Truth and Meaning: Silence
Midland Daily News Editor Jack Telfer recently blogged about the frustration he feels lately. He expressed his sadness over people who “have no tolerance for Christians who believe the Bible is the word of God and that it provides all the wisdom we need to live our lives.”
I can certainly understand the frustration when one receives criticism and negative comments from people who reject one’s religious viewpoints. But far more worrisome for me than the barbs of critics is the deafening silence from those who purport to be religious.
This nation lies in the grip of a fundamentalist movement typified by mean-spiritedness, selfishness and intolerance. Legislators denounce people daily whose lifestyle differs from their own, or who lack the privilege granted white, straight men in this country. This group disrespects our president, even when doing so is inconsistent and illogical, and I am hard-pressed to not attribute some of this hatred to their bigotry. They have ground the functioning of our government to a standstill and continue to throw political tantrums (and millions of taxpayer dollars) at attempts to block our provision of basic, affordable health care to 50 million Americans.
Far more mystifying to me than the regressive politics of these extremists that have hijacked the Republican Party, however, is the silence of many Christian colleagues and friends. This group purports to speak not only for conservatives in this country, but also for the Christian majority. And in doing so, this group promotes cutting aid to the poor, attacking civil rights of minorities, trampling medical care access for women and children, and undermining governmental support for community infrastructure.
Victim-blaming has become a national pastime — from an innocent boy stalked and murdered in Florida, to countless women raped and beaten, to gay youth bullied every day into suicide. To people of faith, when are we going to say “Enough is enough!” When are we going to say that it is time to institute common sense gun control laws? When are we going to start telling men that rape is NEVER permitted? When are we going to stand up to the bullies and command them to stop hating their neighbors?
This is not anti-Christian rhetoric. The wisdom of the Bible is very clear on these matters — as is the wisdom of the Qur’an and the Tao te Ching and the Analects of Confucius. Love your neighbor. Care for the poor, the hungry, the sick, the imprisoned. Do not worship golden idols. You will be judged not only on what you believed, but by what you did in life — “whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”
If you remain silent when your brothers and sisters ask for your help or demand justice, then don’t be surprised at the response your silence receives.
Saturday, September 21, 2013
Saturday, September 7, 2013
Truth and Meaning: Bombs Are Not the Answer
Truth and Meaning: Bombs Are Not the Answer
For more than a decade, many Americans wished they had done more to prevent the inexcusable waste and destruction of our invasion of Iraq. The combined stupidity and immoral willingness of our government to lie our way into war must never be forgotten, especially now as we stand once again on the brink of madness.
The events taking place in Syria are tragic and must be addressed. However, the world community has not even begun to exhaust the nonviolent, diplomatic avenues toward peace and reconciliation. And if Barack Obama — with or without Congressional approval — engages this country’s military with Syria before those avenues have been tried, then he will be as guilty of war crimes as his predecessor.
If you love America, then do not stand idly by while this nation rolls down the path to unnecessary war once again. If you love the men and women of our military, do not remain silent waiting for them to die once again on foreign soil while non-military options remain. If you support life and freedom, then do not sacrifice both so that the United States can once again play the role of world police. If you support justice, then voice the opinion that the corporations of our military-industrial complex should not grow fat on more contracts building bombs while our own people live homeless, hungry and hopeless.
If you regret your silence preceding George Bush’s wars, then speak up now. If you watched American bombs fall on Baghdad on CNN from the comfort of your living room, then get out on the streets now before they start falling on Damascus. If you saw neighbor children die or come home injured or suffering from PTSD, then protect your own children now.
If you remain unsure whether involvement in Syria is just, ask yourself these questions:
The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Midland will host a Peace Prayer Vigil on Saturday, Sept. 21, at 7:30 p.m. Each year since 1981, when the General Assembly of the United Nations created the observance, the International Day of Peace has been observed around the world on this day. Come and let Sept. 21 be a day devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace, both within and among all nations and peoples. All are welcome.
For more than a decade, many Americans wished they had done more to prevent the inexcusable waste and destruction of our invasion of Iraq. The combined stupidity and immoral willingness of our government to lie our way into war must never be forgotten, especially now as we stand once again on the brink of madness.
