Note: On Tuesdays and some Sundays, you can find me at Your Daily Tripod, owned by my friend TonyD. A longer version of the post below appears there.
The Greek island of Ikaria is one of the world’s “blue zones,” where people live longest.
The New York Times a few years ago wrote about this place of 10,000 people and what makes it special. A local doctor cited factors such as staying up and rising late and a lack of concern about time or money. “It’s not a ‘me’ place,” he told the writer. “It’s an ‘us’ place.”
That is not the world most of us live in. We get up early and stay up late. We couldn’t live without our watches, alarm clocks, timers, reminders, and phones telling us when we have to be somewhere… and when we’re running late. We care about money; we care a lot about money and the things it brings us, often to the detriment of our relationships with God, family, and friends. There’s a lot of “me” in our world, much more than “them” or “him.” Color our zone red, most of the time, red for rushed, angered, fearful, emotional in so many unhealthy ways.
It strikes me that the long life those who live on Ikaria have has some parallels with the kingdom to which the Lord invites us to prepare for here on earth. The food is simple and ample. The focus is not on ourselves, but on others… and, in the case of heaven, on Him.
While Ikaria sounds like paradise on earth, the paradise in the next life described in today’s lectionary readings from Proverbs 9, Psalm 34, and Ephesians 5 sounds even more idyllic: fed to satiation. Singing and playing with our friends to the Lord, giving thanks always. Never, ever being remorseful about what we ate, never drinking to excess. Always having our fill. And best of all, that life doesn’t require a move to an isolated island. It simply requires following the One where He calls here… and beyond.
