Topic > The Concept of Liminal Time

Liminal time exists in the cracks of our lives and the cracks in the life of the world that lie between the passing of the old and the coming of the new. Of course, there are other ways of looking at the world, ways that emphasize continuities rather than discontinuities. It seems that they have been the most fashionable of recent times. We say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay In times of stability, we obtain information from perspectives that emphasize continuity and similarity; in the liminal period, we gain insight by recognizing that great sea changes occur from time to time. In fact, there are Damascene events that forever divide things into before and after. They usually only occur when the old order has run out. The conventional way of understanding the original Damascene moment seems to assume that Saul was shaken from his deep beliefs by the blinding light that is the Truth; I think this assumes too much, because it was already hard for Saul to kick the balls. In most cases, a crisis simply crystallizes and brings into focus elements that were already present. The old ways had already become a source of discord and discomfort for Saul, yet he seems to have remained trapped in those structures, perhaps because he saw no alternative other than a kind of internal anarchy. In this, Saul is a kind of everyman, because the courage to discard what is worn out before there is something already existing with which to replace it is truly rare. It takes a deep humility to recognize the transience of most of what we take for granted, to admit that the only open paths lead to unknown destinations via winding paths. Yet it is only by courageously and humbly accepting that the old things are gone that we can be of full use to God in creating the new. The former things were already past; It does us no good to deny not only how much we will need to learn but also how much we will need to unlearn. If we grasp the nettle and admit that things are broken before we know how to fix them, then we are suddenly open to doing good that until now was literally unimaginable. Those who embrace liminal space enjoy a rare interval of profound freedom to imagine and help create new ways of living and being. The Christian who wishes to thrive in the liminal space must anchor himself in firm hope in Christ and His promises, and in that hope seek to discern how God calls him to contribute to the building of the Kingdom; because the Kingdom is eternal precisely because it is always renewed. Discernment in times of uncertainty is inevitably a matter of risk, of openness to short-term failure, and of frequent loss; because only through this can God grant us the moments of dream or vision that are his typical indicators of the way towards a new life. Often these are fleeting and otherworldly, but have Damascene implications if embraced; like the image of a cathedral under the golden evening sun that pools for a few minutes before passing, but reveals a beauty that forever changes the way we look at the building. Please note: this is just an example. Get an article customization now from our expert writers. Get a Custom Essay In conclusion, understandings that emphasize continuity bring richness and insight, as each of us always remains ourselves and all of us always remain human. Like all perspectives, however, they are limited. Just as a photographer chooses his perspective depending on the time of day and year, weather conditions, subject and the like, sometimes we have to..