Mary Flattered Me...

...with the suggestion that I post this entry from my journal:

How do I know for certain that this is not heaven? Or hell? In what is my perception grounded and can that worldview be empirically verified as actual? This works only when we acknowledge that empiricism, too, has its limitations. It is, after all, human. Like children with a magnificently super-powerful toy we have played with science without spiritual or moral constraint and that has predictably brought us to the precipice of modern civilization. Corporations don’t have souls. And to be soulless has throughout the ages been considered evil. We still have not answered the question of what it means to be human. As a result, we have relinquished the unknown to soulless corporations that are accountable not to human needs but instead to markets of ever-expanding description. Corporations don’t care about humans in any other respect than their ability to generate profit. The ideal is generating enough revenue by whatever means to not go in the red at which time the human becomes a liability rather than an asset and must be taken care of. Taken care of, that is, by restoring profitability at any cost, even human.

Goodbye, Linda

It must be good karma to be missed so very much. Quietly, assuredly, right to the end, you devoted your gifts and talents to helping those who are in such great need. I wish that I could ask you what heaven is like because there’s no doubt in my mind that that’s where you now are. May the blessed peace of the saints be upon you as you join their communion with the something that is everything. Amen.

About Authority

I have a real problem with authority. Anyone who has found themselves in the unfortunate position of being my superior will no doubt claim this as the world’s greatest understatement. My attitude toward authority goes back almost as far as I can remember, and rather than taking the traditional route of blaming my parents for improper toilet training, etc, I’m going to blame it on Jesus. I personally have been unable to read any of the four gospels without finding evidence that he, too, had a real problem with authority. Not just any authority, but the kind that is not justified. Let me see if I can explain.

Gravity has a universal authority on the planet Earth. Humankind has found ways around that authority, but it nonetheless applies to everyone equally. This is in contrast to the “because I told you so” brand of authority. I’ll admit to hours on the therapist’s couch—usually at the insistence of someone who was displeased with my insubordinate attitude—and one of the first insights I gained from that process was that everybody puts their pants (or pantyhose) on one leg at a time. I first experienced that truth when learning about Jesus. His “superiors” reportedly often asked, “By what authority is he saying or doing these things?” Such as having the audacity to tell the commoners that they were just as important in God’s eyes as those who assume positions of authority because of their "superiority".

So, my argument is not with universal authority, but with that which is contrived. The kind of authority that I rebel against is that which considers itself as superior and me as inferior; e.g. you must obey me because I am your superior. In a world where there’s no shortage of super-egoism, this paradigm quickly becomes one of oppression that inevitably deteriorates into violence. Again, in the four gospel texts which provide our fundamental understanding of Jesus of Nazareth--later to be proclaimed the Christ--I cannot find any example of him telling his friends and disciples that he was superior to them. Instead, he considered himself their equal, one of them. Now, that’s my kind of authority.

If You Don’t Do What I Want…

…I will kill you. I’ve puzzled over what constitutes power and authority among us humans, and I think I’ve finally arrived at an answer. As I study the history of civilization and apply it our contemporary world, I end up with a fundamental proposition of kill or be killed. We’ve piled prettiness and fanciness on top of this ugly truth in order to disguise it, but I am now convinced that it holds true in either the literal or figurative sense. While war violently practices the literal interpretation, the figurative is, of course, far more subtle and abstract. If you are not doing what I want you to do, and “civilized” behavior won’t allow me to physically end your life, that does not mean that I can’t resort to emotional and psychological tactics like saying, “You are dead to me.” The utter irony of Christianity is that it has adopted and practiced this tactic despite that fact that it’s utterly antithetical to the teachings of Jesus. So, learn what Jesus taught or be damned to hell!

