Into the Woods
Sermon | May 2, 2021 |Rev. Julie Lombard
Before we set off on a transcendence journey together, let’s explore some ground rules: Rule 1, let’s look at the meaning of the theological term: transcendence. It is derived from Latin, and means to go over, or to climb beyond. It’s used to affirm that, while God is present in the world (Immanence), God is not part of the world, nor is the world divine (Pantheism). God exists apart from and beyond creation. Rule 2, Transcendentalism was impacted by the term transcendence. It was a movement, associated with the name of Ralph Waldo Emerson as its principal founder, developing out of Unitarianism, but moving beyond it in terms of its positive valuation of human potential. Philosophically, transcendentalism was a combination of idealism with pantheistic mysticism, holding that the entire universe is an expression of the “Oversoul”, or mind of God, and that what we view as evil, sin, pain, and other realities are but passing moments in the thought of the Oversoul.1Justo L. Gonzales, Essential Theological Terms (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press,2005), kindle edition
Rule 3, There has been a lot of God language here already, we’ve even gotten creative, inspired by Emerson and found another way to say the word God- “the Oversoul”. These are theological terms and not my theology. I am not here to sway you to believe the way I do, that is not the practice of our tradition. I only preface this because as we explore the far out theology of Christopher Knight, a man who left behind civilization before disappearing into the woods for nearly a quarter of a century, we may want to consider these rules.
This sermon was inspired by the 2017 book titled: The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit by Michael Finkel. The tale is an extra-ordinary story of a hermit that left society and retreated into the forest to live a life of solitude before getting caught for stealing by a Maine Game Warden.
There are few characters in this true tale. There’s the hermit- Christopher Knight, and the law enforcement team that caught and prosecuted him. Also, there’s the Knight family, the cabin owners he stole from, and the author who accidentally became his friend. Much of the story is spent explaining how or why someone could survive living in the woods for over 25 years hardly talking to another soul.
We’ve had those moments when we gotten fed up with the craziness of life and dreamt about leaving it all behind. This past year, many have lived a life of solitude without going into the woods. It doesn’t make us crazy to want to escape and find contentment. We may not know where such an escape may lead us or the true cost of it. Well, neither did Christopher Knight, he just acted and figured it out as it unfolded. John Muir said, “And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul.”
Christopher was described as a nice kid from a typical ME family. He was the 5 th of 6 children and from a small town. They did what they had to do in order to get by. The Knight family did a bit of farming and do it yourself fixing and building, with a built-in kind of Yankee Stoicism. He was smart, shy, nerdy, and had a good sense of humor claimed a High School classmate. He had no military training or specific trauma that caused him to leave society.
Knight had recently finished an electronic training program and he had a secure job when he decided to leave. He first set off on a road trip that took him to FL. On the drive back, he put together his plan. He drove his car as far as the roads would allow and left his car with the keys on the center console. He had a tent and few belonging. He just started walking. There was no destination or specific goal he had in mind other than survival.
There was no call to his family first to let them know where he was. He simply went into the woods and lived one day at a time. This was his exit strategy or rather his plan for a new way of life. It’s hard for us to understand the desire to do what he did, but then I ask you- where might you go in search of contentment? How might you try to go beyond, or transcend this world?
It didn’t take long for reality to set in. The Maine woods are thick and full of many things; bugs, poison ivy, and prickers. You’d be surprised at how little food you can find when you set off on a journey without a fishing pole or shotgun for hunting.
It took him a few days before he became so hungry that he was willing to depart from his moral upbringing. He knew stealing was wrong. At first, he stole from summer gardens, later from the lake camps. In all that time, he never felt at ease with stealing despite how efficient he became at the task. He didn’t leave behind broken glass or busted doors, only minimal damage. After all, he was a thief, not a vandal.
He found an ideal site to set up camp by some large elephant sized boulders and thick hemlocks. It felt it private enough and out of the way. He didn’t use trails. He hardly put his foot on the ground, never left a footprint and moved through the forest like a ninja.
His camp was near a set of ponds. So, he had clean water nearby and plenty of camps to pilfer. The Pine Tree Camp was your typical summer camp for kids and it was like Knight’s very own Walmart. He also stole from the other private camps, while avoiding the year-round residences.
