner and outer work necessary to cultivate our mastery."
July 8, 2019
This is my second read by Parker Palmer, and the one that has made me eager and anticipatory to read whatever else I can find by him. I found myself enthralled, convicted, compelled, and deeply moved throughout my reading of this relatively slender book, and also frequently struck with powerful moments of resonance. Echoing his notion that contemplation exposes the reality underneath illusion, this was packed with insights that felt like they'd always been lingering just beneath the surface. This was especially true in the first chapters of the books which set up the frameworks around the action-contemplation polarity and the pillars of work, creativity, and caring. I loved the ways he broke down the seeming dichotomy and hierarchy of the two while also giving people some room and permission to acknowledge that they lean towards one or the other and that's okay. I'm flipping through those early chapters now to refresh my memory and honestly I underlined and exclamation point-ed so many of the sentences from there.
With that said, my engagement ebbed and flowed a little bit from there. It's a shame because I felt like Palmer had built such an exceptional framework only to leave it pretty underutilized for the remainder of the book. While he continued to reference some of the same points and terms, I felt like each chapter mostly operated as a standalone essay rather than part of a more cohesive book. This was a bit of a drawback for me, and I think made it hard to keep momentum (it took me over a month to read through this short book, even despite really loving it) and track with building ideas.
However, there was still plenty of stuff to be found within those later chapters, and some function as exquisite stand-alone chapters when considered that way. My favorites were his exploration of Buber's story of the angel, the story of the loaves and the fishes from the Gospels, and the poem regarding the "threat of resurrection." Each of those offered a robust theological reading that felt really fresh and unexpected and ultimately beautiful. As someone with some process theology integrated into my own understanding of God, the reflection around Buber's angel was especially exciting. Similarly, the concepts of scarcity and abundance have been a frequent obstacle and invitation for me in recent years, and I really adored the way Palmer grounded those within the embodiment of community. And while I personally hold to a theology of the resurrection that goes beyond the communal manifestation he poses from the poem (and it seems as though he might as well), it's a beautiful vision nonetheless of the ways we can partake in it here and now in the ongoing pursuit of justice within community. As a whole, this was a phenomenal book (made all the more impressive by its unassuming size and tone) totally packed with brilliant insights on God, the human spirit, community, justice, and the world around us.
With that said, my engagement ebbed and flowed a little bit from there. It's a shame because I felt like Palmer had built such an exceptional framework only to leave it pretty underutilized for the remainder of the book. While he continued to reference some of the same points and terms, I felt like each chapter mostly operated as a standalone essay rather than part of a more cohesive book. This was a bit of a drawback for me, and I think made it hard to keep momentum (it took me over a month to read through this short book, even despite really loving it) and track with building ideas.
However, there was still plenty of stuff to be found within those later chapters, and some function as exquisite stand-alone chapters when considered that way. My favorites were his exploration of Buber's story of the angel, the story of the loaves and the fishes from the Gospels, and the poem regarding the "threat of resurrection." Each of those offered a robust theological reading that felt really fresh and unexpected and ultimately beautiful. As someone with some process theology integrated into my own understanding of God, the reflection around Buber's angel was especially exciting. Similarly, the concepts of scarcity and abundance have been a frequent obstacle and invitation for me in recent years, and I really adored the way Palmer grounded those within the embodiment of community. And while I personally hold to a theology of the resurrection that goes beyond the communal manifestation he poses from the poem (and it seems as though he might as well), it's a beautiful vision nonetheless of the ways we can partake in it here and now in the ongoing pursuit of justice within community. As a whole, this was a phenomenal book (made all the more impressive by its unassuming size and tone) totally packed with brilliant insights on God, the human spirit, community, justice, and the world around us.
June 28, 2015
This little book is one I return to again and again. Written by a Quaker, he outlines six stories that illustrate the need for balance between contemplation and active lives. I picked it back up because the last story is a poem written by a woman from Guatemala. "Threatened By Resurrection" gives a new layer of meaning to the Christian concept of resurrection. Not an individual thing but a communal, community idea. I wanted to understand this before I travel to Guatemala. In the process of rereading, I rediscovered that there are gems on every page of this book. Perhaps the most poignant for me this time was the idea that you can't put a round peg in a quire hole. If you tilt toward an active life, you can't necessarily become contemplative. BUT you might add elements and probably should. It's about balance. My one complaint about the book is Palmer's interpretation of the Buber story. He seems to take a classic Jewish story and add a layer of Christian interpretation on top of it. I think the story could have stood on its own.
