"How many more gay people does God have to create before we ask ourselves whether or not God actually wants them around?" Rep. Steve Simon of Minnesota asked.
Monday, February 25, 2013
Sunday, February 03, 2013
Base Assumptions
NOTE: This post is going to contain a ton of glowing generalities.
I have come to a conclusion as to why it seems that the Democrats and the Republicans cannot agree on anything. It is because of what base assumptions we make about human behavior.
It seems that every Republican I talk to uses, what for the longest time to be a Fox News talking point, the argument that we cannot tax the rich more because there will be a disincentive to make more money.
My usual response is that no matter what the tax bracket, there will always be rich people. Just because they have to pay more taxes doesn't mean they are going to stop making money.
But then it dawned on me: These people see money as the only reason people will do anything. If you do not supply the monetary incentive, then you will not have people do anything.
What my base assumption is, is that if you can find the things people love to do and feel fulfilled in doing, then, as long as their base needs (and a few splurges!) are fulfilled, money isn't the main motivator. I would rather do something that I love and not make as much money rather than be stuck in a job I hate just to have an expensive car.
I think when discussions happen, I come from the self-fulfillment end of the spectrum. I just don't understand the (sociopathic?) quest to make more and more money. I think when I get in discussions with these people, we have trouble because we are not starting from the same point and we are pointing in different directions.
I have come to a conclusion as to why it seems that the Democrats and the Republicans cannot agree on anything. It is because of what base assumptions we make about human behavior.
It seems that every Republican I talk to uses, what for the longest time to be a Fox News talking point, the argument that we cannot tax the rich more because there will be a disincentive to make more money.
My usual response is that no matter what the tax bracket, there will always be rich people. Just because they have to pay more taxes doesn't mean they are going to stop making money.
But then it dawned on me: These people see money as the only reason people will do anything. If you do not supply the monetary incentive, then you will not have people do anything.
What my base assumption is, is that if you can find the things people love to do and feel fulfilled in doing, then, as long as their base needs (and a few splurges!) are fulfilled, money isn't the main motivator. I would rather do something that I love and not make as much money rather than be stuck in a job I hate just to have an expensive car.
I think when discussions happen, I come from the self-fulfillment end of the spectrum. I just don't understand the (sociopathic?) quest to make more and more money. I think when I get in discussions with these people, we have trouble because we are not starting from the same point and we are pointing in different directions.
Saturday, February 02, 2013
The Greatest of These is Love Epiphany 4
I have a fair amount of friends who
are atheists. This saddens me. Something that is such a large part of my
life cannot be shared with them. We are
kind to each other, and we can get together and laugh, but there is still a
part that keeps us apart. What is
especially interesting is that many of these people were raised within
“churched” families. It is only within
recent years that they have moved away from the church.
When I ask them why they left the
church, almost invariably, I get the same answer: The people they find in churches are
hypocrites. My friends say that they
hear all this talk about God and love but what they see is hate and
judgment. Christians talk the “God is
Good” line, but then these same people are out slamming others and judging them. So often, it is this discrepancy between what
is heard about Christianity and what is seen that sends people running for the
hills. And as a Christian, I find this
sad.
In today’s epistle reading we have
what is commonly referred to as “The Love Chapter.” If you have been to a Christian wedding you
have certainly heard it. Even people who
may have little backing in the Bible have heard this chapter. And to tell the truth, it really is a great
chapter! I don’t think I know anyone who
can listen to this chapter and not get just a little wispy. We listen to it and think, “Yes, this would
be great!” We listen to it and imagine
ourselves surrounded by patience and kindness.
We listen to it and imagine a world without arrogance, boastfulness, or
resentfulness. We read this chapter and
long for a world filled with love.
Am I wrong in saying that we all
want a world like this?
But then what happens? Well, life happens. We go out and find that
the world can be quite boastful and arrogant.
We go out and find that people are often very rude. We watch TV and see nothing that smacks of
kindness or patience. We feel like we
are being duped, gypped, played. And,
quite frankly, we don’t like it!
So how do we usually react when we
are confronted with the unloving nature of the world? Do we go out and redouble our efforts to
spread love in the world? Do we make
extra efforts to show the world that Christianity is more than just a excuse to
look upon others with disdain? Do we
look to brighten our place in the world or do we decide to give back as “good”
as we have gotten?
I will admit that I would love to
stand here and tell you all how virtuous and upstanding I am and that I always
send warm, loving thoughts to who are not necessarily too kind to me. I would love to, but I can’t. I get angry.
