Moments in Time: London (The Tube)

This week’s “moment in time” brings us to London, England. Specifically, evening rush hour, traveling on the Piccadilly Line on the Tube.

If you ever had the chance to experience this, you know immediately what I am talking about. You may even begin to sweat as you read it. I need a dram of whisky to write about it. Traveling on the Tube at rush hour can leave you overstimulated with all kinds of sights and sounds. Not to mention the overwhelming lack of personal space that can make your skin crawl to this day. (This was even before Covid.) Traveling as an American in Europe, you quickly come to the realization that by flying over the Atlantic, you unknowingly agree to forfeit your personal space. That said, even after living in Europe for years, nothing quite prepares you for the Tube at rush hour.

It is one thing when you are by yourself, and you can kind of maneuver and contort your body as you feel fit, even turning your head a certain way, so you are not inches from a stranger’s nose. It is another thing altogether when you are with your family, precisely two young boys. You have to corral them and hold them tight as the waves of people come on and off with each stop. On this particular day, we were heading back to our hotel in Russell Square from spending the day out and about. I believe we were coming back from the Churchill War Rooms; they were absolutely amazing if you ever get a chance to visit.  

Now, for those who have taken the Tube, you know there is one voice constantly heard above and beyond all of the other hundreds of voices around you. One voice that you hear consciously and then unconsciously, over and over again. Yep, you got it, the computerized woman, repeating herself at every stop, “Mind the Gap, Please,” “Mind the Gap, Please,” “Mind the Gap, Please.” I have always appreciated this reminder as there truly is a little bit of a gap when entering and leaving the metro car. It is also helpful when your boys begin to repeat it as they get on and off as well. Having said that, what comes to mind as I think of that computerized woman’s voice today is not so much a physical observation but more of an emotional and spiritual one. More specifically, a gentle reminder to “mind” our psychological and spiritual gaps.

What strikes me is that we in the western culture act as though no one should have any “gaps.” We tend to scoff at any kind of failure, weakness, or poverty in any of its forms (especially poverty of oneself). We have created a culture in some ways where perfectionism reigns.  

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

-Mt 5:3

Moreover, the moral sentiment usually from religion has created such a negative connotation towards “gaps” that we tend to miss the necessary good that can come from seeing and embracing them, all so they may be transformed. As a result, we spend so much of our time projecting strong, secure, and successful images of ourselves and to others, which can leave us “blind” and “deaf” to those prophetic words of the computerized woman, “Mind the Gap, Please.”

From a spiritual sense, Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew mentions the word “actor” fifteen times. We use this Greek translation today as the word hypocrite. Oh, how we like to use that word when speaking about others, don’t we? Our egos will do anything to make ourselves look good, especially morally superior. Yet, deep down, we know that we are all “actors” too. 

The Swiss psychologist and psychiatrist Carl Jung often refers to these “gaps” as our shadow selves.  

“The shadow includes all those things about ourselves that we don’t want to see, are not yet ready to see, and don’t want others to see. We try to hide or deny this shadow, most especially from ourselves.”

-Richard Rohr

For as much time that we spend avoiding our “gaps,” Jung asks, “How can I be substantial if I fail to cast a shadow?” He goes on to say that the shadow can be “the source of the highest good: not only dark, but also light; not only bestial, semi-human and demonic, but superhuman, spiritual…even divine.” Wow. It seems that our shadows (gaps) are not roadblocks to wholeness and holiness but the necessary avenues to inner freedom and joy.

“God wastes nothing and includes everything. The God of the Bible is best known for transmuting and transforming our shadow selves into our own more perfect good. God brings us—often through failure—from unconsciousness to ever-deeper consciousness and conscience. I doubt if there is any other way. All the rest is mere self-validation.”

-Richard Rohr

I really do miss traveling, especially the uncomfortable parts of it. The Tube is one of the many examples. Yet, I am grateful for the prophetic words of the computerized woman. Maybe, just maybe, the world would be a bit more kind if we could listen to her… 

“Mind the Gap, Please.”

Thank you for joining me on the Tube, and until next time, blessings to you on your journey…

About the Series:

This series of writing will focus on a particular moment and place in time.  For example, it will take us from a bench in Switzerland to a baseball field in Montana or a street corner in France.  Each place invites us into the moment’s emotions, lessons learned, and another journey for the soul. To read about other moments and places, please click here.