"How can we solve the problem when we are the problem . . . ?" So asks Joe Bageant, author of Deer Hunting with Jesus, in a recent blog post, Live from Planet Norte. That is the question, isn't it?
I've grown disillusioned. Not so much about Obama--my expectations for him were not so unrealistic--but with my fellow citizens and most profoundly with the idea of America that I believed in through thick and thin for over half a decade. The reasons have been hard to put into words, perhaps because it didn't seem to matter any more.
But something has started to shift. I began to discover others who are experiencing the same thing. Many of us are trying to find words . . . . "Democracy is dead," is about the best we can do at first. We feel like lunatics because we have an impulse to run through the streets screaming, "The end is near!" But slowly, now, some are finding words, and that is heartening. Not because our words will save democracy, not because they will save the planet or raise anyone's awareness, but because they will help us move on.
Joe Bageant has a lot to say about all of this. His perspective on what's happening in America is enlightening, and his grasp on how it's impacting some of us is astute. Most importantly, though, he knows we must move on. It's too late now for significant political change; America is too far gone. But politics and social systems are human constructs; they will fail.
So, as we give up on things that in the past have given us meaning and hope and passion, we find that "change we can believe in" is happening not in our country, not in the world, but within ourselves. Maybe it's not so bad if we are able to shift our hopes and energies to something that transcends the creations, the constructs, and the hopeless foolishness of mankind.
Mr. Bageant's essay is long, but it's worth the time and effort to read in its entirety: Live from Planet Norte.
Showing posts with label Spirituality/Religion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Spirituality/Religion. Show all posts
July 6, 2010
June 24, 2010
Who Made BP God? -Or- The End of Empire
I've been at such a loss for words . . . . The image in my mind is one of the Earth and her inhabitants spinning downward in a huge whirling vortex, as if the weight of all our unrestrained greed and stubborn ignorance finally tripped the lever on some colossal cosmic toilet.
How is it possible, for example, for anyone to believe that pumping millions of gallons toxic chemicals into the Gulf of Mexico, along with massive amounts of crude oil, is a good idea? Forget the so-called "experts" and their "science." Seriously, you have to be deeply disturbed to think that plan makes any sense. And why the hell does British fucking Petroleum have the right to destroy our home, our planet?
We have, collectively speaking, completely lost our minds. Is there enough time left for us to come to our senses? Hardly. On the other hand, some people think we are on the verge of a massive awakening, a new age of enlightenment. Maybe. (Will Republicans be included!?)
Tonight I visited the blog of a UCC pastor friend and read a fascinating post. As always, he provides a unique perspective, and I like what he has to say about the situation we now find ourselves in. I share an excerpt of the post with you here:
I have a sardonic answer to the question I pose in the post title: The Devil incarnate--Dick Cheney, of course--and his evil minions, the GOBP. They do bear much blame but, sadly, there is a whole lot of blame to go around. Amen, my friend; Empire must come to an end. It seems it will, one way or another.
How is it possible, for example, for anyone to believe that pumping millions of gallons toxic chemicals into the Gulf of Mexico, along with massive amounts of crude oil, is a good idea? Forget the so-called "experts" and their "science." Seriously, you have to be deeply disturbed to think that plan makes any sense. And why the hell does British fucking Petroleum have the right to destroy our home, our planet?
We have, collectively speaking, completely lost our minds. Is there enough time left for us to come to our senses? Hardly. On the other hand, some people think we are on the verge of a massive awakening, a new age of enlightenment. Maybe. (Will Republicans be included!?)
Tonight I visited the blog of a UCC pastor friend and read a fascinating post. As always, he provides a unique perspective, and I like what he has to say about the situation we now find ourselves in. I share an excerpt of the post with you here:
. . . To do injustice then is to unravel the foundations of the earth and create imbalance. As a spiritual entity, the earth seeks balance and will do everything within creation's power to regain that balance. (M. Night Shyamalan stated this mythically with his movie, "The Happening.") I heard one meteorologist refer to hurricanes as the earth's effort to seek balance. (Dominic) Crossan may call this consequence, the Deuteronomic writer might call this cause and effect of "curse" and "blessing."Excerpted from Red Bison blog: It's the end of the world as we know it.
I prefer to refer to the earth as the house of justice. Love dwells in the house of justice. When that house is despoiled or love's habitat destroyed, love wanders the earth seeking hospitality.