The events taking place in Syria are tragic and must be addressed. However, the world community has not even begun to exhaust the nonviolent, diplomatic avenues toward peace and reconciliation. And if Barack Obama — with or without Congressional approval — engages this country’s military with Syria before those avenues have been tried, then he will be as guilty of war crimes as his predecessor.
If you love America, then do not stand idly by while this nation rolls down the path to unnecessary war once again. If you love the men and women of our military, do not remain silent waiting for them to die once again on foreign soil while non-military options remain. If you support life and freedom, then do not sacrifice both so that the United States can once again play the role of world police. If you support justice, then voice the opinion that the corporations of our military-industrial complex should not grow fat on more contracts building bombs while our own people live homeless, hungry and hopeless.
If you regret your silence preceding George Bush’s wars, then speak up now. If you watched American bombs fall on Baghdad on CNN from the comfort of your living room, then get out on the streets now before they start falling on Damascus. If you saw neighbor children die or come home injured or suffering from PTSD, then protect your own children now.
If you remain unsure whether involvement in Syria is just, ask yourself these questions:
- There are ongoing conflicts all over the world: Central African Republic, Darfur, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burma, Chad, Somalia, Sri Lanka. Why are we not engaged in those conflicts?
- Just what is the history of the conflict in Syria, and have Western governments and corporations aided in the creation of the chemical weapons now being unleashed? If you don’t know these answers, then how can you possibly justify bombing a sovereign nation without knowing our own role in creating the situation?
- Could we invest billions of dollars each day more productively toward resolving this conflict? How about aid for Syrian refugees? Or support for the United Nations peacekeeping forces?
The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Midland will host a Peace Prayer Vigil on Saturday, Sept. 21, at 7:30 p.m. Each year since 1981, when the General Assembly of the United Nations created the observance, the International Day of Peace has been observed around the world on this day. Come and let Sept. 21 be a day devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace, both within and among all nations and peoples. All are welcome.
Saturday, August 31, 2013
Truth and Meaning: Labor
Truth and Meaning: Labor
On this holiday weekend, I am reminded of everything we have to be thankful for as a result of our institutions of organized labor. Workplace safety regulations, fair wages, fringe benefits, standardized hours and work weeks … the list goes on. Having recently returned from the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington, I was reminded of the words of Walter Reuther, president of the United Automobile Workers of America and vice president of the AFL-CIO, who spoke before Martin Luther King Jr. on that day in 1963. Sadly, I was reminded of the truth of his words ringing in today’s America, where politicians hold our citizens hostage in order to coddle special interests and radical fringes.
On this holiday weekend, I am reminded of everything we have to be thankful for as a result of our institutions of organized labor. Workplace safety regulations, fair wages, fringe benefits, standardized hours and work weeks … the list goes on. Having recently returned from the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington, I was reminded of the words of Walter Reuther, president of the United Automobile Workers of America and vice president of the AFL-CIO, who spoke before Martin Luther King Jr. on that day in 1963. Sadly, I was reminded of the truth of his words ringing in today’s America, where politicians hold our citizens hostage in order to coddle special interests and radical fringes.
“We need to join together, to march together, and to work together until we have bridged the mortal gap between American democracy's noble promises, and its ugly practices … American democracy has been too long on pious platitudes …”So, this Labor Day, as we watch the parades and picnic around barbecues, let us also remember the greatness of the labor union movement — a movement dedicated not only to a better workplace, but to a better society … a better America.
“There are too many high octane, hypocrisy Americans. There is a lot of local talk about brotherhood, and then some Americans drop the brother and keep the hood … this rally today should be the first step in a total effort to mobilize the moral conscience of America, and to ask the people in Congress of both parties to rise above the partisan differences …”
"If we can have full employment, and full production for the negative ends of war, then why can't we have a job for every American in the pursuit of peace?”
