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The
Hermit’s Guide to Health and Happiness—a Sermon of Epic Proportions
Delivered by
Michael F. Edwards, August 28, 2005
At the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, New Bern, NC
I was privileged a number of
weeks ago attend a particular service at this fellowship called
“Metamorphosis”. I found it quite insightful and mentally stimulating.
Metamorphosis is when one thing completely changes into something else.
The dictionary defines it as “ a transformation, as by magic or
sorcery”. In the last few years we have seen manmade things undergo
metamorphosis—as in the case of children’s toys—called
“transformers”-- where a car or a space vehicle will change into a
weird character.
For many thousands if not
millions of years, nature has produced creatures that go through
metamorphosis- as in the case of caterpillars, which magically transform
themselves into butterflies or moths; grubs into beetles or cicada, and
tadpoles—like the ones I search out each Spring to put in my
aquarium—that magically transform themselves into frogs. Also, we see
the changing of the seasons each and every year. The trees, the grasses,
flowers, even weeds and nearly every outdoor living thing transforms
itself from a near-dead organism into a robust green or yellow, or red or
rainbow of living-thriving colors in the Spring.
The service asked a few
mind-expanding questions, such as; does the caterpillar know what’s in
store for him or her when they spin themselves into the darkness? Do they
do this because they are tired of eating? Are they tired of watching out
for birds that would have them for a meal? Or do they have a clock inside
that tells them it’s time to stop being who they are and become
something else—something beyond their wildest dreams and desires? Will
they automatically know how to stand on a twig, stretch their wings and
take flight? Are they afraid of that first leap of faith? Are any of the
millions of caterpillars whom are transformed each Spring still sitting
there with their heads poking out of their secure cocoon? Are they
refusing to get on with their lives and discover the magic of their new
abilities and a new, improved attitude?
How about those tadpoles? Do
they know their lives will be full of wonder and change? Are there any
that climb out of the water, crouch down on their knees on the Lilly pad
with their heads held low to the leaf, and refuse to stand up tall and
croak out loud for all the world to hear? We are all given incredible
instincts to live, to change, and to grow. Humans are given the ability to
use our minds and bodies in ways animals and plants cannot comprehend. We
are given the ability to love, admire, desire, and to build and to
accomplish. As a Humanist, I believe we are born with good qualities, and
have to learn to hate, destroy, or to do harm to others.
When we are young, we have many
fantasies and dreams. All through our lives, we are faced with
opportunities to make decisions, to change, and to grow. As we mature, we
begin to distinguish between the fantasies and the real—the Easter
Bunny, the Santa Clause, the ghosts, the gods and the goblins—the
possible and the impossible.
Sometimes, we are wrong in our
assumptions and our beliefs. We falsely assume too many things are im-possible.
In times of distress, we may falsely assume we have no hope, no future, no
life, that we can never be any better or stronger or healthier than we are
right now—today. We may overly confine ourselves with imaginary
restrictions that may keep us in our self-imposed cocoons and prevent us
from spreading our wings and being all that we can be. We may continue to
hear the negative voices from our childhood telling us we are bad, or the
messages from the pulpit that we are all born sinners and our only chance
we have not to burn in hell forever is to stay down on our knees and cover
our eyes and our ears, and stay close to the lily pad. We are often told
we should not ask questions abut things we do not understand but to
believe the unbelievable; we are told we should not venture out beyond
what is known to the unknown. By the time we reach adolescence, we are
frightened, frustrated, bewildered and totally confused! Consequently,
many will go through their lives blindly, like sheep in a flock with no
self-motivation, no self-determination and no self-confidence.
When we do not challenge
ourselves, but remain in the confines of our cocoons, we will suffocate
and die—as would happen with the butterfly and the moth. Once we have
grown into a frog, if we stayed below the surface in our previous
environment, we would drown. We have to climb out of the water, and breath
fresh clean air into our lungs and cherish the changes and opportunities
in our lives.
Behavioral scientists believe
there are reasons why some of us are more motivated than others to change
destructive behaviors—depending on who or what we believe controls our
behaviors. Do we have the conscious ability to make decisions that will
affect our lives, or are out lives determined by fate, chance, or some
powerful supernatural person? Without the belief of internal control and
human determination we would not have the joy of adventure, and excitement
of accomplishment and growth-- nor the lessons learned from temporary
setbacks and failures. As children, we continue to explore the world
around us, and our capacity to grow and learn within it. This search for
knowledge and truth should not end at adulthood, but should last as long
as our days on earth.
Robert
Harrill went through a complete metamorphosis. For most of his life, he
was held down by his demeaning relatives and acquaintances, the demons
driven into his head at an early age, and his own destructive self-image.
