agendaless sanctuary

My agenda is to have no agenda. This frustrates so many people, including myself. But I resist the temptation, and I have to every day. It seems that the most natural thing to do when people gather together is to try to manage them. It may not be the most natural but it seems to be the most immediate. The zealots, the religious, the spiritual, the leaders, the authorities, the professionals, would like to see the people (for their own good, of course) follow a prescribed but kindly path to a better life that they envision for them. I understand this. I totally get it. Been there, done that… on both sides!

I live in a world inundated with agenda. I am daily assaulted by millions of agendas aimed at capturing my imagination, my passion, my commitment, my allegiance, my money, my body, my soul… whatever. It is relentless and exhaustive. So, why not provide at least one place in the world where we leave agenda outside the door? Why not provide a place, kind of like our homes and families ought to be… where people can enter without any fear of being marketed, analyzed, polled, compared, solicited or persuaded?

And… I’ve got an idea… why don’t we call this place a sanctuary? A place of refuge and safety from agendas, goals, visions and purposes? I don’t care what kind of liturgy it is… from the highest with bells and smells to the lowest with circles of silence. It doesn’t matter. And I don’t care where it is… a warehouse, a living room, a school gym, a bar, a cathedral. Those are only the props. Please! Let’s provide a place where people aren’t consumers, customers, pawns, subscribers, supporters, adherents or disciples. Rather, let’s provide a place where they can actually discover themselves, and be a person for a while… a place where they are not judged or cajoled, cataloged or categorized, lured or lead, envisioned or enabled, improved or empowered, managed or manipulated.

Is there any such place on earth?