Thanks for the life of Dr. John Seeley

52 Weeks of Thoughts by one of his disciple’s

Peter's Journal January 1, 2008

This past December, one of the great thinkers of the 20th Century closed his eyes for the last time. With each simple gesture of friendship offered, I hope to keep his voice echoing in the halls of power and elsewhere because his wisdom transcended time. On a lofty plateau like his friends Ivan Illich and Thomas Merton, this marvelous man, small of stature, walked in the halls of power humbly and without fanfare. His influence, both broad and profound enabled others to be better. He will be missed, and I plan to incorporate his wisdom into all my weekly writings for a full year.

Born during our nation’s entry into the First World War, Dr. John Seeley spent a lifetime of 94 years speaking out for justice and equity in a world that changed dramatically from 1914 to 2007. Evident to those around him, even at an early aged he astounded the elders with his wisdom. Reminiscent of the young middle eastern boy John came to admire, who confounded the establishment even at the age of 12, the lad from Nazareth who some call Lord was a beacon lighting John’s path.

When asked by me when wisdom graces an individual, he smiled, paused and said ‘somewhere around the age of 75.’ If that is the case, John beat the average for he was wise from the earliest wanderings of an innocent infant growing up in England. Trained and educated to absorb information, John’s ability to read and write a multitude of languages while retaining much of what he read gave him an early appreciation for the wisdom of others from a variety of cultures. Like Fr. Thomas Berry, the author of the seminal book Dream of the Earth, John Seeley always had a dream for a better world for each succeeding generation. Surrounded by his beloved books, even in his final weeks on earth the written word surrounded him because he never stopped being a disciple, a learner. His enormous library was never for show, but was the source of inspiration and learning that defined who he was.

In essence, I have come to believe that the mark of a great person may simply be the ability and willingness to obtain knowledge until one’s final breath is taken. John was always an inveterate gatherer of knowledge while being a neophyte willing to listen to the counsel and information of another. His intellectual horsepower was more like a team of stallions pulling a giant wagon and he and Thomas Berry were the two most gifted thinkers I ever encountered. Even during our final visit, and our last shared bowl of Thai coconut shrimp soup for two, he was drawing me out about my feelings about personal salvation, versus salvation of the whole. He was as sharp as a tack until the very end. A true inspiration of hope that others may learn from the wisdom of the past.

In retrospect, now that he is gone, it is perhaps providential that a good hour was spent in dialogue about the whole concept of salivation and the after life. We never once mentioned death, but the whole tenor of the conversation was marked by a curiosity as to what salvation really meant. We even disagreed as we explored its meaning. He was not afraid to die for death was simply a continuation; of what we were not sure, but a source of comfort nevertheless.

As I close this first offering of 52 it is a privilege to be able to pay homage to a man of incredible knowledge, profound wisdom, and one who retained the wonder and awe about life and ideas forever. John continued to grow even through and during his 94th year. I sat at his feet for almost 30 years. John was never stuck in the past, always open to the future, and taught me important lessons about life. The reason we are here is to listen to the voices of others in love, so that we may make this a better place for generations to come. John actively listened to the voices of persons in positions of power, the humble children who came to him, and also to the still small voice of God that he heard until the moment his eyes closed; and perhaps is now guiding in some way.

We might all learn from this example of what it means to be a human being. My New Year’s Resolution is to heed the voices of the elders, especially John Seeley and from now until the final week of 2008 I will weave his teachings into my writings.