But after years of failure and torment, he spread his wings and flew
away…
In 1955 Robert Harrill landed on
the sandy soil of Ft. Fisher, just a frog’s leap South of here. He
shrugged off the negative voices in his head and the guilt driven into him
by religiously fanatical relatives, and opened his ears and his eyes and
his mind--to Nature. He had a giant leap of faith—in himself. He found
his Spirituality and his meaning in life. He felt his purpose on earth was
to be a conduit for thought, and a spokesman “for the common man”, and
as the inscription on his tombstone attests, “To make People Think”.
We all have stresses in our
lives. Many of the stresses, believe it or not are good stresses that
motivate us and keep us on track. Robert learned to deal with his bad
stresses—he stopped worrying about the things he could not control—the
heat of a summer’s day, the chill of long winter’s nights, the salt in
the air that ate up his typewriters and other belongings, or the
hurricanes that blew his worldly possessions away “into the next
county”. In a newspaper article written about him years ago, he told
about his new life and the peace he had found. “My life at Ft. Fisher
goes in and out like the tides of this old sea out here…”, he said.
“Only Nature determines my existence…”. He learned to listen to the
wind in the trees, to watch patterns of the drifting clouds, and he
learned to “go with the flow” so to speak.
Most people who found the old
man at his tiny home in the marsh didn’t know his real name. They
didn’t know he had a family, that he had a past, that he had a lifetime
of disappointments. “I didn’t come here to be a hermit…”, he said.
“But, shortly after I arrived here, people kept coming down my sandy
road over there, asking about the “Fort Fisher Hermit”. I felt this
place needed and wanted a hermit. So, I did scientific research and became
one.” Robert Harrill
reminded us many years ago, that most all of us would like, from time to
time—to be a “hermit”—by removing ourselves from our daily
worries, troubles, or duties, or to ponder the meaning of life. We know
even Superman, from time to time, needs to get away from it all, by flying
off to his “fortress of solitude”! Another well-known individual,
Popeye, the sailor man and his creators, the Fleisher Brothers must have
had thoughts of being a hermit. One of Popeye’s favorite expressions,
that you would hear in many of his cartoons--next to “I yam what I
yam”, is his line--I've had all I can stand, I can't stands no more!
The hermit’s lifestyle
prevented all known preventable diseases…
Robert’s
meals were very nutritious. He ate no processed foods, which are so
abundant in our grocery stores today--full of preservatives, salt, and
other chemicals. Much of his food was extremely fresh, caught in waters of
the bay a few feet from his doorstep. No doubt some of it was still
wiggling. His tiny garden grew the freshest vegetables from the sandy
soil. Berries and edible wild vegetation grew all around. Many times
we’d find the hermit stirring up a frying pan full of--what he called,
“Millionaire’s rations”— of tiny crabs, fishes, grasses, and
whatever kind of other natural ingredients he found growing or moving
around. “Those millionaires up North don’t eat no better’n
this…”, he’d say, as he scooped up another spoonful of a
questionable concoction that would create gagging expressions on those of
us standing around.
The hermit didn’t have
allergies—he breathed fresh non-air conditioned air. His home lacked
chemical-laden carpets and glued-together sawdust furniture. His
environment was free of toxic fungicides, pesticides and herbicides and
other chemicals. His home was void of electromagnetic fields from TVs,
microwaves, computers, hairdryers and cell phones. His neighborhood was
far enough away from automobiles, lawnmowers, boom boxes and car radios to
catch a good night’s sleep--even in the middle of the day. The Hermit
lived a very natural life.
There were no signs of mental
stagnation with the hermit. He read anything people would leave for him,
including the daily newspaper. Robert’s mind was constantly active,
churning with ideas and thoughts of how to make a dollar or save humanity.
He did not waste away his days and his nights watching dribble and
senseless shows on the TV, nor bombarding his mind with images filled with
hate, death, destruction, and the worst of humanity on the daily news or
on daytime soap operas.
The hermit stayed fit from a
very active life. He did NOT look for some laborsaving device to help him
mix up a pot of stew for dinner, or a new-fangled electric gadget to open
a jar of mayonnaise or pickles or a can of beans, or to chop up potatoes
and onions. He did not hop in his old jalopy and cruise through the
drive-in window every time his stomach churned with emptiness, nor stock
his home with sugary, oily, or salty snacks from the A&P. He was not
tricked or tempted to eat fattening cakes, cookies, pies and donuts made
from depleted grains and hydrogenated oils, or over-consume foods that
would offer thousands of unnecessary calories, and end with hours of
gastrointestinal eruptions, insomnia and GERD. Consequently, the hermit
did not have to worry about obesity, diabetes or high blood pressure. Most
of the time, the hermit ate basic, simple, Natural food when he could find
it—or catch it.