Nonetheless, this is a delightful book. One I will read and reread again and again.
Nonetheless, this is a delightful book. One I will read and reread again and again.
August 31, 2015
Why did I let this little gem sit on my shelf for 20-25 years before reading it? I think I was misled by the title's emphasis on action. This book looks at the interplay/paradox between a life of spiritual contemplation and a life of engagement with the world -- a topic Palmer has since explored more specifically for such professionals as educators and politicians. It is thoughtful, deeply insightful, and delicious. It is not a book of easy answers (Parker always eschews "quick fixes"), but rather exploration -- mostly through stories -- of ways to think about what action is meaningful, what action teaches us as spiritual beings, and ways that contemplation and action can enrich each other.
June 21, 2012
If you're not into poetry or metaphor or if you are inclined to reject spiritual thought as spoken by someone outside of your own tradition or comfort zone, this will not be the book for you. But if you've noticed that sometimes your attempts to help others fall flat, this little book will poke you and prod you into considering the "rightness" of your actions from a new and definitely sociological perspective.
I have other Palmer books that I re-read on occasion, like The Promise of Paradox and Let Your Life Speak, but this one is by far my all-time favorite and will likely remain so. I am a Thomas Merton and Chuang Tzu fan as well.
I have other Palmer books that I re-read on occasion, like The Promise of Paradox and Let Your Life Speak, but this one is by far my all-time favorite and will likely remain so. I am a Thomas Merton and Chuang Tzu fan as well.
July 7, 2017
A somewhat eclectic mix of Palmer’s own beliefs and samples from various spiritual sources. Didn’t love it at first, but it grew on me a little. What he advocates: Quality of work, dropping of ego and outcome dependence, are both good things, although he seems to go about it in a somewhat disjointed way. There’s certainly nothing wrong with this book, and I wouldn’t say don’t read it. But I think there are other books out there which express his same ideas in a much more compelling and fluid manner.
March 17, 2008
Really focuses attention on the idea of natural gifts, how we can recognize them, and how in seeking a vocation, we should look for when our "deepest joy meets the world's deepest need."
His writing is beautiful, his thinking is substantive, and so although the book is short and very conversational in style, I found I could only read the book a few pages at a time if I really wanted to digest everything that it contained. A truly beautiful book.
His writing is beautiful, his thinking is substantive, and so although the book is short and very conversational in style, I found I could only read the book a few pages at a time if I really wanted to digest everything that it contained. A truly beautiful book.
September 3, 2008
Palmer uses literature (mostly poetry) to highlight the key lessons he wants you as a reader to take away. The poems and stories were thought-provoking and I imagine I'll be flipping back to them regularly. A good read especially if you're on any sort of spiritual quest.
December 3, 2008
This book is one of Palmer's best and uses ancient stories to talk about the intergration of the inner and outer life, the search for authentic self, and the finding of one's true vocation.
June 5, 2015
One the back cover, this quote describes this book better than I could: "...spiritual life does not mean abandoning the world, but engaging it more deeply through life-giving action."
December 30, 2016
Palmer explores the paradoxical tension and complementary nature of the active and contemplative life. And it is freaking brilliant.
January 30, 2020
I picked up this book after reading Let Your Life Speak: Listening for the Voice of Vocation, one of several self-reflective or professional-related titles read in the "bettering" days of January.
