Brian’s Reflection: Saturday, January 5, 2008


What is qualified? What have I been qualified for in
my life? I haven't been qualified to be a mayor. I'm
not qualified to be a songwriter. I'm not qualified to
be a TV producer. I'm not qualified to be a successful
businessman. And so, I don't know what qualified means.

- Senator Sonny Bono, who died on this day,
1998. Ran into a tree while skiing (some friends
of mine think it was the Mafia.)


Sonny Bono. Paired with Cher. Wonderful singing duo – at least I thought so. Cher so exotic. Sonny so ….. nerdy and wimpy. I thought it was a perfect symbol of how Life is. You just never know who will match with you. “Jack Spratt could eat no fat, his wife could no lean”. Or my partner and I – connected, both Cancers, same colour eyes - but so many differences.

Qualified? Most of us are not “qualified” for what we do! I wonder about our society some times. People spending multi-thousands to get educated. And what happens? They get “qualified” to be a lawyer, or a musician, or a mechanic. But they don’t get “qualified” be to be a human being. They get qualified to be a robot of service, on the assumption that this makes money. As if money is all we need to have a successful life.

Sad, sad, sad.

“Religion” should be about getting qualified to be human. It very often isn’t. But I’m committed. I spend my life trying to demonstrate how the relationship with “God” shows us how to be Human.

Don’t worry about getting “qualified” to “make a living”. Worry about what it is to be Human. Listen to the Gospel. Listen to the great teachings of the great spiritual teachers. They won’t tell you how to make money. They will tell you how to be your true Self.

“Qualification” resides in knowing what an authentic human being is. And by bringing that to what you do.

Brian+