Because God created the earth and everything in it with inherent grace, there is much we can do to one another or to the earth and its creatures without immediate cause and effect. But if we are hell-bent on crafting a world in our own image of injustice, it will eventually flow back to us. Love is absent. Love cannot be found. Only intentional communities creating sabbath for the earth and sanctuary for its inhabitants provide a hospitality that welcomes love. The rest of the earth is consumed by the injustice it continues to practice.
We need to end empire now. The wars we continue to rage, the oil we continue to consume and spill, and the economic injustice we continue to foster are destroying love's home. And the consequences are dire.
I have a sardonic answer to the question I pose in the post title: The Devil incarnate--Dick Cheney, of course--and his evil minions, the GOBP. They do bear much blame but, sadly, there is a whole lot of blame to go around. Amen, my friend; Empire must come to an end. It seems it will, one way or another.
November 5, 2009
On Positive Thinking
Finally! Somebody has articulated the implications of The Secret and similar "positive thinking" philosophies.
Barbara Ehrenreich: How positive thinking wrecked the economy.
It's empowering to believe in one's self and one's Higher Power, but some have turned positive thinking into a simplistic dogma that has all the down sides of a cult, one that has broad appeal in our self-serving culture.
It's not new, either. I first heard this about thirty years ago in the form of the "prosperity gospel." Back then, the catch phrase was "name it, claim it." In other words, if you are a true believer, all you have to do is name what you want and then claim it as yours. It's such a simple solution to all the world's problems. We like simple solutions, especially ones that absolve us of any responsibility for our fellow human beings.
Barbara Ehrenreich: How positive thinking wrecked the economy.
It's empowering to believe in one's self and one's Higher Power, but some have turned positive thinking into a simplistic dogma that has all the down sides of a cult, one that has broad appeal in our self-serving culture.
It's not new, either. I first heard this about thirty years ago in the form of the "prosperity gospel." Back then, the catch phrase was "name it, claim it." In other words, if you are a true believer, all you have to do is name what you want and then claim it as yours. It's such a simple solution to all the world's problems. We like simple solutions, especially ones that absolve us of any responsibility for our fellow human beings.
July 13, 2009
Beasts In Gray Suits
I haven't been able to post for a very long time, but I cannot remain silent after watching Bill Moyer's Journal last night:
Wendell Potter is doing a good thing, but his story turned my stomach. I listened to him explain that sick and dying people were "just numbers" to him and his colleagues in the insurance industry. I spoke out loud to the TV: "They will burn in Hell."
I don't believe in a literal Hell run by a red guy with horns, but I do not doubt the reality of spiritual consequences. People who have the power and the responsibility to alleviate suffering but choose to dismiss the needy as "just numbers" bring onto their own souls the most serious of consequences.
I'm not alone in my belief. The final straw came for Mr. Potter when he read JFK's Profiles In Courage:
Amen, Mr. Potter, and good for you for having the courage to face yourself and do the right thing.
People whose lives have been too easy often find it easy to dismiss the suffering of others. I've always believed that, but I never heard one of them say it until I saw this interview with Mr. Potter. It hit me hard to hear him describe just HOW e-a-s-y it is for the powerful and privileged to dehumanize others. I have not been able to get it off my mind.
Bill Moyer's Journal, July 10, 2009, Transcript
In his first extended television interview since leaving the health insurance industry, Wendell Potter tells Bill Moyers why he left his successful career as the head of Public Relations for CIGNA, one of the nation's largest insurers, and decided to speak out against the industry.
Wendell Potter is doing a good thing, but his story turned my stomach. I listened to him explain that sick and dying people were "just numbers" to him and his colleagues in the insurance industry. I spoke out loud to the TV: "They will burn in Hell."
I don't believe in a literal Hell run by a red guy with horns, but I do not doubt the reality of spiritual consequences. People who have the power and the responsibility to alleviate suffering but choose to dismiss the needy as "just numbers" bring onto their own souls the most serious of consequences.
I'm not alone in my belief. The final straw came for Mr. Potter when he read JFK's Profiles In Courage:
. . . one of the president's . . . favorite quotes was a Dante quote that, "The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who, in times of moral crisis, maintain a neutrality." And when I read that, I said, "Oh, jeez, I--you know--I'm headed for that hottest place in hell, unless I say something."
