“Conservativism” and “Liberalism”

 We’re hearing the labels “liberal” and “conservative” a lot lately. That’s something new in our culture. I don’t remember those terms being used so much in the past. When we label something (or someone), we tend to solidify within them whatever that label implies. And we tend to harden the lines that exist between them and those who have different labels. It becomes like a judgement—something God forbids, for very good reasons. Labeling tends to make us lose sight of what we share in common (the brotherhood and sisterhood of the human family) and focus, instead, on those heinous differences.  Attacking, criticizing and condemning what we fear or hate in another does not tend to bring enlightenment in those areas. On the contrary, it tends to evoke entrenchment and defensiveness—walls that prevent new insight. We have the opportunity to discern and embrace the best aspects of liberalism and conservatism, while renouncing the worst aspects of them. The best aspects of liberalism might be described as healthy flexibility and openness to new and better ways of doing things. A certain freedom from rigid dogmatism. A willingness to think outside the box. The worst aspects of liberalism manifest as a demand for rights and entitlements that are not conducive to the common good, and do not represent true freedom, even though they may have the external trappings of it. Also, in the worst of liberalism, there is a need to suppress any voice that disagrees with its precepts (a dynamic that, thankfully, our Constitution has put up a wall to protect against). One of the best aspects of conservatism is its efforts to keep us rooted in what has been proven to be good for the human family—those tried and true pillars of faith, family and individual freedom from governmental tyranny (a very real, perennial threat, as history and current world events attest—but not something to be feared). Also, the best of conservatism holds us to compassionate individual responsibility, and it seeks to avoid the weakness of dependence on enabling, “bleeding heart” governance, which tilts the balance of power toward government and away from the individual. Tyrants want people to be dependent upon them. The worst of conservatism is its dogmatic, self-righteous tendencies toward rigid theocracy. Hate/fear-fueled violence are pathological aspects on both extremes of liberalism and conservatism. I pray (and I hope you do also) that we can embrace the positive aspects of “liberalism” and “conservatism” and move beyond the divisive and pathological aspects of their extremes. The Love of Christ can and will guide us in this endeavor.

The Bible and Culture

 

When children are not taught certain basics from the Bible they become vulnerable to a host of personality distortions that erode the culture that they comprise. These basics have been a part of American culture for most of its existence, up to and including my parents and grandparents. I learned Scripture verses in high school in central Alabama--something I’m pretty sure couldn’t happen now. Here are some examples of those principles or truths, and results of their fading from the culture:

1. The Bible says to “add to faith, virtue, to virtue knowledge,” and etc to “love” [2 Pet 5]. We dive right in at “knowledge” and neglect to teach our kids that there is a God/Creator of this universe Who loves them more than their parents love them, and Who loves everyone else neither less nor more than them. And He expects us to Love each other.
We neglect to teach them what used to be called the “social graces”; honor for parents; respect for elders; kindness to peers. Without respect for their elders they cannot benefit from the wisdom of those elders. Every teacher knows that you cannot teach a child who doesn’t respect you. Their peers thus become, instead of brothers and sisters, competitors for the accolades and rewards of the world, from which they derive their self-esteem.

2. Children are not taught that they have a sinful nature: certain aspects of their personality that are NOT GOOD and must be overcome through diligent effort and prayer. Parents fear damaging the child’s “self-esteem” [a certain idol] by teaching the truth of the sinful nature; or the parents have not been taught that fundamental truth about themselves and therefore cannot pass it to their children. They [the parents] will then sometimes even defend their children against well-meaning adults [teachers] who try to point out these character defects in their children. Children therefore hurt others unknowingly or without remorse. People lack humility to the point of arrogance and youth believe that they are wiser than their elders. The culture reflects and amplifies this. They are unfulfilled, and since they have not been taught that the human family has a common spiritual enemy who is not “flesh”, they tend to seek out [unconsciously] a person, political party, nation or ethnic group who must be to blame, and rally against that person or group. This becomes a replacement for true meaning in life, which is only ultimately derived in the Love of Christ for all humans.

3. Children who are being raised by parents who are two or three generations removed from these fundamental principles are not delighted in as the gifts from God that they truly are because the parents are so invaded by the parasites of darkness that they are incapable of loving their children. These children, bereft of Love, become scavengers in the world, trying to find it in all the wrong places [usually]. The Church, in its rightful place, is calling out to these in the Love of Christ—the only Source of healing.