I get frustrated. I feel hurt. And feeling hurt, I want to spread that hurt
to the world. For what it is worth: I am not a saint, at least not in the
traditional understanding.
So what are we supposed to do with
this? Are we just supposed to be all
wispy, realizing the world the Love Chapter presents will never happen? I guess we could. Are we supposed to reject the Church (with a
capital “C”) figuring that it is filled with people who are just looking to
make their own lives better while inflicting judgment and hatred on the rest of
the world? Some have done that. Or are we just give up on any kind of God
because it appears to be just a bunch of lies?
That option just sounds too sad to contemplate!
This is where I get frustrated with
all this God-stuff. I want some cut and
dried answers! I want to be able to tell
you all to just do this, that, and the other thing, and everything will be
wonderful. But I can’t! And it makes me frustrated.
Perhaps we can get a little more
insight from a part of the reading that is often ignored. Toward the end of the reading we have these
somewhat strange statements: “When I was a child, I spoke like a child,
I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became an adult, I put
an end to childish ways.” When we
look at the behavior of so many people, doesn’t if feel like we are looking at
children in adult suits? Often when I
step back and look at my own behavior, I am embarrassed as to how childish I
can be. I am not the paragon of maturity
I would like to be; I am often a hurt child just wanting to be loved. Whether we want to admit or not, we often
have these moments of feeling like children, and I think it is just this child
that The Love Chapter speaks to.
Our “Inner Child,” to use the old
pop-psych term, wants there to be patience, kindness, and truth in the
world. We want to know that all things
are possible and that all hopes can still occur. We want to have the reassurance that those
who love us will not abandon us. This is what we want, and The Love Chapter
reignites that hope in our soul. But
then this nasty, evil sentence occurs:
“…when I became an adult, I put an end to childish ways.” This is the harsh recognition that the world
with “Santa God” is not out there. There
will be people who are not patient.
There will be people who are not kind.
There will people who will be arrogant.
And there will be people who will be rude. And quite often, those people will be US!
Man! I am depressing myself!
It sounds as if we are stuck here
in a world that is just plain nasty. And
if the chapter were to end here, it would be just plain nasty. But the chapter DOES NOT end here, it continues
with a promise. We are reminded that we
only see things in part; that we cannot see things fully.
This reminder should give us all
hope. What we see is not all there is;
there is something more! We should
remember that the world is not for us to control, that God is the one that
leads and provides. And even thought
things may appear troubling, we are only seeing part. That there is more going on and that we need
to have faith in God to see to our needs.
However we are not left
unarmed: We have faith, hope, and
love. We are called to be those things
that we want to see in the world. We are
called to be patient and kind. When we
see arrogance or rudeness, we are to respond in truth and tolerance. We are to be understanding and
accepting. We are called to be the voice
of love to the world. We are called to
be the adults in the situation. We are
called to be responsible and rational.
We are called to heal the sense of isolation and exclusion that current
Christianity seems to be unloading onto our world. It is our calling to become the change we
want to see in the world.
Does this mean we will never get
angry? No. Does this mean we will never be
irrational? No. Does this mean we have to be perfect? No.
What this does mean, thought is that we work on being the loving people
we would like others to be. That we work
on showing tolerance to others as we would like to have others show tolerance
to us. That we work on wishing the best
for the OTHER just as we would like to have the best for ourselves. This is stuff that requires work! Those who have been in relationships know
this, love does not just happen, it requires work! And if we want to spread love in the world,
that requires work too!
The Love Chapter does make us feel
all wispy inside, and although we probably will never get to such a world drenched
in love, I do believe we can move in that direction. We can choose to respond in love instead of
react in anger. We can choose to respond
in love instead of snapping back in hurt.
We can choose to respond in love instead of seeking to avenge our fear
and hurt. We can choose to be the loving
heart of God to those who need to feel patience, kindness, and understanding.
Is this easy? No…But that does not
mean we shouldn’t try. I will end with a
little story: A former congregant of
mine was telling about being cut off by a person pulling out of a parking
lot. The congregant was about to let fly
with a “one finger salute” when he stopped and though: “God loves this guy too.” Did the reaction of the congregant help
things? I don’t know. But I do know that the congregant did not add
to the hate in the world. Our first
response is to return hate for hate, but Christ asks more of us. Christ asks us to return love for hate, just
as Christ showed love to a world that was focusing all its hate upon him.
“And now faith, hope, and love abide, these
three; and the greatest of these is love.”
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)