“Men of good will must join together, men of all races, and creed, and color, and political persuasion, and motivated by the spirit of human brotherhood. We must search for answers in the light of reason through rational and responsible actions. Because if we fail, the vacuum of our failure will be filled by the apostles of hatred, who will search in the dark of night, and reason will yield to riots, and brotherhood will yield to bitterness, and bloodshed, and we will tear asunder the fabric of American democracy.”
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
Tuesday reader's view: No standing in race conversation
Tuesday reader's view: No standing in race conversation
Mr. Chris Stevens, the religious person in me wants to forgive your shallow and heartless diatribe on Sunday, August 25 as merely misguided and ill-informed. But, the realist in me hears the voice of the bigot, the snap of the overseers’ whip and the angry shout of whites claiming righteous indignation when the target of their oppression dares to advocate for equality. Your editorial exhibits a shocking and remarkable vacancy of knowledge of the black experience in this country and in American history.
How dare you, the beneficiary of much privilege in this country, equate any paltry response in retaliation for the Zimmerman travesty with the countless examples of white racism perpetrated over centuries. You are obviously an educated man, but apparently have not availed yourself of African American history courses or any of the many informative books detailing the unique actions of white racism in this country. Sadly, the fact that you use your position to spew such malicious trash on readers in this community displays an unwillingness to learn about our history of racial cleansings, pernicious economic and social violence against blacks and ongoing systemic efforts to impoverish and dehumanize people of color and the poor. Recent efforts installing dictatorial emergency managers have targeted mostly black communities, and state governments passing voting rights restrictions to resolve non-existent fraud but clearly aimed at poor people and students, are just two examples of current deliberate attempts to disenfranchise blacks from the American dream that you so easily take for granted.
The common ground you call for starts with you, and all whites, educating themselves about the black experience in the United States. The common ground you seek starts when you learn about our history of violence against blacks, our history of legal repression of blacks and our ongoing social and economic assault on blacks in this country. The common ground you call for starts when you accept your complicity in accepting the largess of white racism through the accident of your birth and recognize the vastly unlevel playing field we live on. Until you accomplish this, you have absolutely no standing in this conversation.
As we mark the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington, all people of good will and believers in social equality remember the words of Martin Luther King, Jr. and his commitment to nonviolence. But, violence is not just about hitting someone with a fist. Violence is also persistently paying people low wages, restricting access to affordable health care, underfunding public schools, providing little of no access to avenues of social mobility readily available to others and supporting a separate and not-equal justice system. If you want to trot out your handful of examples of violence, then you must be prepared to answer for the wave after tsunami wave of violence perpetrated on blacks in this country by whites for the past three centuries. Once you are prepared to undertake that work, then and only then, will you understand that you have no claim to victimization. Then and only then will your heart be tempered with the humility and compassion needed to serve, honor and respect the true victims of racism.
Mr. Chris Stevens, the religious person in me wants to forgive your shallow and heartless diatribe on Sunday, August 25 as merely misguided and ill-informed. But, the realist in me hears the voice of the bigot, the snap of the overseers’ whip and the angry shout of whites claiming righteous indignation when the target of their oppression dares to advocate for equality. Your editorial exhibits a shocking and remarkable vacancy of knowledge of the black experience in this country and in American history.
How dare you, the beneficiary of much privilege in this country, equate any paltry response in retaliation for the Zimmerman travesty with the countless examples of white racism perpetrated over centuries. You are obviously an educated man, but apparently have not availed yourself of African American history courses or any of the many informative books detailing the unique actions of white racism in this country. Sadly, the fact that you use your position to spew such malicious trash on readers in this community displays an unwillingness to learn about our history of racial cleansings, pernicious economic and social violence against blacks and ongoing systemic efforts to impoverish and dehumanize people of color and the poor. Recent efforts installing dictatorial emergency managers have targeted mostly black communities, and state governments passing voting rights restrictions to resolve non-existent fraud but clearly aimed at poor people and students, are just two examples of current deliberate attempts to disenfranchise blacks from the American dream that you so easily take for granted.