As one might expect, much of the themes and anecdotes of The Active Life repeat those in Let Your Life Speak. Palmer's philosophy seems to be that we are by nature honest, though small-thinking people. That all people are honest I cannot accept, so this philosophy hits me as undeveloped. I nonetheless tagged several aspirational bits:
"as we act, we not only express what is in us and help give shape to thew world; we also receive what is outline us, and we reshape our inner selves. When we act, the world acts back, and we and the world are co-created." (17)
"a process of contemplation by which we penetrate the illusion of enshalvement and claim our own inner liberty" (60)
"The paradox is that failure may turn to growth, while success can turn to self-satisfaction and closure." (89)
"Right action requires only that we respond faithfully to our own inner truth and to the truth around us. It requires not that we aim at any particular outcome, for ourselves or for others, but that we act on truth as we know it, with truth as our only end." (115)
"If we allow the scarcity assumption to dominate our thinking, we will act in individualistic, competitive ways that destroy c community. If we destroy community, where creating and sharing with others generates abundance, the scarcity assumption will become more valid." (127)
"when a leader is willing to trust the abundance that people have and can generate together, willing to take the risk of inviting people to share from that abundance, then and only then may true community emerge." (138)
"A culture of isolated individualism produces mass conformity because people who think they must bear life all alone are too fearful to take the risks of selfhood." (156)
As one might expect, much of the themes and anecdotes of The Active Life repeat those in Let Your Life Speak. Palmer's philosophy seems to be that we are by nature honest, though small-thinking people. That all people are honest I cannot accept, so this philosophy hits me as undeveloped. I nonetheless tagged several aspirational bits:
"as we act, we not only express what is in us and help give shape to thew world; we also receive what is outline us, and we reshape our inner selves. When we act, the world acts back, and we and the world are co-created." (17)
"a process of contemplation by which we penetrate the illusion of enshalvement and claim our own inner liberty" (60)
"The paradox is that failure may turn to growth, while success can turn to self-satisfaction and closure." (89)
"Right action requires only that we respond faithfully to our own inner truth and to the truth around us. It requires not that we aim at any particular outcome, for ourselves or for others, but that we act on truth as we know it, with truth as our only end." (115)
"If we allow the scarcity assumption to dominate our thinking, we will act in individualistic, competitive ways that destroy c community. If we destroy community, where creating and sharing with others generates abundance, the scarcity assumption will become more valid." (127)
"when a leader is willing to trust the abundance that people have and can generate together, willing to take the risk of inviting people to share from that abundance, then and only then may true community emerge." (138)
"A culture of isolated individualism produces mass conformity because people who think they must bear life all alone are too fearful to take the risks of selfhood." (156)
July 25, 2019
Sometimes, you just don't completely click with a book. I love Parker Palmer and I appreciate his writing and wisdom. However, I just really struggled to get into the flow of "The Active Life." I suppose I could just be reading it at the wrong time of life, but I respected the book more than I enjoyed it or truly engaged with it.
Discerning right action is at the core of this relatively short collection. I appreciated his observations and the ways in which he drew his points from a variety of poetry and story sources. I simply never resonated with the collection and it wasn't a collection that pulled me back in to keep reading it.
I never hated it. In fact, I'd be hard-pressed to say anything negative about it. I simply didn't move beyond "reading" it. It's only a few hours after finishing it and most of the material has already gone out of my memory.
I'm anxious to read some of Palmer's other works to see if it's a recurring disconnection. I also found myself somewhat troubled by the design and the font. The material itself was already heavy and the book's layout and font selection added to the heaviness.
A 3-star review, at least for me, is still a recommendation. I'm glad I read it, but I don't see myself ever revisiting it.
Discerning right action is at the core of this relatively short collection. I appreciated his observations and the ways in which he drew his points from a variety of poetry and story sources. I simply never resonated with the collection and it wasn't a collection that pulled me back in to keep reading it.
I never hated it. In fact, I'd be hard-pressed to say anything negative about it. I simply didn't move beyond "reading" it. It's only a few hours after finishing it and most of the material has already gone out of my memory.
I'm anxious to read some of Palmer's other works to see if it's a recurring disconnection. I also found myself somewhat troubled by the design and the font. The material itself was already heavy and the book's layout and font selection added to the heaviness.
A 3-star review, at least for me, is still a recommendation. I'm glad I read it, but I don't see myself ever revisiting it.
September 4, 2020
Talk about a timely read. In the midst of a classic “mid life crisis” (happens about once every month oops), Parker Palmer extended lovely words on what it means to live an active life. Palmer so beautifully intertwined the need for contemplation and action into our realities that are so much more nuanced. I was encouraged in this book that the unraveling of our lives doesn’t always have a clear trajectory or an assurance. What good reminders to live into our gifts and dare to risk failure.