Amen, Mr. Potter, and good for you for having the courage to face yourself and do the right thing.
People whose lives have been too easy often find it easy to dismiss the suffering of others. I've always believed that, but I never heard one of them say it until I saw this interview with Mr. Potter. It hit me hard to hear him describe just HOW e-a-s-y it is for the powerful and privileged to dehumanize others. I have not been able to get it off my mind.
Bill Moyer's Journal, July 10, 2009, Transcript
April 21, 2009
This and That: What's On My Mind
Life has been a bit crazy lately and I'm way overdue for a post. This will be a short one, but I have a few things on my mind:
- I discovered a great song today: Hero In Me (You Tube video) by Jeffrey Gaines. Gaines is a serious, thoughtful artist, and these lyrics blow me away.
- Speaking of finding the hero inside, I wonder if Dick Cheney ever had any hero in him. What an ass that man is. It turned my stomach to hear him say today that Al Qaeda was a "little known" organization prior to 9/11. Little known to him perhaps, but not to others, especially not to those who tried so hard to get a message through to people like Cheney who were too damned full of themselves to care. Oh, don't get me started.
- I'm reading an intriguing book called Jesus Against Christianity by Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer. He quotes Marcus Borg in saying that Christianity, especially in the US, is "massively idolatrous." I couldn't agree more.
- It's not just American Christianity that has gone horribly awry, the whole self-centered consumer culture has been unhealthy and unsustainable for a long time (maybe since the first Europeans set up shop on this continent--check out We Shall Remain on PBS). I recently listened to a series of lectures by Derek Jensen. He's another author/speaker who turns tradition on its head, and he does it with humor and smart social commentary. Unfortunately, Derek believes that anarchy and massive social destruction are the answer. In this case, I could not disagree more. From where I sit, we sure as hell don't need more suffering and chaos.
March 28, 2009
Iran and the US: Those "Family Values"
I have so many subjects I want to write about and so little time and energy to get them written, but this afternoon I'm putting it all aside to write about my experience in the moment. I'm watching CSPAN's Book TV. The program, which originally aired on 1/26/09, is called simply "Rick Steves." Mr. Steves is a travel writer who recently visited Iran because, he says, we should not bomb people we don't know.
As Steves shows slides and describes his experience, he compares and contrasts US and Iranian history, culture, and beliefs. He reminds us that for most adults in the US, the 1979 hostage crisis is a powerful influence on our ideas about Iran. For Iranians, events of 1953 have shaped their collective concept of the United States:
While US culture is saturated with consumerism and the free-market ideology, Iranian culture is saturated with theocracy and their version of "family values." Reminders of Iranian values are everywhere, just as ads are everywhere in the United States. Steves gives this example:
We call ourselves a Christian nation, but the words should stick in our throats. Politicians and citizens scream bloody murder over something so small as a meager increase in food stamps for the desperately poor, while bankers and corporate fat cats wallow in reprehensible excess on the public dole. The message is loud and clear:
Steves gives more examples of Iranian revolutionary values. Some sound good to Western ears; others, not so much. Billboards and posters proclaim "Death to America" at every turn. Steves' purpose is not to paint a rosy picture of Iran, but to give Westerners a framework with which to understand it. In the process, I hope he helps us understand something of ourselves. That is ultimately the more important but much more difficult task.
More on Rick Steves in Iran:
Rick Steves: Rick Travels to Iran
Salon.com: The Other Side of Rick Steves
KCTS Video: Rick Steves on Iran
As Steves shows slides and describes his experience, he compares and contrasts US and Iranian history, culture, and beliefs. He reminds us that for most adults in the US, the 1979 hostage crisis is a powerful influence on our ideas about Iran. For Iranians, events of 1953 have shaped their collective concept of the United States:
- In 1953, a democratically elected Prime Minister, Dr. Mohammad Mosedegh, governed Iran. Mosedegh nationalized Iran's oil. In response, the CIA overthrew the Prime Minister and re-instated a monarchy in the person of the Shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, so US oil companies could access and profit from Iranian oil.
While US culture is saturated with consumerism and the free-market ideology, Iranian culture is saturated with theocracy and their version of "family values." Reminders of Iranian values are everywhere, just as ads are everywhere in the United States. Steves gives this example:
- On every street corner in Tehran is a metal box, similar to a small mailbox, for depositing alms. On each box is written an admonition from the Prophet Mohammad to care for the poor.
