OU blog

Personal Blogs

Jim McCrory

I Do Like That Japanese Word, Yūgen

Visible to anyone in the world
Edited by Jim McCrory, Monday, 2 Sept 2024, 20:06


Yūgen is often connected with our natural world, a sundown, fog-covered mountains, a moonlit night, or the fleeting bloom of a cherry blossom. These scenes evoke a sense of transient beauty and the vastness of the universe.



Image kindly provided by https://unsplash.com/@martinbennie


I'm a nature lover and I have often visited the Cairngorms. It is a four hour drive from home. Whilst sitting in such places, I often say a silent prayer to the Creator for allowing me to spend my life on this planet. I know there are some out there who would deny the existence of God, and yet, we still enjoy the earths bounty. In truth, we cut down the tree to enjoy its fruit.

Some centuries ago, a certain healer was walking from Samaria to Galilee. Stopping by a village, he met 10 lepers (a death sentence back in the day). The healer instructed them to go on a short journey.

When they carried out the healer’s request, they were cured of their leprosy. One of them returned and prostrated himself before the man with the healing powers and demonstrated appropriate gratitude.

The healer asked, “Were there not ten of you? Then where are the other nine?” Luke 9. Were indeed?

I guess we all have in that part of our memory that we archive as experiences from hell, encounters that we have filed as "ungrateful people."

It may be things we have done for others, and they never returned to thank us. On the other hand, there is the happiness we experienced when someone returned to show their appreciation. Showing gratitude is one of these qualities that's not necessary in life, but doing so, embeds a memory in the recipient's mind that will never be forgotten. It brings and happiness, completeness.



Permalink Add your comment
Share post

This blog might contain posts that are only visible to logged-in users, or where only logged-in users can comment. If you have an account on the system, please log in for full access.

Total visits to this blog: 100229