QOTB: “If I allow my life to be deformed by the fallen angel called ‘fear of failure’, I will never be fully alive. I will withhold myself from actions that might fail, or ignore evidence of failure when it happens. But if I could ride that fear all the way down, I might break out of my self-imposed isolation and become connected with many other lives, because failure and fear of it is universal. I would learn that failure is a natural fact, a way of discerning what to try next. I would be empowered to take more risks, which means to embrace more life, and in the process I would become more connected with other.”
Makes failure seem a lil less scary 🌟
QOTB: “If I allow my life to be deformed by the fallen angel called ‘fear of failure’, I will never be fully alive. I will withhold myself from actions that might fail, or ignore evidence of failure when it happens. But if I could ride that fear all the way down, I might break out of my self-imposed isolation and become connected with many other lives, because failure and fear of it is universal. I would learn that failure is a natural fact, a way of discerning what to try next. I would be empowered to take more risks, which means to embrace more life, and in the process I would become more connected with other.”
Makes failure seem a lil less scary 🌟
September 4, 2021
I am a big fan of everything I've read by Parker Palmer. This book had some great perspectives to consider in pursuing the integration of contemplation and action.
"We will find the hidden wholeness on which contemplation-and-action depends only if we are willing to go down and into our lives, not up and out of them as we are sometimes urged to do."
"Every human being is born with some sort of gift, an inclination or an instinct that can become a full-blown mastery. We may not see our gift for what it is. Having seen it, we may choose not to accept the gift and it's consequences for our lives. Or, having claimed our gift, we may not be willing to do the hard work necessary to nurture it. But none of these evasions can alter the fact that the gift is ours. Each of us is a master at something, and part of becoming fully alive is to discover and develop our birthright competence."
"We will find the hidden wholeness on which contemplation-and-action depends only if we are willing to go down and into our lives, not up and out of them as we are sometimes urged to do."
"Every human being is born with some sort of gift, an inclination or an instinct that can become a full-blown mastery. We may not see our gift for what it is. Having seen it, we may choose not to accept the gift and it's consequences for our lives. Or, having claimed our gift, we may not be willing to do the hard work necessary to nurture it. But none of these evasions can alter the fact that the gift is ours. Each of us is a master at something, and part of becoming fully alive is to discover and develop our birthright competence."
July 8, 2024
Truly a phenomenal and insightful read. A read that took me a bit to get into due to the depths of what was being talked about, however once I got going it was a beautiful and truly inspiring book to read. The ways of which to continue searching, listening, and living to the fullest in community have been instilled and have provided a stir within self. Also probably become one of my most highlighted (alright fine photographed) books I have read, due to the high level of great lines I can continue to use in life.
April 26, 2024
I had a copy of this book since 2011. I've read it several times, but not recently. Since I'm a retired elementary school teacher, I was familiar with Parker J. Palmer's books. Palmer uses several illustrations from different faith backgrounds to tell the story of how important the active life is in building a community of love. Yes, building community is difficult and hard, but investment in it, even with its"ups" and "downs", is important for our future.
May 5, 2024
This was my second time reading this book. I found it highly meaningful when I read it a dozen years ago. This time not so much, though there were parts that still spoke to me. I haven't lost any of my respect for Palmer as a true sage for living a meaningful life in these challenging times. My experience with this book this time is testimony to the truth that books speak to us in different ways at different seasons in our lives
October 29, 2019
My first Parker Palmer book. Though I enjoyed the eloquent style and teaching mode, the poetic license Palmer takes to make a point is often too much. Make your point but stay true to the original intent of your quoted story, Palmer. The book redeemed itself with the last chapter on The Acts of Death and New Life. Worth reading as a whole but with a pinch of salt at hand.
November 9, 2023
Love this guy. This book was excellent — quintessential Palmer, the contemplative-and-activist. Incorporated wonderful works of poetry and storytelling, showcased incredible wisdom, but also convicted me to do and be more than I am now. Perhaps The Active Life itself is the threat of resurrection.