<<>> <<>> <<>>
Right there, as I watched the program, I stood stunned. Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. What would happen to the American psyche if we had a box for alms on every street corner with this inscription:Sell what you have, give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.
or this:
Blessed are the poor, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
or this:
Blessed are the poor, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
We call ourselves a Christian nation, but the words should stick in our throats. Politicians and citizens scream bloody murder over something so small as a meager increase in food stamps for the desperately poor, while bankers and corporate fat cats wallow in reprehensible excess on the public dole. The message is loud and clear:
Blessed are the rich and powerful, for theirs is the wealth of the Empire.
and this:
Accumulate all that you can with no regard for your neighbor.
<<>> <<>> <<>>
and this:
Accumulate all that you can with no regard for your neighbor.
<<>> <<>> <<>>
Steves gives more examples of Iranian revolutionary values. Some sound good to Western ears; others, not so much. Billboards and posters proclaim "Death to America" at every turn. Steves' purpose is not to paint a rosy picture of Iran, but to give Westerners a framework with which to understand it. In the process, I hope he helps us understand something of ourselves. That is ultimately the more important but much more difficult task.
More on Rick Steves in Iran:
Rick Steves: Rick Travels to Iran
Salon.com: The Other Side of Rick Steves
KCTS Video: Rick Steves on Iran
July 6, 2008
Living While Intoxicated
I've decided to start issuing tickets to people who are Living While Intoxicated (LIW). The first goes to Mr. Bush, who is, of course, completely intoxicated with his silver-spoon life, tap dancing across the world's stage as if it were his very own.
Let me be clear: Living While Intoxicated is neither an excuse nor a defense for reckless and wanton disregard for the planet or its inhabitants. If I believe anything, I believe every human being must answer for how his or her life enhances or diminishes the rest of creation.
That is the prime directive.
June 2, 2008
Church on Monday at The Great Holy Temple
Many years ago, I was amply and adequately baptized for life: three times by immersion, one each for the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Yet today, I was baptized once again.
The service was perfect. The choir made my favorite music from lofty branches of lush old trees bordering the sanctuary. Leaves rustling in the wind and the sound of water pooling up from beneath the ground made peaceful accompaniment.
I lay on the ground, soaking up nourishing rays of sunlight, watching puffs of bright white clouds roll across a glorious blue sky. All of my senses received a message of peace and redemption from the chaos of mankind. No other place, no other experience, is so full of the Spirit that nurtures and gives life.
My beautiful hound, devoted companion, Samantha, filled her cheeks at the water pool; I closed my eyes and took a long, deep breath of fresh air. Without warning, Samantha bolted toward me, thrusting her snout in the air in grand celebration, splashing ice cold water across my face, arms, and legs, baptizing me into the everlasting faith of the Great Holy Temple of My Backyard.
The service was perfect. The choir made my favorite music from lofty branches of lush old trees bordering the sanctuary. Leaves rustling in the wind and the sound of water pooling up from beneath the ground made peaceful accompaniment.
I lay on the ground, soaking up nourishing rays of sunlight, watching puffs of bright white clouds roll across a glorious blue sky. All of my senses received a message of peace and redemption from the chaos of mankind. No other place, no other experience, is so full of the Spirit that nurtures and gives life.
My beautiful hound, devoted companion, Samantha, filled her cheeks at the water pool; I closed my eyes and took a long, deep breath of fresh air. Without warning, Samantha bolted toward me, thrusting her snout in the air in grand celebration, splashing ice cold water across my face, arms, and legs, baptizing me into the everlasting faith of the Great Holy Temple of My Backyard.
March 24, 2008
A Whole New Christianity
"Postmodernism is a change-or-be-changed world. The word is out: Reinvent yourself for the 21st century or die! Some would rather die than change." -Leonard Sweet, cultural historian.
Leonard Sweet is a futurist and leader in a movement called "The Emerging Church." This is not your mother's church. This heady stuff will give your brain a real workout, so dive in, if you dare. The following statements are excerpted from the introduction to his free online book, Quantum Spirituality:
Large segments of the Christian community . . . are in retreat, having disconnected from the
unprecedented, restructuring changes taking place all around them. The Christian mind is failing to comprehend the times, our times. This book aims to jolt Christians into a sense of their own time, out of their fashionable out-of-itness. For the God who exists beyond time is the God who lives, moves, and has being in this time.
