The Weight of History

For many years I studied history—Middle Eastern history in particular. I remember often walking out of class at the University of Tehran carrying the burden of it in my being. It weighed like lead on my soul—almost crushing. So much horror, so much chaos, so much suffering humanity has been through! Periodically I come back into that state of mind and heart. It is not an easy state, but I was reminded recently that this may be part of the Work, the spiritual work of some on behalf of humanity.

Anselm Kiefer, an artist whose work has appeared and the Modern Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas has said, “The idea of Heaven can elevate us only if it can carry the weight of history.” For me this is a profound insight, because we are here, I believe, to allow the divine sympathy and compassion for the world to make us vulnerable to all of its pain, no matter how difficult this may be.

In addition, the path the Master of the Christian tradition took was precisely this, and in the midst of it he was heard to utter a cry of despair, and yet passing through he moved toward a form of transcendent overcoming. We too, sooner or later, are mortally wounded by the world’s suffering, but it is because “Heaven” bears it with us (as illustrated by the Master’s Compassion), this way of vulnerability and death becomes for us a path toward resurrection.