I’ve been involved in reflective reading exercises since fellowship – I find it a great way to decompress the tension in the work that I do, and look back on how caring for others affects how I care for myself and my family. The premise of reflective reading is simple, and wonderful – in studying art and literature, we are able to reflect on and re-examine the work that we do through a slightly different lens. Pioneered by the Center for Civic Reflection (http://civicreflection.org/), reflective reading is a powerful tool that helps us explore our values and beliefs, our choices and commitments, and take a healthy pause in our daily routine.

Consider the following painting:

Landscape with the Fall of Icarus is a painting attributed to Pieter Bruegel, c1558. It depicts the Greek myth of Icarus, son of Daedalus. Daedalus – creator of the Labyrinth that housed the Minotaur of Crete – gave Ariadne, daughter of King Minos, a ball of string to help Theseus escape the Labyrinth and defeat the Minotaur. As punishment, Daedalus and Icarus were imprisoned in the Labyrinth. Scraping together what he could from dropped feathers and wax, Daedalus fashioned two pairs of wings and planned a daring escape from the island. As they were about to take off, Daedalus warned Icarus not to fly too close to the ocean or his feathers would absorb the weight of moisture and he would fall, and not to fly too close to the sun or the wax would melt. Icarus, filled perhaps with the joy of flight or the hubris of youth, flew too close to the sun, melting the wax and destroying his wings. He fell to the sea and drowned.

Have you found Icarus in the painting? Two thin, white legs splashing in the water?

What were you first drawn to when you looked at the painting?

There are many people depicted in the landscape – why do you think no one is jumping in to help?

What does this say about suffering, and the role suffering plays in our lives? About the way we react to the suffering of others?

For a moment, think about a time when you felt like a bystander to another person’s suffering. How did this make you feel?

Feel free to leave thoughts/reflections in the comments section!