If you are looking for a conventional, calculated treatment of topics related to spirituality, please pick up any number of good books racked together with this one on library stacks. “If you are going to understand anything as strange as quantum mechanics,” looking-glass physicist/philosopher David Bohm has remarked, “you have to be ready to consider some strange ideas.” The late physicist/mountain climber Heinz R. Pagels calls the current state of reality “quantum weirdness.” The modern mind will find in this book some weird notions and nervy possibilities.
Leonard Sweet is a futurist and leader in a movement called "The Emerging Church." This is not your mother's church. This heady stuff will give your brain a real workout, so dive in, if you dare. The following statements are excerpted from the introduction to his free online book, Quantum Spirituality:
Large segments of the Christian community . . . are in retreat, having disconnected from the
unprecedented, restructuring changes taking place all around them. The Christian mind is failing to comprehend the times, our times. This book aims to jolt Christians into a sense of their own time, out of their fashionable out-of-itness. For the God who exists beyond time is the God who lives, moves, and has being in this time.
If you are looking for a conventional, calculated treatment of topics related to spirituality, please pick up any number of good books racked together with this one on library stacks. “If you are going to understand anything as strange as quantum mechanics,” looking-glass physicist/philosopher David Bohm has remarked, “you have to be ready to consider some strange ideas.” The late physicist/mountain climber Heinz R. Pagels calls the current state of reality “quantum weirdness.” The modern mind will find in this book some weird notions and nervy possibilities.
March 20, 2008
The Great Shift: Racism
Political, social, economic, and religious structures are shifting like the movement of the great tectonic plates. We have a chance right now to make great strides for our country and our world.
The deep and devastating legacy of American racism has risen from a life-sucking undercurrent to a churning surface storm. If we are willing as a people to get in the boat together and ride this storm, we will prevail. We will find ourselves on the other side in a far better place.
Are you ready to move on or are you determined to hold us back? Stay behind if you choose, but move aside for those who are coming through.
The deep and devastating legacy of American racism has risen from a life-sucking undercurrent to a churning surface storm. If we are willing as a people to get in the boat together and ride this storm, we will prevail. We will find ourselves on the other side in a far better place.
Are you ready to move on or are you determined to hold us back? Stay behind if you choose, but move aside for those who are coming through.
March 16, 2008
Oh, Oprah....
Bless her heart, she means well; but sometimes she speaks about things she doesn't understand. Once I saw her interview a famous actress who went through a terrible depression and battled thoughts of taking her life. Oprah said she can't imagine having such thoughts.
The other day, I saw a video clip of Oprah with Eckert Tolle as they responded to a question on depression. Oprah said, "If you're depressed, it's because depression works for you." Oh, Oprah....
You know, some human beings are prone to adopting lovely, simplistic philosophies (that 'work' for them) and then measuring everybody and everything else through that belief system. I tend to think their lives have been too easy or their experiences too narrow.
No, Oprah, depression does not work for depressed people.
The other day, I saw a video clip of Oprah with Eckert Tolle as they responded to a question on depression. Oprah said, "If you're depressed, it's because depression works for you." Oh, Oprah....
You know, some human beings are prone to adopting lovely, simplistic philosophies (that 'work' for them) and then measuring everybody and everything else through that belief system. I tend to think their lives have been too easy or their experiences too narrow.
No, Oprah, depression does not work for depressed people.
November 19, 2006
Elaboration No. 2: The Death Penalty
There isn't much that annoys me more than hearing people equate abortion and the death penalty, as though they are morally and logically equivalent.
I respect people who believe that taking a life is never appropriate or justified, but I disagree. Like it or not, the human race is not that different from jungle animals. Two-legged and four-legged predators alike look for anything they see as weakness, passivity, or fear in potential victims. Predatory humans don't believe in your rights, your dignity, your worth. Some are determined to destroy life in the most devastating and savage ways.
In a civilized society, all participants are obliged to respect certain communal rights, especially the right to physical safety for all community members. If you willfully and mercilessly deprive others of life, then you willingly forfeit your own right to live among the rest of us--and that may include forfeiting life itself. The following quote, attributed to the U.S. Supreme Court, expresses it this way:
"... the decision that capital punishment may be the appropriate sanction in extreme cases is an expression of the community's belief that certain crimes are themselves so grievous an affront to humanity that the only adequate response may be the penalty of death."
