Being

A few days ago, I pulled up behind a car, which was stopped at a red light.  For some reason I like randomly to read license plates on cars.  My eyes went to the plate on the car ahead of me and I was surprised to read “Being.”  “That’s great,” I whispered to myself.  For a second I thought that I would be happy to have that plate on my car.  But then, I had to laugh.

I am sure I have my share of vanity---being too prideful of ourselves or our things.  I care about how I look, etc.  But if asked, I would doubtlessly say that I am not very vain!  The plainness of my clothes, my car, etc. would substantiate that, at least compared to my peers.  I am also sure I was more vain when I was younger!  Maybe there is a connection between vanity and hormones!  I do think maturity and, certainly, becoming more spiritual should simultaneously begin eroding our vanity.

One thing I am fairly confident is I won’t spend extra money on vanity license plates.  Along with most folks, my plates are a random mix of letters and numbers.  I am not even sure I could actively come up with the right answer to what’s on my plate.  If I see it, I recognize it.  Vanity plates are not my thing.  To be honest, however, it may be that I am just cheap!  Maybe I am vain and cheap! 

I was curious about the guy’s “Being” plates on the car in front of me.  I wanted to jump out of the car and run up to his car and ask him about the plates.  I wanted to hear his story.  Of course, the light changed to green and he sped off.  I’ll probably never see the car again.  I’ll never know his true story.  What I am sure is no one randomly gets a license plate (in my state anyway) that says, “Being.”  So I decided to make up my own story.

I am confident the license plates are meant to convey the belief in a Higher Power, the God who is.  To say this is to affirm a theological or philosophical point.  To claim that God is claims that God exists.  Simply put, to exist is to “be.”  In fancy theological language is an ontological statement.  Of course, it is simpler to say God exists!  Logically speaking, the opposite would say that God does not exist, which an atheist would claim.  So the license plate is making a bold claim.

I can imagine a further detail in the story.  Let’s imagine the license plate suggests the driver has taken a good philosophy or theology class in college---maybe even majored in one of these academic disciplines.  If so, he probably studied people like St. Thomas Aquinas, medieval scholastic professor at the University of Paris.  One could argue Thomas Aquinas is the most important figure in Christian history, third only to Jesus and St. Paul.  Thomas Aquinas talks about God as Being Itself.

In simple terms Thomas affirms that God exists---God is Being.  But there is one essential difference between God and all the rest of us creatures who also exist.  God’s Being (existence) is eternal.  Early theologians put it this way: there never was a time when God did not exist.  Of course, every one of us knows there was a time when we did not exist.  When we talk about being born, we claim that as a time when we began to exist.  For sure, we can even push the beginning of our existence back to the point of our conception---when the sperm connected with the fertile egg to begin our miraculous journey.

The problem for me with this kind of God-talk (God as Being Itself) is not a matter of whether it is true or not.  That is a faith issue.  As a person of faith, I accept its truth.  The problem is to talk about God as Being does not give us much of a sense of who this God is.  We get no “feel” for this God.  That claim for God’s Being is about as warm as the license plate.  This is where theology has to morph into spirituality.  Being has to come to life.  The license plate has to take us to the driver---or to you and me.

If God is being, so do we “be” (obviously bad English, but good theology!).  We “are” because the creative Power of the universe wanted us!  We are the objects of Divine Desire!  I like desire language, because it so quickly becomes the language of care and of love.  Being Itself begins to take on affection and allows me to understand God’s affectionate desire---for me and for all of us.

I like to see myself, the driver of the car---all of seven billion of us in the world---as manifestations of this creative, loving God.  Our job is to translate our existence (our being) into lives that are fueled by desire---desire to care and to love.  Of course, our desire can go in bad ways.  We can desire things that are not desirable.  Theologically, we call this sin; in secular terms these are called mistakes or failures. 

Those of us who have faith in God want (desire) to live a mistake-free life.  We want our lives to proclaim the desire, dignity and delight God wants for us.  In this sense, it won’t matter what our license plates say.  What matters will be what our lives say.  Imagine your life like a license plate.  When others see it, what will it say?