Tuesday’s Rumination

It’s one of those days when I don’t seem to know what to write about. Just when I’m beginning to think that Incite really is just my own personal monologue, up pop two comments on yesterday’s post about how wonderful marriage can be. So, is that the direction I should be taking to stimulate a virtual dialogue? I’m tempted to cite the many factors and variables that can affect a marriage, but anyone who’s married already knows that. I’m tempted to offer my opinion that one’s worldview is the fundamental determinant of how any human relationships go, but then I’m getting all theological (philosophical with God mixed in) and that, for the most part, has not stirred reader reaction. I’ve written about my thoughts on love and justice (both of which are critical elements of a good marriage) without much response (I do want to know who you are that sometimes disagrees with me). I’ll admit that it’s primarily my ego at stake, but I have developed this lofty rationalization that our species may not have a lot more time left to figure out how we’re going to successfully live with one another as the geographic boundaries of our planet are made increasingly smaller by an ever-advancing technology. I feel like crying every time I see what’s going on in the Gulf of Mexico right now, partly because it emphasizes (in my mind, at least) the critical need for We the People to take our nation back—not just from the government but from the corporations that obviously own the government. So much to do. So little time.

A Perfect Day

As of yesterday, Mary and I have been married for thirty-nine years. Although I didn’t realize it at the time, I grew up in a family where marriage was spoken of with sarcasm and ridicule. Now I understand that when a marriage isn’t good that finds expression in any number of ridiculing and demeaning ways. I thank God every day that I’m so blessed as to share life with my very best friend. Yeah, I guess Mary is my BFF. After four decades together we still enjoy each other’s company, have things to talk about, and share in the blessing of having raised our beautiful daughters. I am well aware that this isn’t the way it goes for a lot of people, and for them I am genuinely sorry—sorry that they will never know the joy of two hearts made one by the spirit of love. I know that sounds like a schmaltzy old man talking but, hey! I’m the lucky one who’s been married for the last thirty-nine years.

Learning My Place

The lesson I apparently need to learn in my sixties is acceptance. I’ve been submitting job applications online to Larimer County, Colorado (kudos for their excellent, user-friendly program!) so that Mary and I can hasten our move to Fort Collins. “We are sorry to inform you that your application…is no longer being considered because you did not meet the minimum qualifications for the position.” Or, “We are sorry to inform you that your application…was not accepted by the hiring department because other candidates were better qualified for the position.” That one smarted a bit because I was applying for the same position I currently hold in Clark County. I guess they really did check my references. And as for those minimum qualifications: high school diploma and breathing. Anyway, I can’t blame anyone for not wanting to hire a sick, tired old man. It was announced by my current employer that the Front Desk and Intake functionalities are being merged, something I proposed nearly a year ago that was met with incredulity. Ideas have credence only when they come from superior, not inferior, minds (we’ve already covered that I don’t have covered parking). I think that there are some feed lots around Fort Collins. I’m going to find a refresher course in shoveling shit and then apply.

PS
On a much, much happier note, congratulations to Rachel and Steve on their 4th wedding anniversary. Keep up the good fight, you guys!

The Dalai Lama Thinks It Can Spur World Peace!

If you haven’t already, I would encourage you to read Maia Szalavitz’s article, How to Deprogram Bullies: Teaching Kindness 101. Just when I’m beginning to let myself see the glass as half empty along comes a report like this that offers a sense of genuine hope for our future. I am not surprised that with the demise of institutions like the church and the nuclear family, public schools are being looked to as our last best hope to inspire humankind to be all it can be (Mary and I have discussed this phenomenon at length and share the concern that public education is being undermined by all the “anti-socialist” rhetoric that the extreme Right feels so free to throw around). I’m beginning to think that the argument against socialism is that it’s cooperative rather than competitive and I’ve already expressed my opinion about how embracing competition is antithetical to the great religious traditions around the globe. Anyway, I think that this article is well worth reading and I hope that it incites the same spark of hope in you that it does in me.

PS
I offer my sympathy to Mom for the loss of her feline companion of eleven years. I have waxed philosophical about death, but I know of no cure for the sense of loss experienced by those who survive. Clint was a good cat and we will miss him.