The common ground you call for starts with you, and all whites, educating themselves about the black experience in the United States. The common ground you seek starts when you learn about our history of violence against blacks, our history of legal repression of blacks and our ongoing social and economic assault on blacks in this country. The common ground you call for starts when you accept your complicity in accepting the largess of white racism through the accident of your birth and recognize the vastly unlevel playing field we live on. Until you accomplish this, you have absolutely no standing in this conversation.
As we mark the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington, all people of good will and believers in social equality remember the words of Martin Luther King, Jr. and his commitment to nonviolence. But, violence is not just about hitting someone with a fist. Violence is also persistently paying people low wages, restricting access to affordable health care, underfunding public schools, providing little of no access to avenues of social mobility readily available to others and supporting a separate and not-equal justice system. If you want to trot out your handful of examples of violence, then you must be prepared to answer for the wave after tsunami wave of violence perpetrated on blacks in this country by whites for the past three centuries. Once you are prepared to undertake that work, then and only then, will you understand that you have no claim to victimization. Then and only then will your heart be tempered with the humility and compassion needed to serve, honor and respect the true victims of racism.
Monday, August 26, 2013
Truth and Meaning: Privilege
Truth and Meaning: Privilege
As you read this post, Jody and I will have just returned from Washington, D.C., after taking part in the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington. The memory of that event and the leaders who spawned it humbles me as the impact of their greatness lingers on today. Sadly, also lingering on today is the root cause of so much injustice in our nation – racism – and the privilege that racism engenders.
To understand this issue, you must understand this basic fact – the concept of “race” is a lie. The notion that homo sapiens is somehow divided into subspecies based on skin color and other physical attributes has no foundation in fact. Race is a fabrication of 19th century Europeans and Americans who presupposed that “white” culture is superior to other cultures and that all people must be converted to the “superior” religion of Christianity. And out of this flawed thinking derived theories of eugenics, which ultimately were responsible for multiple genocides in the past century.
Racism also creates the sense of privilege in our society. Privilege is the common conception that certain birth attributes are somehow “better” or more natural and therefore deserving of greater inherent worth. It is privilege that promotes the notion that non-whites are inherently more violent, more criminal than whites, and not simply that whites dominate our criminal justice system and control most of the wealth in society. It is privilege that blames women for being raped and abused, and not simply that misogynist men promote the objectification of all women as whores and house slaves. It is privilege that breeds fear of the non-existent “gay agenda,” and not simply a lack of education about sexual orientation and gender identity in nature.
So I march as an ally for those who cannot march; I speak when the oppressed have no voice; and I help open doors that are closed to those without our society’s privileges. For, like the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., I have a dream of a society where all of our boys and girls, gay or straight, will be judged by the content of their character and not the color of their skin. I have a dream that all people, however they appear, whatever the gender of their identity, or whoever they love, will have the same access to housing, to jobs, to health care and to civil rights. Like Jefferson, I believe that we are all created as equals and that we are all endowed with the inherent right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
To understand this issue, you must understand this basic fact – the concept of “race” is a lie. The notion that homo sapiens is somehow divided into subspecies based on skin color and other physical attributes has no foundation in fact. Race is a fabrication of 19th century Europeans and Americans who presupposed that “white” culture is superior to other cultures and that all people must be converted to the “superior” religion of Christianity. And out of this flawed thinking derived theories of eugenics, which ultimately were responsible for multiple genocides in the past century.
Racism also creates the sense of privilege in our society. Privilege is the common conception that certain birth attributes are somehow “better” or more natural and therefore deserving of greater inherent worth. It is privilege that promotes the notion that non-whites are inherently more violent, more criminal than whites, and not simply that whites dominate our criminal justice system and control most of the wealth in society. It is privilege that blames women for being raped and abused, and not simply that misogynist men promote the objectification of all women as whores and house slaves. It is privilege that breeds fear of the non-existent “gay agenda,” and not simply a lack of education about sexual orientation and gender identity in nature.
