So, have you ever been called for jury duty?  Well, I’m fresh off of one of my most recent summons by the local county authority to fulfill my civic duty to serve as a potential juror; just yesterday in fact. I’ve now done this four or five times over the last fifteen years or so and each time I’m captivated by the process that is followed throughout the day as well as the people that are called to serve.  For example, I’m sure if you’ve ever been summoned before (sounds regal doesn’t it) you’ve most likely witnessed the parade of people and their myriad of reasons they offer up as to why the judge should excuse them for the day.  Doesn’t it seem that the default setting for most of us when called into this situation is to figure out any way possible to wrangle our way out?   At a minimum it seems at best a dreaded endeavor with no escape route available.  I haven’t quite figured out why jury duty is so often disdained by so many but I did take notice of a phenomenon yesterday that seems to consistently occur when we are, in a sense, held captive with no apparent way out. 

Though the day begins with most folks preoccupied with the inconvenience of being there and the uncertainty of whether or not the day will linger into even more days something interesting begins to happen.  People actually begin to communicate with each other.  Certainly there are those that stay within the confines of their iPhones and laptops but for the most part once everyone accepts their fate that they are there for the day with no certainty as to when they’ll be able to leave a noticeable change begins to occur.  It’s at this very point that the tide of tension seems to shift and they then begin to relax their persona allowing the barriers to come down and their humanness to emerge.  But what is it about being held captive with no place to go that finally allows the floodgates of our innermost longings to open up and a connection in communication and relationship to take over?  Why is it that once we realize that we have no control over the outcome we step around our self protective shields and become more of the people we so long to be?  Perhaps it’s in the surrender to our captivity where we will ultimately find our freedom.  That place where we’re no longer held captive by our incessant need to control the uncontrollable but rather the place where we choose to be held captive to the real living that comes from the spontaneous audience with one another.  Peace.