Robert knew the value of a
smile. He laughed and joked with guests that appeared at his doorway in
the wilderness, and entertained the masses who found him. In the 1950’s,
he dreamed of ideas than most men and women of his generation would never
dream. He envisioned tools yet un-invented, of productive labor to wean
people off unproductive welfare, of voluntary birth control to curtail
world over-population, and he dreamed of building a chain of public
aquariums, where people who lived miles from the ocean could come and
learn about creatures of the sea.
The hermit made the most of his
days under the blistering sun and dreamed worldly thoughts under a
star-studded sky. He wrote lengthy letters to family, friends, and
unfortunate politicians of his day. He did not hesitate to write to the
greatest personalities of his time, including Albert Einstein, Nikita
Khrushchev, and Dr. William Marcus Taylor—who became the Hermit’s
mentor and spiritual guide. The hermit learned about the earliest
theories, once laughed at by skeptics--the theory of those mysterious
links, between the body and the mind. Today, medical schools offer
courses, and universities offer degrees in Bio-Psychology. Now, medical
professionals are well aware of the healthy effects of a positive attitude
and spirituality; and the negative effects of stress and depression
promoting human sickness and disease in the fields of behavioral science
and psycho-neuro-immunology.
The hermit was very spiritual.
In his earlier years, he had thoughts of becoming a Baptist minister.
However, on day while attending boarding school he had an argument with
one of his professors over the theory of evolution, and was expelled from
school. That evening, he packed up his bags and never looked back. Years
later when asked about his thoughts on religion, the hermit boldly stated,
“I’ve studied over 300 religions in my life, and the Unitarians are
the only ones fit to believe”. Occasionally, on Sunday mornings in the
60’s, the hermit could be found preaching to a crowd of amazed
spectators at the foot of Kure Beach pier. Many say his sermons contained
important opinions about the state of humanity and the unfortunate
disappearance of “Common Sense”. His greatest source of strength and
reinforcement came from Dr. Taylor who had spent many years as a
missionary and minister at the All Saints Unitarian Fellowship of
Chattanooga Tennessee.
“Clean thinkin’ and clean
living are the keys to health and happiness…”, the hermit used to say.
As with the butterfly and the flower, the hermit blossomed and grew into a
individual spirit with his on unique personality. Once a lonely, troubled
man, reconnections with Nature and a positive attitude brought back his
strength and confidence. After years of personal failures, he had a
complete transformation. He climbed WAY out of the box of convention and
learned the key to success— “If at first you don’t succeed, redefine
success”. Robert found that he had more by having less. He had more than
all the kings in their kingdoms and all the millionaires in their
mansions. He also discovered that even a “hermit” needed the comfort
and support from friends. What other hermit would print up his own
publicity photos!? If he were here today, he would tell us we should keep
our doors open to strangers and our minds open to new ideas. He would
probably also say, above all else, to believe in yourself!
Many of us remember Christopher
Reeve--who portrayed one of the movie industry’s best Supermen. Shortly
before his death, Christopher said his definition of a “hero” changed.
(Now), he said, “I think a hero is an ordinary individual who finds
strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles”. To
me, that definition also fits Robert Harrill. It was a daily struggle
living the life of a hermit.
The good news is we all have the
ability to transform ourselves—at any age. Robert Harrill was 62 when he
decided to grow, spread his wings and to fly from his self-imposed cocoon.
He did not pay attention to the rest of his “senior-citizen” friends
who had given up on the world and themselves, and who did nothing to
change their negative attitudes or their health. Robert Harrill passed
through that doorway to (what some would call) “old age” smack-dab
into a world of new possibilities. For the last 17 years of his life, he
tried in his own way to teach by example--the strength and power of the
human spirit.
Years after his death his
greatest dream came true. A few hundred yards from the hermit’s home
stands a multi-million dollar public aquarium. People from across the
country come to observe and learn about creatures from the sea. There is a
sandy trail nearby that leads off into the marsh. Beyond the marsh stands
a small concrete building—a tiny fortress of solitude against man and
nature where many of us learned about the power and strength of human
determination.
I hope
you will use this day to take a look at your own health and happiness. If
a metamorphosis is out of the question, perhaps a slight adjustment or two
will do. The Key is--we must believe that we have the ability to change.
Why not start by reconnecting with Nature. Go outside and shrug off your
cocoons. Relax, close your eyes and visualize all the possibilities. Then
spread your wings and prepare for a journey beyond your wildest dreams….
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