So I march as an ally for those who cannot march; I speak when the oppressed have no voice; and I help open doors that are closed to those without our society’s privileges. For, like the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., I have a dream of a society where all of our boys and girls, gay or straight, will be judged by the content of their character and not the color of their skin. I have a dream that all people, however they appear, whatever the gender of their identity, or whoever they love, will have the same access to housing, to jobs, to health care and to civil rights. Like Jefferson, I believe that we are all created as equals and that we are all endowed with the inherent right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
Sunday, August 18, 2013
Truth and Meaning: Integrity
Truth and Meaning: Integrity
Recent years have given us much reason to despair at the seeming lack of integrity among our elected officials. Whether it involves questionable personal ethics, or a clear disregard for democratic processes, few politicians show a true commitment to ideals such as truth, honesty and openness.
Wiktionary offers three definitions of the word integrity — and I frankly find each lacking.
“Steadfast adherence to a strict moral or ethical code.” I do not believe stubborn or dogmatic thinking shows integrity. It takes little courage or talent to simply follow laws without any personal judgment or interpretation. The language of moral and ethical codes is far too inexact for our adherence to be so rigid as to not allow for unique circumstance, or for human weakness and frailty. No prescription can take into account every possible situation or demand on our dedication or compassion. True integrity lies in living morally and ethically — not adhering to rules carved in stone, or to the unyielding tenets of a particular person or group. Integrity demands individual application of human reason and relevant experience.
“The state of being wholesome; unimpaired.” Personally, I view life as a wonderful, but challenging crucible of experiences. The joys and delights of one day can only be truly appreciated in the perspective of the challenges and sorrows we face on others. Life is about impairment and how we respond to events and situations that make us face our fears, our limitations, our darker impulses. Wholesome is for milk; for human beings, give me good intent, effort and passion and the result will usually result in the presence of integrity.
“The quality or condition of being complete; pure.” Here, I imagine the dictionary is referring to integrity as it relates to a person possessing all of the requisite parts, to being integrated. But again, I believe that the most important element of integrity is the recognition that none of us are complete or perfect. We each possess unique strengths. However, we each also must own up to the gaps in our perspective, our thought processes. How can we really grasp and make most use of our strengths without a firm knowledge of our weaknesses? And when we understand our shortcomings, we are best able to work in community with those best able to help us overcome our failings.
So, when I look for integrity, I look for someone open to the thinking and experiences of others, and whose judgment is not up for sale to the peddlers of easy answers and single-mindedness. I look for a hard worker with a vision and the drive to strive for that vision whatever the cost. And I look for someone who makes the most of his or her strengths, but then also is strong enough to lean on others for help.
Recent years have given us much reason to despair at the seeming lack of integrity among our elected officials. Whether it involves questionable personal ethics, or a clear disregard for democratic processes, few politicians show a true commitment to ideals such as truth, honesty and openness.
Wiktionary offers three definitions of the word integrity — and I frankly find each lacking.
“Steadfast adherence to a strict moral or ethical code.” I do not believe stubborn or dogmatic thinking shows integrity. It takes little courage or talent to simply follow laws without any personal judgment or interpretation. The language of moral and ethical codes is far too inexact for our adherence to be so rigid as to not allow for unique circumstance, or for human weakness and frailty. No prescription can take into account every possible situation or demand on our dedication or compassion. True integrity lies in living morally and ethically — not adhering to rules carved in stone, or to the unyielding tenets of a particular person or group. Integrity demands individual application of human reason and relevant experience.
“The state of being wholesome; unimpaired.” Personally, I view life as a wonderful, but challenging crucible of experiences. The joys and delights of one day can only be truly appreciated in the perspective of the challenges and sorrows we face on others. Life is about impairment and how we respond to events and situations that make us face our fears, our limitations, our darker impulses. Wholesome is for milk; for human beings, give me good intent, effort and passion and the result will usually result in the presence of integrity.
“The quality or condition of being complete; pure.” Here, I imagine the dictionary is referring to integrity as it relates to a person possessing all of the requisite parts, to being integrated. But again, I believe that the most important element of integrity is the recognition that none of us are complete or perfect. We each possess unique strengths. However, we each also must own up to the gaps in our perspective, our thought processes. How can we really grasp and make most use of our strengths without a firm knowledge of our weaknesses? And when we understand our shortcomings, we are best able to work in community with those best able to help us overcome our failings.
