Last time I mentioned again something that has become very dear to me. It is on the back cover of both of my short story volumes and will be on the back cover of my third, due out in 2026. It is just this:

Stories have always been about us, a mirror in which we can see ourselves– our hopes and our dreams, but also our greatest dilemmas.

Stories have always been trying to help us. We have always been trying to help ourselves by telling ourselves stories. If this is true, it suggests that a look at ourselves in the mirror can help, but why? Why would we need to take our time and examine ourselves more carefully? Have we somehow become so unaccustomed to who we are that we need to take a more objective glance? Even more, is there a reason we have forgotten, or simply ignored, certain things about ourselves, very significant things?

There are many more questions we could ask, I am sure, but I hope we have begun to make the point. Humanity has been trying to understand itself for millennia, through many different disciplines, especially philosophy, psychology and religion. I believe the problem has been twofold. First, it is very difficult to be both the subject and the object at the same time, it is very difficult to objectively examine yourself. But second, we all tend to be so rational and logical, or want to be, that we think we can understand ourselves with an explanation that is just this rational, logical and straightforward.

The real problem of humanity is just this. As it turns out, there are two worlds, or kingdoms, in this life. Not just one.

Once you come to believe this, it is much easier to understand why humanity is so difficult to understand. There is not just one set of rules for life, one set of principles upon which the world is based . . . but two. And so, for anything to make sense, you have to know which set of principles, or values, you are assuming is true when you speak.

First, there is the kingdom of this world — a world, that many people believe is the only world. This kingdom includes everything material in this life and all the things we can be involved with – relationships, work and career, possessions and wealth, knowledge and the pursuit of science, experiences and seeing the world, the physical and emotional aspects of our bodies, and almost anything else you can think of.

But then there is another kingdom. It was meant to be the only kingdom, in a way, but we had other ideas. This kingdom is God’s Kingdom and everything He values – goodness and everything morally right, but also includes His motive for creating the universe, and especially us.

Thomas Merton was the first to use the concepts of true self and false self. We are being our true self when we are acting like Christ, and our motive is doing God’s will. We are being our false self when our motive for doing something is based on the belief that this physical world is all there is and that our greatest satisfactions can be found here.

It is difficult to understand ourselves because we are two different people in one body. God put His divine imprint on all of us, and we know Him deep down and what He values, regardless of whether we ever consciously acknowledge Him, or receive Him, in this life. And so, some of the “worst” people in this world can be in touch with Him and His kingdom at some point in their day, whether they recognize this or not. And those of us who do know Him, are still sinners, and the fallen part of us still reigns in our minds and hearts a good deal of the time.

And so, unless you realize that there are two, completely different value systems, one which much of the time can seem right and complete, but is not — and one which is much more mysterious and even supernatural, but is right and correct . . . how would you not be confused?

The sad truth is that God created us with a clear and perfect understanding of who He is and what He values. The allure of the world and all it can “give” us was too much for us, and when we chose the world over God, the world’s values came to predominate in our minds and hearts. Ever since, we have been confused, for we have two selves. Jesus’ words seemed like riddles to us only because He was speaking the truth. We turned life upside down when we Fell. Jesus is only trying to turn it right side up again.

Next time,
Sam