That being said, it's even more egregious for a government to execute innocent citizens. I used to believe that it was virtually impossible for an innocent person to make it all the way to execution. I was wrong. From 1973 through 2006, 123 death-row inmates were exonerated. Furthermore, analysis of death penalty statistics demonstrates a disturbing racial bias. So, while I firmly believe that the concept of the death penalty is morally justifiable, our administration of it has been grossly unjust.
The hard facts force me to evaluate my position closely. Just today, I heard Tom Hayden speak on C-SPAN about the problems inherent in answering violence with violence. He made some interesting points that might apply to the death penalty. In any case, I cannot support the death penalty as it is currently administered. I have plenty of questions about how or if it can ever be administered with justice.
The following resources provide valuable data, ideas, and information on the issue:
Death Penalty Information Center
Testimony on Innocence and the Death Penalty, Illinois House of Representatives
Cornell Law School
I respect people who believe that taking a life is never appropriate or justified, but I disagree. Like it or not, the human race is not that different from jungle animals. Two-legged and four-legged predators alike look for anything they see as weakness, passivity, or fear in potential victims. Predatory humans don't believe in your rights, your dignity, your worth. Some are determined to destroy life in the most devastating and savage ways.
In a civilized society, all participants are obliged to respect certain communal rights, especially the right to physical safety for all community members. If you willfully and mercilessly deprive others of life, then you willingly forfeit your own right to live among the rest of us--and that may include forfeiting life itself. The following quote, attributed to the U.S. Supreme Court, expresses it this way:
"... the decision that capital punishment may be the appropriate sanction in extreme cases is an expression of the community's belief that certain crimes are themselves so grievous an affront to humanity that the only adequate response may be the penalty of death."
That being said, it's even more egregious for a government to execute innocent citizens. I used to believe that it was virtually impossible for an innocent person to make it all the way to execution. I was wrong. From 1973 through 2006, 123 death-row inmates were exonerated. Furthermore, analysis of death penalty statistics demonstrates a disturbing racial bias. So, while I firmly believe that the concept of the death penalty is morally justifiable, our administration of it has been grossly unjust.
The hard facts force me to evaluate my position closely. Just today, I heard Tom Hayden speak on C-SPAN about the problems inherent in answering violence with violence. He made some interesting points that might apply to the death penalty. In any case, I cannot support the death penalty as it is currently administered. I have plenty of questions about how or if it can ever be administered with justice.
The following resources provide valuable data, ideas, and information on the issue:
Death Penalty Information Center
Testimony on Innocence and the Death Penalty, Illinois House of Representatives
Cornell Law School
November 18, 2006
Elaboration No. 1: Abortion
After yesterday's exchange with Anonymous, I though I'd elaborate on my views on some issues I have not addressed previously, starting with abortion.
There are two issues I don't usually discuss with people: abortion and Chief Illiniwek. People get crazy and hostile about these topics. When emotions get that high, there is no chance of being heard, so I don't waste my energy in pointless debate. (How does Chief Illiniwek rise to the same emotional level as abortion for people who don't have a single drop of native blood? Don't ask me. They are passionate about their entertainment, I guess.)
My gut response to abortion is this: I don't get it. I've tried--I've thought, I've read, I've listened--but I cannot wrap my mind around it. How can people think it's OK to kill the most innocent of human life? Don't women feel a sense of bonding or love toward the life growing inside? Do people think it's simply a mass of tissue, not much different in value from the snot that comes out of your head when you have a cold? I'm not being a smart ass; I really, honestly don't understand. If the child's life doesn't begin at conception, when does it begin? (I once sat across a table from a man who was promoting the idea that parents should be allowed to kill children up to the age of 2. It made me physically ill to listen to this monstrous proposition.)
I understand being poor, being frightened and overwhelmed, having too many pressures and obligations, feeling (and being) incapable of parenting. I understand all of those things on a deep, personal level. Yet, my desire to nurture and protect the tiniest and most innocent of life somehow seems to trump those fears. But serious illness, rape, and incest present entirely different emotional and ethical problems. Should anyone dictate to others how they must respond in such dreadful situations?
The answers aren't as simple as the Roe v. Wade debate makes it seem. This is not a black-and-white matter. Ultimately, we are collectively responsible for the well being of women and children in our society. Yet, each problem pregnancy involves difficult personal decisions. Abortion is both an individual and a collective matter.