January 8, 2023
I could not get into this book. Some good parts towards the end but . . .
Want to read
May 23, 2024ملاحظة لي - لم اقرا الكتاب بعد
about the imoprtance of taking action and how taking action shapes our surroundings and world, and how all of this changes us inwardly
about the imoprtance of taking action and how taking action shapes our surroundings and world, and how all of this changes us inwardly
May 7, 2025
A great read on how to live a good life.
February 11, 2009
Summary
Palmer posits that contemplation is connecting with reality and proper action must flow from and be true to that reality – the reality of who are, how the world is organized and the deeper reality of the Kingdom of God. In this way action and contemplation are inseparable. Each story or poem in turn shows the danger of action in conflict with reality or the beauty of action deeply embedded in reality.
Belief
Palmer believes that this reality is deep stuff. It is more complicated and varied than a cursory inspection may lead us to believe. To touch reality we must be prepared to wrestle and to suffer. With Annie Dillard, we believe we must “ride these monsters deeper down,” and there find the bedrock reality (30). The elements Palmer holds as true come from this bedrock place of depth. We are invited to take truths such as the necessity of suffering, the unknowing and weakness of God, the naturalness of the miracles of the Woodcarver and Jesus, truths that blow our minds – we are invited to take them and wrestle with them. This is important to Palmer because he believes that only by riding these difficult truths down into the darkness can we be lead to the bedrock that will provide foundation for our action.
Doubt
In my doubt I ask not, “Are these ideas true?” but “In what way might they be true?” I have a hard time wrapping my head around a God who doesn’t have it all figured out but hopefully acts. This view of God seems contrary to the declaration of scripture, that God is all-powerful and all-knowing. Tozer would suggest that a God who is not the superlative in all things, cannot by definition be God (Knowledge of the Holy). Palmer’s treatment of the Loaves and Fishes also draws some questions. He says he “does not demand a naturalistic explanation for the ‘miracle’ in this story,” like liberal theologians demythologizing the gospel (130). He is content with the mythos of the story, but his hermeneutic demands a naturalistic explanation (129). Palmer and Mark are slightly cross-purposes. Mark is developing his theme that Jesus demonstrates the breaking in of the Kingdom of God by the miraculous, where as Palmer wishes to show the breaking in of the reality of the Kingdom of God in the ordinary actions of people.
Synthesis
In terms of how we approach reality, the paradox between belief and doubt explored above can remain in tension. It is as we explore other angles of looking at God, scripture, Jesus and life that we see more facets of reality. While it is true that God is sovereign and wholly other, unbound by time and space, it is helpful in understanding the deep truth of his reality to explore God’s action in terms we can understand. In some mysterious way God’s knowledge outside of time and power over space is best understood by our finite minds as unknowing and weakness. In our contemplating the reality of the Kingdom coming to bear on the earth it is equally important to stand in awe of Jesus as wonder worker and recognize the presence of the Kingdom in ordinary action. The deep reality is difficult to explore and requires much stretching of the brain.
Application
Palmer provides a compelling matrix for discerning right action. I find myself more geared to contemplation just as Palmer found himself wired for action. He challenges me to find reality and disillusionment in my contemplation and carry that to action. I feel the conviction that my actions don’t often enough flow from that source. To often I am Chaung Tzu’s professional, working from reaction, creating places to show my stuff. I keep busy to have a sense that I am alive, laziness stalks me, I crave the intentional action flowing from reality.
Palmer posits that contemplation is connecting with reality and proper action must flow from and be true to that reality – the reality of who are, how the world is organized and the deeper reality of the Kingdom of God. In this way action and contemplation are inseparable. Each story or poem in turn shows the danger of action in conflict with reality or the beauty of action deeply embedded in reality.
Belief
Palmer believes that this reality is deep stuff. It is more complicated and varied than a cursory inspection may lead us to believe. To touch reality we must be prepared to wrestle and to suffer. With Annie Dillard, we believe we must “ride these monsters deeper down,” and there find the bedrock reality (30). The elements Palmer holds as true come from this bedrock place of depth. We are invited to take truths such as the necessity of suffering, the unknowing and weakness of God, the naturalness of the miracles of the Woodcarver and Jesus, truths that blow our minds – we are invited to take them and wrestle with them. This is important to Palmer because he believes that only by riding these difficult truths down into the darkness can we be lead to the bedrock that will provide foundation for our action.