4. As the culture drifts farther and farther away from the Spirit, the words pointing to the Truth sound more and more foreign--”religious”, passe, out of place and undesirable in a culture rushing in the opposite direction. Those who are walking in some degree of Truth tend to be embarrassed to speak it because of the culture’s condescending view of it. They wimp out, like Peter, and deny Him in the atmosphere of ridicule. It takes courage and strength [and especially a strong Love] to stand against the flow of culture. [This is the story of Jeremiah.]

As always, the simple solution is Christ—His Love. But in this distracted, noisy culture, who is paying any serious attention to that.

Simple Pleasures

 

Here’s a list of a few things to help you enjoy the simple pleasures of life:

1. Walk outside and look carefully at your yard without thinking about the stuff that needs to be done in it.

2. Take a little time to notice how good it is to have a climate-controlled place to live with running hot and cold water and inside toilets—and so many other amazing amenities that would astound our ancestors.

3. When you are with or around a child, try to get completely out of your world and totally into theirs.

4. Sit silently for a few minutes and just feel your aliveness. Feel the life that is inside you—the life that you are.

5. Make sure that you have compassion and good will in your heart toward all the people in your life.

6. Notice how good it feels to laugh with someone or enjoy something with them. We are not alone!

7. When you shower or bathe, take your time. Get the water just right. Change the temp for a different feeling. Pretend that you just spent a week camping in the desert and this is your first bath.

8. Celebrate the magnificent organism that you call your body. Don’t allow yourself to label it “fat” or unhealthy in any way, even if there are some “problems” with it. Instead recognize how marvelous it is. Think of it as your masterfully made vehicle through this brief earth visit, enabling you to feel, see, smell, taste, communicate and interact in countless ways with this temporary world.

9. Think about all the people who have loved you—and still do. Let their love feel in you the same way that you want your love to feel in them. Can you feel it? It’s all the same Love!

Biden Speech [fantasy]

 

The speech I wish President Biden would make regarding the Russia-Ukraine situation:

My fellow Americans and people of the world:

In light of the recent insinuations regarding the use of nuclear weapons by V. Putin, I feel that it is incumbent to be clear about where America stands. Mr Putin accurately stated that America is the only nation that has released the dreadful power of a nuclear attack—against Japan, destroying two of her cities. We did this in response to Japan’s attack at Pearl Harbor. At that time Japan was ruled by its military and Emperor Hirohito, an absolute monarch. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Admiral Yamamoto was accurate when he stated his “fear that we have awakened a sleeping giant.” The American response was to arise into what some have called the “Greatest Generation”. America used these weapons when its sovereign soil was under attack by a foreign nation and when there was no threat of an all-out nuclear war on this planet. We did not use these weapons to procure more territory for ourselves. Japan remains a sovereign nation today, a thriving democracy and a great friend of America. America does not use it’s military power to invade and occupy sovereign nations. We use our power, when feasible, to protect the nations and people of the earth from tyrannical power that is toxic to those people. We believe in government “of, by and for the people.” But we do not force this upon any nation. At the time of Japan’s surrender, General MacArthur, aboard the USS Missouri, spoke for all American’s when he said:

“It is my earnest hope and indeed the hope of all mankind that from this solemn occasion a better world shall emerge out of the blood and carnage of the past—a world founded upon faith and understanding—a world dedicated to the dignity of man and the fulfillment of his most cherished wish – for freedom, tolerance and justice.”

He later stated in a radio address, standing in the ominous shadow of those bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki:

“If we do not now devise some greater and more equitable system [to provide for world peace] Armageddon will be at our door. The problem basically is theological and involves a spiritual recrudescence and improvement of human character that will synchronize with our almost matchless advances in science, art, literature, and material and cultural developments of the past two thousand years. It must be of the spirit if we are to save the flesh.”