Getting Uglier By the Day

It’s another beautiful day in Las Vegas. The temperatures this month have been cooler than normal; there have been some very strong winds, but all that is forgotten on days such as this. I awoke this morning after an uninterrupted night’s sleep, showered with plenty of clean, hot water, downed a breakfast shake lovingly prepared by Mary, and headed toward steady employment on a multiple lane freeway in my Prius. I must be the man who has everything! I’m sure that’s the way at least three-quarters of the world population would see me. But I’m an American. So woven into the blissful start to this day were myriads of commercial messages intended to make me believe that I want—no, that I must have!—more. This is what makes America #1, right? This is what makes us superior, right? Our lifestyle exceeds most of the rest of the world and yet we are convinced that our future happiness depends upon acquiring more than we already have. Our greed has caused innumerable problems and yet we have arranged things in such a way that we don’t have to see it that way. My drive to work this morning was in a minute way responsible for the toxic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. My fat gut that hardly fits into my pants anymore is in a minute way at the expense of the millions who are starving. I flush my bowel movements with more water than many people have available for cooking and drinking. Eugene Burdick and William Lederer wrote of The Ugly American back in 1958, but in the forty-two years since I seem to have done little more than become uglier yet. I am in sore need of some prayerful introspection.

Taking Myself Down a Notch or Two

Here’s a happy little factoid I ran across in this week’s issue of TIME: 41% of women who gave birth in 2008 were not married, the highest number ever recorded. To those of us who do what I do, this is no surprise. If you weren’t already aware, unmarried females are capable of getting pregnant and giving birth. Male sperm is still required, but you can apparently get that just about anywhere. I’ve been concerned with our values for a long time now, but the extremists have been getting quite of bit of press lately for their campaign to restore America’s values. By this, they apparently mean the “right” to bear arms (concealed or not) anywhere they wish, the “rights” of unborn fetuses, and the “right” to dissemble the very government that gives them their rights. I’ll admit that I feel superior to these, what Keith Olbermann calls idiots, but that unfortunately puts all of us who feel that way on the same page. So, here’s my challenge: get over my damnably smug sense of superiority so that I can open my eyes to what we all have in common, what equalizes us, if you will. I know their side isn’t ever going to lose a moment’s thought on such a proposition, but that isn’t going to excuse me from trying. Damn, it’s hard to be humble when you’re as great as I am (from a t-shirt I bought in high school).

What Would Constantine Do?

Three centuries of persecution came to an end for early Christians when Constantine interpreted his vision of the cross as a sign of victory in an upcoming battle, and voila! Christianity became legalized in the Roman Empire. I wonder how Constantine might be affected by his vision of what’s happening in the Gulf of Mexico right now. Bryan Walsh writes in this week’s issue of TIME, “The next step is to put in place truly comprehensive energy and climate legislation, laws that could slap a price of some sort on fossil fuels while channeling serious funds toward clean-energy research and deployment. Whether in the form of a tax, cap-and-trade or some other mechanism, pricing carbon has long been a nonstarter in Washington, but that needs to change.”

We lived through the oil shortage of the early 70s, watched the Exxon Valdez fiasco in 1989, and are now witnessing the horrific events as they unfold in the Gulf of Mexico. And yet, I’m still driving around in a car that uses gasoline, still consuming electricity that is generated by fossil fuels (although Las Vegas does benefit some from the hydroelectric generated at Hoover Dam), and still behaving like I’m the only one on the planet who is deserving of all this. When are we going to wake up? When are we going to grow up? When are we going to evolve into enlightened, rational creatures that are created a little lower than the angels? I guess we need a sign.

The Least of These

The paradox of moving past the human urge to be superior and not inferior is rarely spoken of in these exact terms. To begin with, it is considered reasonable by those who even stop to think about it, and it is safe to say that the majority of humans don’t even give it any conscious thought. We want to be the best, but we never stop to ask why. The superior-inferior dichotomy is so pervasive among the species as to be considered “natural”. When something like Kohlberg’s research on moral development is applied, the compulsion to be superior could simply be the result of not wanting to be inferior. I mean, really! Who want’s to be inferior? No one. And since equality seems to be such an abstraction, the more concrete inferiority-avoidance seems best achieved by superiority. As I have said, it’s in our DNA. Enlightened educators (like Mary) have long realized that cooperation is a fundamentally more effective paradigm for teaching and learning, and yet academia is the bulwark of competition. Everything about our society is about rewarding superiority and treating inferiority, well, as inferior. I confess that it is my employment that got me to thinking about this whole thing a little more seriously, because the numbers prove that I’m inferior. It’s not a good feeling, and it would feel better if someone more proficient than me reached out with a helping hand to bring me along. Instead, it’s the dog-eat-dog world of superiority vanquishing inferiority by defeating and eliminating it. Perhaps this is as it should be, but I am at a loss to understand how it is going to make for a more peaceful and loving world. Jesus may have just been full of it.