The issues are complicated. The problems are cultural and systemic. We don't adequately care for and support women with crisis pregnancies. We are ambivalent about birth control. We don't adequately care for and protect our children. We make adoption difficult and expensive. In many ways, we are a brutal culture.
From my perspective, aborting unwanted children is not an answer for societal ills; neither is criminalizing the desperate acts of women who feel trapped and hopeless. But we aren't willing to take on the harder, more fundamental issues, the issues for which we are all responsible. Until we do, real solutions will evade us.
There are two issues I don't usually discuss with people: abortion and Chief Illiniwek. People get crazy and hostile about these topics. When emotions get that high, there is no chance of being heard, so I don't waste my energy in pointless debate. (How does Chief Illiniwek rise to the same emotional level as abortion for people who don't have a single drop of native blood? Don't ask me. They are passionate about their entertainment, I guess.)
My gut response to abortion is this: I don't get it. I've tried--I've thought, I've read, I've listened--but I cannot wrap my mind around it. How can people think it's OK to kill the most innocent of human life? Don't women feel a sense of bonding or love toward the life growing inside? Do people think it's simply a mass of tissue, not much different in value from the snot that comes out of your head when you have a cold? I'm not being a smart ass; I really, honestly don't understand. If the child's life doesn't begin at conception, when does it begin? (I once sat across a table from a man who was promoting the idea that parents should be allowed to kill children up to the age of 2. It made me physically ill to listen to this monstrous proposition.)
I understand being poor, being frightened and overwhelmed, having too many pressures and obligations, feeling (and being) incapable of parenting. I understand all of those things on a deep, personal level. Yet, my desire to nurture and protect the tiniest and most innocent of life somehow seems to trump those fears. But serious illness, rape, and incest present entirely different emotional and ethical problems. Should anyone dictate to others how they must respond in such dreadful situations?
The answers aren't as simple as the Roe v. Wade debate makes it seem. This is not a black-and-white matter. Ultimately, we are collectively responsible for the well being of women and children in our society. Yet, each problem pregnancy involves difficult personal decisions. Abortion is both an individual and a collective matter.
The issues are complicated. The problems are cultural and systemic. We don't adequately care for and support women with crisis pregnancies. We are ambivalent about birth control. We don't adequately care for and protect our children. We make adoption difficult and expensive. In many ways, we are a brutal culture.
From my perspective, aborting unwanted children is not an answer for societal ills; neither is criminalizing the desperate acts of women who feel trapped and hopeless. But we aren't willing to take on the harder, more fundamental issues, the issues for which we are all responsible. Until we do, real solutions will evade us.
We prefer the simple answers, don't we?
November 6, 2006
The Rev. Haggard Story
Wow.... There's a guy in pain. Rev. Haggard must have a lot of self-hate to place himself in the position of a powerful evangelical minister, trying in desperation to deny that he is gay, declaring that homosexuality is sinful, denouncing his own feelings as evil. So, he turns in secrecy to a prostitute. It's easy to believe that he also may have indulged in the drugs to ease his anguish. I can't help but feel compassion for him, even though in his denial and self-delusion, he spread his pain to many, many people. He needs a great deal of help, and I hope he can allow himself reach out to those who can help him find healing and acceptance.
May 6, 2006
Homecoming for Troops
Over 200 troops returned to our community from Iraq two days ago. They served in the heart of the action in Bagdad and Falujah. Organizers planned a welcome-home parade for that morning. I chose not to go because I was tired and the events were to be covered on local radio. Very bad decision.
The celebration proved to be the most exciting community event in many, many years. Most of those who attended shed tears and felt a part of something very special. It's no surprise. There is something spiritual about a community gathering together to celebrate. We've lost so much sense of community in this country. We're in dire need of things that bring us together in meaningful ritual.
This particular celebration was all about surviving the bitter and the savoring the sweet together. It was so much more than a welcome home. It was life at its bitter sweetest.
The celebration proved to be the most exciting community event in many, many years. Most of those who attended shed tears and felt a part of something very special. It's no surprise. There is something spiritual about a community gathering together to celebrate. We've lost so much sense of community in this country. We're in dire need of things that bring us together in meaningful ritual.
This particular celebration was all about surviving the bitter and the savoring the sweet together. It was so much more than a welcome home. It was life at its bitter sweetest.
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