Je Ne Sais Quoi (Updated from 10/13/2014)

 

"I Am Who I Am."

So, describe God.  

A "simple" two-word request?  Can you "describe" God... adequately?  Is God really male, or is God both genders?  God knew Adam required a wife, so did God also have one? Evidence would point that way. Is God omnipotent, potent, or impotent?  Take a moment to describe God, without question.  Can you do it, for yourself, without utilizing the thoughts of your priest, pastor, or scripture?  Can you describe your God, in your own words, to your own satisfaction?  If you're honest, probably not.  If you're honest, you might have the proviso that faith plays a big part in any definition of the Almighty.  You might even qualify your definition by simply stating God has that certain "je ne sais quoi," a pleasant quality that is hard to describe; something that cannot be adequately described or expressed.  Or, if you prefer the French translation, "I do not know what."

Historically this French colloquialism has been, for the most part, and for anyone who is not French, the property of educated snobs who used it ad nauseam.  But, any more, it has found another home in many conversations here in the United States. I feel comfortable, snobbery notwithstanding, to mention that it might be pertinent for any discussion describing God.  It, therefore, might also stand to reason, that it would be pertinent in discussions describing the human element.  After all, we were created in the Divine's own image, right?

If you want to really get confused, try reading Genesis, the first book in the Bible. Adam and Eve beget Cain and Abel, and after murdering his brother, Cain meets his wife and builds a city for her people.  But... wait. Where did all these people come from? Hmmm...  

“It is an absolutely vain endeavor to attempt to reconstruct or even comprehend the nature of a human being by simply knowing the forces which have acted upon him. However deeply we should like to penetrate, however close we seem to be drawing to truth, one unknown quantity eludes us: man's primordial energy, his original self, that personality which was given him with the gift of life itself. On it rests man's true freedom; it alone determines his real character.” 

-- Wilhelm von Humbolt

It is difficult to find a description from someone of note, an educator, priest, philosopher, yadda, yadda, yadda, that would adequately describe God for me.  The closest and most reasonable description for God, I have found, is in Taoist philosophy.  The definition of the Tao, for me, is the essence of God.  If memory serves, five hundred years before Christ the Taoist classic Tao Te Ching described the Tao thus:

The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao.

The name that can be named is not the eternal name.

The nameless is the beginning of heaven and earth.

For the practitioner, Tao is not an omnipotent being but, rather, a state of being; a state of being that cannot be described.  One might say that the Tao fully encompasses the term "je ne sais quoi."  But this philosophy of "state of being" would bear out my point of humans being created "in His image."  Taoism seems to agree that we have an inability to comprehend ourselves, much less comprehend a "supreme" being.  The difference seems to be that Buddhist philosophy strives to understand that which is elusive - the self, while we, the rest of us, rely on the ever-popular "get out of jail free" card - faith. Of course, "faith" is a belief in something for which there is little or no proof.

Perhaps, if the rest of the world saw their spirituality through the eyes of a Taoist, the ability to describe their God would become a moot point.  Buddhists do not seek to describe that which is not describable, but only to understand it through understanding themselves.  Through that understanding, they would reach their higher state of being and, appropriately, be closer to God.  Taoism is an interesting, although difficult to understand, spiritual path.  I would say it requires a rewiring of the brain, as the concepts, for most of us, run contrary to the way we have been taught to think.  I found my foray into this philosophy to be quite enlightening, and have returned, often, for further study.

I can't help but wonder if our views on "religion" hold us back from our true spirituality.  Maybe we put too much stock into getting to heaven, the ultimate destination, and not enough effort into doing the right thing and attaining a higher state of being by paying more attention to our journey and our fellow humans.  

This is exactly why I am on my path.  Are you paying close attention to your journey?  If not, why not?  Sometimes the path we travel is inexplicable, there seems to be no rhyme or reason to it.  Yet, this is our path; the path we must discover and understand.  Maybe the next time someone asks you to describe your God or your journey, you'll simply answer, "I do not know.  It has that certain je ne sais quoi."  Personally, I'd let it go at that.  Why?  Because your journey beckons... and God is ever watching.

I advise getting a start on your journey by viewing others and treating others the way you would want to be treated.  Lord Chesterfield gave this advice to his son in 1748: 

"A thousand little things, not separately to be defined, conspire to form these graces, this je ne sais quoi, that always pleases. A pretty person, genteel motions, a proper degree of dress, a harmonious voice, something open and cheerful in the countenance, but without laughing; a distinct and properly varied manner of speaking: all these things, and many others, are necessary ingredients in the composition of the pleasing je ne sais quoi, which everybody feels, though nobody can describe. Observe carefully, then, what displeases or pleases you, in others, and be persuaded that, in general, the same things will please or displease them, in you."

-- Lord Chesterfield

Editor's Note

(Re: disclaimer cum "get out of jail free" card)

Before you go getting your panties in a bunch - it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion. It doesn't make either view any more right or wrong than the other. Opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form their own opinions, if they haven't already done so. This is also why, occasionally, I will present an "opinion" just to stir an emotional pot. Where it may sound like I agree with the statements made, I'm more interested in getting others to consider an alternate viewpoint.

I fervently hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions while engaging in peaceful and constructive discussion in an arena of mutual respect concerning those opinions offered. After twenty-three years of military intelligence, I believe that engaging each other in this manner, and in this arena, is a way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.

We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human. God's test for us is what we learn from the experience... and what we do afterward.

Pastor Tony spent 22 years with United States Air Force Intelligence as a planner, analyst, briefer, instructor, and senior manager. Following his service career, he spent 17 years working with the premier and world-renowned Western Institutional Review Board, helping to protect the rights of human subjects involved in pharmaceutical research. He also served 8 years on the Board of Directors for the Angela J. Bowen Foundation.

Ordained 1n 2013 as an "interfaith" minister, he founded the Congregation for Religious Tolerance in response to intolerance shown by Christians toward peaceful Islam. As a weapon for his war on intolerance, he chose the pen. He wages his "battle" in the guise of the Congregation's official online blog, The Path, of which he is both author and editor. "The Path" offers a vehicle for commentary and guidance concerning one's personal, spiritual path toward peace and the final destination for us all. He resides in Pass Christian, Mississippi, where he volunteered as the lead chaplain at a regional medical center.

Feel free to contact Pastor Tony at: tolerantpastor@gmail.com