To Just or Not to Just?

Do you like to be treated fairly? So do I. Does it bother you to be treated unfairly? Me, too. This, in a nutshell, explains why justice and injustice are topics that we should think about daily. I don’t know where I came by my fascination with precedence, but I feel as if I am able to trace virtually every injustice to a precedent that somehow established it as acceptable. Part of being a moral person is an ongoing awareness of the distinction between good and evil, right and wrong, and then integrating that understanding into the way I behave. I will not, however, have to look too far to discover a precedent that manages to challenge the veracity of the original choice. Why did I do that? Because Johnny did it first. Did Johnny do the right thing? That doesn’t seem to matter as much as that he did it first. I should warn you that this habit of determining what is just and what is unjust is problematic because it can quickly devolve into judgment. The ethic of mutual reciprocity (e.g. The Golden Rule) does not afford the luxury of judging others. I will treat others fairly because I like being treated fairly. End of story! I’m not being fair because it makes me superior, nor does it make someone who acts unfairly inferior. Unless something is done to turn it around, the human population of planet Earth is unflinchingly marching toward SRO (standing room only). It may not seem so important right now to be a proponent of justice and an adversary of injustice, but when we’re bumping into someone every time we turn around it will be crucial.

Speaking of Mothers

My post yesterday was significantly influenced by what I do for a living. Having now been a family support specialist for over 11 years has, I’m quite sure, jaundiced my outlook on the state of the American family. I do hope that there are happier, united families out there than the kind that daily pass across my desk. My second assessment today included a woman who is a custodian for 14 children fathered by 11 different men. While this is an extreme example, I cannot help but imagine that those fourteen kids have some pretty screwed up ideas about the value of human life, including their own. I know it’s all the rage to picket clinics and hold legislation hostage to pro-life ideology, but if these people are really so fired up about the sacredness of life in the womb, why aren’t they out working their butts off for all the unwanted children who have already been born? Hypocrisy just doesn’t seem to work that way. Anway, I don’t think anyone will have to look to far for an opportunity to offer a word or act of encouragement that might just help the recipient better understand and then come to believe that they truly are a child of God.

Mother's Day, 2010

I’m still suffering the consequences of having adored and glorified my mother in a previous post, and that is affecting what I choose to say this Mother’s Day, 2010. The grace in such a situation is that on this day when I honor and celebrate the life of my mother it is in the context of our whole society having chosen to do that very thing for all mothers everywhere, yea, for motherhood itself. The biology of motherhood is fundamental and irrefutable. There is no human alive that did not come to this plane of existence except through its mother. Technology is knocking at the door of trying to perhaps change all that, although there is a certain folly that results from attempts to imitate or manipulate the Creator. Someday people will perhaps look back with a knowing smile on their faces at this time when it was thought that the process of new human life entering the world by way of the female womb could be improved upon, mildly amused by the creature’s attempt to become the Creator. From its mother a new life senses from the moment of birth the worth and value its mother holds for it. That is a seminal experience we carry with us for the rest of our lives, an experience that cannot thus far be artificially replicated or duplicated. The hierarchy of needs put forth by Maslow predicts the amount of discretionary esteem the mother has to offer the child; so, meeting as many of the mother’s needs as possible just makes sense. The critical importance of the mother to the development of the child is undeniable, and the relationship is unique to that mother and that child. If we are to live up to our higher callings, human beings in general will honor and respect all mothers as the life and caregivers that determine the very nature of what it means to be human.

Where Are We Going?

