I have often struggled with my response to "The World At Large".
I really do my best to keep anything of general political or social nature out of my writing, partially because of the fact that (as denoted in my thoughts about Relevance) I am not very good at it in general, partially because of the fact that writing about such things only divides and never unifies, and partially - indeed perhaps mostly - because of the fact that what I desire more than anything else as a result of this space is the promotion of thought and occasionally discussion about such things in a manner where things can be heard, instead of words hurled as weapons.
But even I acknowledge both that I myself have opinions about things and that we live in a world where things of general political, social, and even religious nature impact my daily existence. In fact, they thrust themselves into my face on a regular basis.
However, I have also had the experience of both living long enough to see how the inception of things is often not the indicator of how things end and being some that loves to read history and so having an understanding of how things often end. Perhaps to the surprise of no-one here, humans are not nearly as clever as they think themselves and most of their plans for multi-generational/multi-year building of anything tends to sputter out more quickly than they would have imagined (insert reference to Ozymandias here).
So, in a world that continually impinges on me to have opinions and take actions, what is someone like myself to do?
I am not inherently a person of violence - my one and only experience with "fighting" was in the 4th grade where, confronted with the potential for a fight, I hurled my skateboard at the parties in question and sprinted home. This is combined now with many years of training in a martial art - Iaijutsu - which brings one to the swift realization that even training with wooden weapons can result in serious injury or worse; one comes to understand that potential risks any time force is used.
Nor am I a person of strong ability to debate. Long ago in college, the professor assigned to guide me through my program noted that I tended less to debate than hurl my opinions out there as if they were gospel and do the equivalent of what we now call a "mike drop", supreme in the "knowledge" I had proved my point. That does not make for good debating of course, and it has taken me years (35 plus) to reach the point where I learned that I lack the qualities required of a good debater and more importantly that not every comment represents a disagreement.
What I can do, as it turns out, is live in a way that to the best of my ability and does not further enable those individuals and movements that are opposed to me intellectually, morally, economically, or religiously.
Which is why I found the above quote from Charlton Heston both such a surprise (I had never seen it before) and so pleasing. Because I realize that is exactly the way I am trying to live my life.
Is it somehow surrender-driven and hopeless? I can see that argument being made - after all, I am essentially committing to a non-violent long haul path of quiet disobedience. And certainly the results are the sorts of thing that may not manifest in my life time. But men like Vaclav Havel and Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Aleksander Solzhenitsyn suggest otherwise.
Is it without cost? No, not at all. The costs can come in ways that only a modern bureaucracy can think of devising. Just beyond the simple issue of losing opportunities or losing positions or losing money, it can turn into the blacklisting of one in all of society (The Soviet Union knew much of this; Communist China knows even more).
But ultimately, as a Christian, I have a Master beyond any on this earth. And His questions on His commands and my motives and practices are not something that I can hope to avoid or side step. Perhaps said differently, God expects His work to be accomplished in His way by His people.
Note the repeated "His" there. There is no second option given.
Well you don’t have to stick your head in the sand, TB. There is nothing noble or virtuous about that.
ReplyDeleteGlen, I do in fact have few illusions about the state of the world or where we sit in in currently. But there things I can (and will) do and things I feel I cannot. Tomorrow's post is more of the can do's.
DeleteAll that matters, all that anyone can ask is that you do what you can.
DeleteGlen, I think one thing that many sort of get wrong is the concept of "this way or no way". I have argued in the past it is a failing of Our Political And Social Betters (OPASB), who only see one solution to any problem: theirs. In point of fact, if one looks at the changing of any civilization or society, it takes a host of people doing a host of different things. We cannot all do one particular thing, but we can all do something.
DeleteI think a lot depends on where you draw the line. Some will not tolerate behavior that has no effect on them. Others will only become troubled when they themselves are drawn into making a choice. And then there are others who will only fight when they are actively being persecuted. Perhaps too late.
ReplyDeleteTo me, it appears the Far Left is in charge of the government. No one on the Left wants to confront them publicly, especially the moderate Left (the ones who want actions to happen cooperatively, rather than pushing the Right side off). I think their actions are what could push both sides to clash.
Its all where you decide the line is drawn, where you begin to actively push back.
A lot does depend on where one draws the line, and the cost one is willing to pay. But there are ways to act when drawing the line which are, in my opinion, more effective to get to long term change; after all, in a way the most important part of any flight is making sure you land safely enough to get off the plane.
DeleteIt is clear that there is an ideology that currently dominates most of our politics. However to your point, that ideology is pushing other people away as its policies manifest themselves in people's lives. How that process can be harnessed and moved forward is where a potential path of change lies.
Too few people have ever thought of self-reflection let alone undertaken it while those believing in God and following HIs dictates are diminishing year by year. "Progressive" is NOT a word to be proud of IMHO. Well, enuf said, off my soapbox TB......... :)
ReplyDeleteNylon12, it is interesting: the Church as a whole is growing, just not in North America and Europe. We have seemingly made our choice and will face the consequences.
Delete"Progressive". Likely a word that in some future world (if we make it that far), that will be shunned as a title.
I find that many people are for peaceful civil disobedience, but few can take it if dished right back at them. It takes a strong person to stand there and watch someone performing civil disobedience affecting yourself and recognize that it is a statement being made and not an action.
ReplyDeleteEd, you raise an excellent point. What precisely does "Civil Disobedience" mean anymore? We have expanded it to the point that anything short of outright violence (and sometimes, including that) falls within that moniker.
DeleteMuch like everything else in a society that has embraced relativism, civil disobedience lies in the eye of the beholder.