He was speaking for all Americans and all freedom-loving people of the earth. The “spirit” he indicated was the Spirit of Love, Truth, Tolerance, Justice and Good Will toward all the people of the earth—the Human Family. The spirit that had birthed the War, as is always the case, was a spirit of power and greed for more material and territorial gain. Our wise Founders were wary of this spirit of power, and they worked diligently to formulate a government that could protect itself from it. That is why the Constitution has a “balance of power” woven into its fabric. We call upon all the leaders of the nations of this earth to recognize the subtle and corruptive nature of power, and discipline themselves to maintain a motive of freedom and tolerance so that all people can live free from fear and tyranny. We call upon all the people of the earth to exercise their freedom in a spirit of equanimity and good will toward others, living out the reality of the “Golden Rule”. We call upon all the religious communities to evolve beyond hatred and self-righteousness and toward a genuine Love for one’s fellow man, whether we agree with their doctrines and practices or not. We believe that tyranny is doomed to failure because humans innately value self-rule and freedom over authoritarian domination by fear. And we believe that we are evolving toward a more enlightened, and peaceful world in which the saber-rattling threat of nuclear weapons is considered unnecessary, regressive and immature. May God bless us all as we each do our individual best to preserve all that is good and transcend the darkness that lurks in all our hearts. May God bless America. And may God bless all the peoples of this earth, whom He Loves.

Hope and Choices

 

I looked at the waxing moon in all her glorious beauty, thinking of how her presence makes our lives possible, creates our ocean tides, the inspirational and calming mother-light she provides. Knowing that her light is a reflection of that greater light, she reminded me: “No matter how dark things are on your side of this earth, the sun is still shining.”

As I was watering my outside plants it occurred to me that I could think about what I was going to do next [after watering the plants] [the future] or I could think about something that has happened in the past or some difficulties that I’m facing in my family [the past or current problems] etc. Or I could just focus on watering my plants. The fact that I had a CHOICE is what really struck me. I could CHOOSE what I wanted to think about, or think of nothing at all –just BE. It seems very important that we be in touch with the self that makes a decision about what to think about. Otherwise we are “lost in our thoughts”; and frequently they don’t take us into good places. The Bible says some things about thoughts, and we do very well to understand what it says. If I don’t take some agency over my thoughts—if I am not aware that there is a self who is distinct from those thoughts and who can willfully shift them—then my thoughts will drag me through life wherever they randomly go.

Immunity

 

I noticed, amid the flurry of thoughts crowding my mind, that six cardinals were peacefully foraging in my yard. I remembered that another one, perhaps one of these, had nested with fledglings under the eave of my grill shed. My mind focused intently on these lovely, peaceful birds and, as if that awareness was a portal to a higher realm, my thoughts flew quickly and deeply into the grandeur of the universe, and I was immediately in touch with my freedom. Bringing my mind back to the birds, I imagined the idyllic lives they live—so peacefully simple. Immediately though I remembered that they have predators also—cats, snakes, hawks, owls, etc.. We feel relieved when we contemplate our rise above the ancient ones who lived in caves and feared the saber-toothed tiger. No material predators for us! We are at the apex of life on the planet! But, along with the microscopic predators that attack us, we realize that we have other unseen predators—predators of the soul. We have a certain darkness that lurks within us, like a virus. And we never know who is carrying it, or how much, or how it might manifest toward us or, worse, through us. We never know when there might be an outbreak—like Nazism or the Rowandan genocide. Historically, this predator has done some damage in the human family. And like flu or covid viruses, it never completely dies out; it just lies dormant in all our hearts, until the immune system gets weak—then it breaks out.

But we know now—some of us---about the Vaccine; the one that is 100% effective. It guards us against all spiritual predation, even the fear of an outbreak. We don’t need a mask. Our life is not hampered in any way; in fact we are freer than we ever were before the Vaccine. Those who have received the Vaccine know exactly what I’m speaking of. To those who haven’t I would say “Hey man! Receive the Vaccine. Protect yourself and your people. The virus is rampant.”

Spiritual Growth

 

A sure way to enhance your spiritual growth is to frequently ask God this question: “How am I doing at loving my people?” We ask this with the understanding that “my people” means everyone within the sphere of our influence. Everyone! And then we be still long enough to hear the still small voice of Truth telling us exactly what we most need to hear. The ones that usually come to mind, and rightfully so, are those we are having the most difficulty loving—those who have hurt us, abandoned us, broken our trust, misunderstood us. And we know that we must pray for them, as our Lord prayed from the Cross, “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.” What an incredibly wise and liberating prayer is this! To understand deeply that people who hurt or betray people do not know what they are doing. They are living outside the principle by which life works—the principle by which life is here; the principle of Love. And they desperately need to awaken, as we have, into this glorious Truth, else they will never be free in this life. They will always be a slave to their own passions and judgments. They may need confrontation [ministered only in Love] but they most certainly need compassion. This compassion—this prayer—is a manifestation of your true healing from the wounds that Satan inflicted upon your soul through them.