Knight stole flashlights, propane tanks, books – lots of books, food, cookware, batteries, garden hose, a snow shovel, a twin mattress, pillows, blankets, toilet paper, and coolers. He never stole open food items, no valuables such as electronics or jewelry, and he would not take items people left for him as an offering. Yes, he was so infamous that people would leave him notes saying please have these, but he avoided the bags left hanging on the camp doors.
People had many names for him: the Hermit, the Mountain Man, the Hungry Man, and Mr. Ordinary. Some were deeply bothered by him while others felt he did little harm so let him be. It was easy to let him be because despite the well trained wardens and state troopers, he eluded them all.
Eventually he was caught and jailed. He was jailed as any thief might be, but his final judgment was more lenient. How could you put away someone for a 1000 break-ins? He never hurt anyone and he didn’t steal valuable items. He did his time in jail and then more time in a program similar to one designed for someone with substance abuse. The only the only substance he abused was solitude. Afterwards, he lived with his mother and rebuilt engines for his brother. Some might say that it was punishment enough for him not to return to the woods. He was never as content as he was living alone in the woods.
Knight was influenced by the Greek Stoics and the Transcendentalists such as Emerson and Thoreau, although he clearly had a love-hate relationship with Thoreau. He was well read and liked the study of philosophy and religion. He lived by Emerson’s quotes “People are to be taken in small doses.” and “Nothing can bring you peace but yourself.” He also felt a deeply-rooted connection to the verses from the Tao Te Ching. “Good walking, leave no tracks.” says the Tao. He didn’t like Jack Kerouac or Robert Frost. If he was forced to select a favorite book, it might be The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich by William Shirer. “I had no need for a Bible.” Knight said, although he had read it. “I don’t practice a religion. I can’t claim a belief system. I would say I’m more polytheistic than monotheistic.”
Knight often meditated and practiced contemplation. He wouldn’t call himself a believer except for on the coldest days. Then, he admitted he prayed to God. Like Einstein, Knight lived in that solitude which is painful in youth, but delicious in the years of maturity.
Upon his return to society after doing time, he contemplated suicide or what he called ‘walking with the lady of the woods.” His plan was to walk into the winter woods and let the cold take his life. He survived many winters, so he also knew how not to. Ultimately, he didn’t do it.
Michael Finkel, the author of The Stranger in the Woods, wrote to Knight while he was in jail. At first, it was letter correspondence, but eventually they met. Finkel knew of Knight’s plan to walk with the lady of the woods and hoped he wouldn’t do it. Knight had little need for human contact of any kind while Finkel had a need for Knight to survive.
Specialists from Harvard University studied Knight to see if he had Asperger’s, depression, or schizoid personality disorder. He was apathetic to people in a schizoid way, but his inability to interact naturally with others and his hypersensitivity to sensory changes seemed classically autistic.2Michael Finkel, The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit, (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2017) Knight felt these were just labels slapped on a set of behaviors. He hadn’t heard of Aspergers until he was locked up.
What’s the point of all this? Why would someone just up and walk away from life? What can we learn from him? Maybe what I ought to be asking is why do we come together and do just the opposite- re-commit ourselves to belonging to one another?
It is all about needs. Christopher Knight was seeking contentment and how to fill that need. We come here to do the same- to seek contentment, explore religion and various beliefs. We come to question and we bring our needs with us. One need is to not be alone.
Community is paramount to us. Our aim is to be a part of something larger than ourselves, to reach beyond and transcend what any one of us could do on our own. We come to be in a collective power we call Unitarian Universalism which means we seek the light of truth, the warmth of love, and the energy of action.
We won’t be content to join a church of one as Christopher Knight did or to retreat to the woods in the way he did. We come to this oasis in the desert to be together. We can be seduced by solitude, but we deeply desire to be a part of a loving community with a higher purpose.
Perhaps we cannot relate to Christopher Knight, but even he can hardly explain his actions, so how could anyone else explain the mystery? We may not transcend society as he did, nor do we wish to. Instead we dedicate our lives to wrestling with it and making changes as needed. In the end, we are here because we have found what we need. We need one another and this church.
Blessed be. Amen.
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