Inequity and injustice are, in my opinion, closely related. I extend my apology to the eight of you who flatter me my following this blog for belaboring the point, but I’m really beginning to believe that this old world of ours may be on the verge of collapse. Obviously I’m not speaking about planet Earth because it will survive our human invasion, but I’m instead talking about the human population which has devised geography as a way of separating rather than uniting itself. If the human experiment is to avoid extinction it will begin with a species-wide examination of just exactly what it means to be human. Scientific empiricism may be our last best hope to approach the topic objectively rather than subjectively. Let me offer an example of what I mean. How do we humans define “progress”? Dictionary.com first defines it as “a movement toward a goal or to a further or higher stage: the progress of a student toward a degree.” I have no argument with that definition, but I will challenge us to think about what constitutes a further or higher stage. The Twentieth-Century was all about “progress.” But was it really? Take the automobile, for example. Look at what it’s done to our environment and economy in the last century. The same can be said for airplanes, television, almost all of the technological “advancements” we all enjoy. We had better enjoy them to their fullest while we still have the chance, because it’s beginning to look like what we considered progress has actually been contributing to our eventual demise. I invite you to join me (and, God forbid, join in the conversation) in exploring what genuine progress for humankind might look like.

You Wanna Bet?

As Americans we are encouraged to be the best that we can be. But to what end? The name of the game is competition which literally means to strive to outdo another. Competition is to determine winners and losers, to distinguish the superior from the inferior. Competition is the evolutionary mechanism for survival of the fittest. Competition is in our genes (along with many other animalistic traits). Cooperation is just the opposite. Cooperation consists of working together for a common purpose, the dreaded win-win situation so incomprehensible to competitors. When I was studying the behavioral sciences it was posited that humans replaced instinct with reason. If there’s any truth to such a notion, in my mind it raises the question of whether or not competition is truly human, or whether the hallmark of humanity is cooperation. As a tired old former pastor, I don’t find an ounce of competition in the gospel that has been transmitted to us. I can only imagine that is the reason that most Americans have had to devise a new, competitive interpretation of Christianity (it’s not just us; it dates as far back as Constantine’s interpretation of his vision of the cross as a sign that he would be victorious in battle). I guess this will need to be my next addendum to Paul’s words on love: love is not competitive.

A Parking Lot Parable

There once was an organization that had many employees who drove to and from work each day. As they arrived at the building where they worked there were strict rules governing where they were to park. The important people (we will call them superior) had assigned parking spaces under shaded porticoes. The less important people (we will call them inferior) grabbed on a first-come basis whatever spot was left in the broiling sun. The superiors made it extraordinarily clear that the inferiors would be penalized if they failed to know and keep their place in the scheme of things. This is called discrimination.

My dear friend, Gladys, often told me as her pastor that while we are admonished not to judge, that doesn’t mean we should not discern. As I’ve pondered her words, I like to think that I’ve come to a little clearer understanding of what she meant. Discernment, or distinguishing, is an innate human trait of identifying the differences that exist among all things. Discrimination, or judgment, however, places that seemingly innocuous value judgment which makes the difference good or bad.

My own little addendum to Paul’s essay on love (I Corinthians 13) is this: love does not discriminate. The people who will have the hardest time understanding this are those who deem themselves superior.

Failed Yet Again

I’ve just perused the current edition and, once again, I am not included in the TIME 100. Because the annual theme is intended to highlight the most influential people in the world, I must assume that it is important to aspire to be on it. Alas, I have done little or nothing that would place me in that category. With a world population of 6,823,977,789, 100 people is the very definition of elite. I’ve tried all year to be a good son, good husband, good father, good employee, etc, but apparently my attempts have not been good enough. It would interesting to see how the scriptural text might read were it contemporaneously composed, but not knowing about the 100 most influential left poor Jesus with nothing to commend but the least of these. In truth, I suspect that had the Nazarene access to such a list he would still have been an advocate for the ordinariness of the common people. Therefore, I shall avail myself of what Karl Marx decried as the opiate of the masses and let myself believe the gospel even if I didn’t make the list.