So, when I look for integrity, I look for someone open to the thinking and experiences of others, and whose judgment is not up for sale to the peddlers of easy answers and single-mindedness. I look for a hard worker with a vision and the drive to strive for that vision whatever the cost. And I look for someone who makes the most of his or her strengths, but then also is strong enough to lean on others for help.
Saturday, August 10, 2013
Truth and Meaning: Shame and Guilt
Truth and Meaning: Shame and Guilt
During his high school years, a very good friend of my son committed suicide. Eddie had been to my house. He was successful in school, had many friends, and seemed to have it made in life. His suicide was sudden and completely unexpected. We will never know why this handsome and gifted young man took his life.
Tragically, there are stories like Eddie's every day. Over 36,000 people die yearly by suicide in the United States. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among young adults and the third leading cause among teens.
Suicide is also strongly linked to mental illness. The National Institute of Mental Health reports one in four adults experiences a mental health disorder annually. But, because of the stigma society attaches to mental illness, far too many people lack access to the help and support they need to treat their disease.
The shame and guilt felt by those who suffer from mental illness is unfair and unwarranted. Our society's inability to help the victims of mental illness is tragic and inexcusable. We can change this. We MUST change this.
Through education and awareness we can reduce the number of deaths by suicide and increase help-seeking behaviors. The best treatments for serious mental illnesses today are highly effective; between 70 percent to 90 percent of individuals have significant reduction of symptoms and improved quality of life with a combination of pharmacological and psychosocial treatments and supports.
Next Saturday, Aug. 17, my wife and I are joining others in a Walk for Hope — Depression and Suicide Awareness at Northwood University. All funds raised will be used in the Great Lakes Bay Region to host special events, training and education in an effort to build awareness of mental health and suicide prevention, intervention and aftercare. Just as important, this walk gives people the opportunity to come together and share their stories. And by sharing our stories, we may prevent just one person from reaching the desperate point where they view suicide as their only viable option.
If you believe that you suffer from depression or other symptoms related to your mental health, please seek help. If you suspect that someone you know suffers from mental illness, do not wait. Reach out to them and invite them to share their stories. Consider registering to walk with us or sponsoring a walker at http://www.crowdrise.com/walkforhope2013
Together, let us eradicate the shame and guilt felt by our friends and neighbors in need.
During his high school years, a very good friend of my son committed suicide. Eddie had been to my house. He was successful in school, had many friends, and seemed to have it made in life. His suicide was sudden and completely unexpected. We will never know why this handsome and gifted young man took his life.
Tragically, there are stories like Eddie's every day. Over 36,000 people die yearly by suicide in the United States. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among young adults and the third leading cause among teens.
Suicide is also strongly linked to mental illness. The National Institute of Mental Health reports one in four adults experiences a mental health disorder annually. But, because of the stigma society attaches to mental illness, far too many people lack access to the help and support they need to treat their disease.
The shame and guilt felt by those who suffer from mental illness is unfair and unwarranted. Our society's inability to help the victims of mental illness is tragic and inexcusable. We can change this. We MUST change this.
Through education and awareness we can reduce the number of deaths by suicide and increase help-seeking behaviors. The best treatments for serious mental illnesses today are highly effective; between 70 percent to 90 percent of individuals have significant reduction of symptoms and improved quality of life with a combination of pharmacological and psychosocial treatments and supports.
Next Saturday, Aug. 17, my wife and I are joining others in a Walk for Hope — Depression and Suicide Awareness at Northwood University. All funds raised will be used in the Great Lakes Bay Region to host special events, training and education in an effort to build awareness of mental health and suicide prevention, intervention and aftercare. Just as important, this walk gives people the opportunity to come together and share their stories. And by sharing our stories, we may prevent just one person from reaching the desperate point where they view suicide as their only viable option.
If you believe that you suffer from depression or other symptoms related to your mental health, please seek help. If you suspect that someone you know suffers from mental illness, do not wait. Reach out to them and invite them to share their stories. Consider registering to walk with us or sponsoring a walker at http://www.crowdrise.com/walkforhope2013
Together, let us eradicate the shame and guilt felt by our friends and neighbors in need.
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