Doubt
In my doubt I ask not, “Are these ideas true?” but “In what way might they be true?” I have a hard time wrapping my head around a God who doesn’t have it all figured out but hopefully acts. This view of God seems contrary to the declaration of scripture, that God is all-powerful and all-knowing. Tozer would suggest that a God who is not the superlative in all things, cannot by definition be God (Knowledge of the Holy). Palmer’s treatment of the Loaves and Fishes also draws some questions. He says he “does not demand a naturalistic explanation for the ‘miracle’ in this story,” like liberal theologians demythologizing the gospel (130). He is content with the mythos of the story, but his hermeneutic demands a naturalistic explanation (129). Palmer and Mark are slightly cross-purposes. Mark is developing his theme that Jesus demonstrates the breaking in of the Kingdom of God by the miraculous, where as Palmer wishes to show the breaking in of the reality of the Kingdom of God in the ordinary actions of people.
Synthesis
In terms of how we approach reality, the paradox between belief and doubt explored above can remain in tension. It is as we explore other angles of looking at God, scripture, Jesus and life that we see more facets of reality. While it is true that God is sovereign and wholly other, unbound by time and space, it is helpful in understanding the deep truth of his reality to explore God’s action in terms we can understand. In some mysterious way God’s knowledge outside of time and power over space is best understood by our finite minds as unknowing and weakness. In our contemplating the reality of the Kingdom coming to bear on the earth it is equally important to stand in awe of Jesus as wonder worker and recognize the presence of the Kingdom in ordinary action. The deep reality is difficult to explore and requires much stretching of the brain.
Application
Palmer provides a compelling matrix for discerning right action. I find myself more geared to contemplation just as Palmer found himself wired for action. He challenges me to find reality and disillusionment in my contemplation and carry that to action. I feel the conviction that my actions don’t often enough flow from that source. To often I am Chaung Tzu’s professional, working from reaction, creating places to show my stuff. I keep busy to have a sense that I am alive, laziness stalks me, I crave the intentional action flowing from reality.
June 8, 2016
What's the difference between the active life and the reactive life? The impetus for action of the active life comes from within, aided by contemplation; and the reactive life is fuelled and shaped from without - through the expectations, needs, demands or fashions of our environment. If we do not wish to live lives of desperation, urgency, and frantic activity that seems to lead nowhere, we will need to learn this distinction, and learn how to live the active life.
In this book, Palmer explores the dynamic (and necessary) tension between contemplation and action, and shows us how each is needed by the other. Genuine contemplation is necessarily active, and authentic action is not only fuelled by contemplation but is in itself, a form of contemplation. Palmer uses wisdom stories (from Taoist poetry, Hasidic fable to the Christian gospel) masterfully to elucidate these timeless truths.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who is keen to live with purpose and meaning instead of being sucked up into an endless stream of frenetic activity that leaves us as confused and empty shells. The message of this book is especially important for those who do not wish their well-intentioned endeavours to become re-active and ineffective instead of being genuine action that brings life to themselves and others.
In this book, Palmer explores the dynamic (and necessary) tension between contemplation and action, and shows us how each is needed by the other. Genuine contemplation is necessarily active, and authentic action is not only fuelled by contemplation but is in itself, a form of contemplation. Palmer uses wisdom stories (from Taoist poetry, Hasidic fable to the Christian gospel) masterfully to elucidate these timeless truths.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who is keen to live with purpose and meaning instead of being sucked up into an endless stream of frenetic activity that leaves us as confused and empty shells. The message of this book is especially important for those who do not wish their well-intentioned endeavours to become re-active and ineffective instead of being genuine action that brings life to themselves and others.
May 7, 2007
Active contemplation and contemplative action--it's not just action or contemplation. The way he expands on that concept is challenging and insightful. But I was surprised at his theological conclusions that the feeding of the 5,000 was actually a big sack lunch feast and that God isn't all-knowing or all-powerful. I have some major disagreements with that, but the book is well written and worth a read.
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