O Lord, my heart is not lifted
up; my eyes are not raised too high;
I do not occupy myself with things too
great and too marvelous for me.
But I have calmed and quieted
my soul;
like a weaned child with its mother;
my soul is like the weaned
child that is with me.
O Israel, hope in the
Lord,
from this time on and for evermore. – Psalm 131
Jumping into
political discourse these days is a lot like painting the eaves of your house.
You think you’ve got it all under control (if
I can re-e-e-e-each out just a little bit mo-o-o-o-re), when suddenly you
realize you are contorting yourself and over-extending beyond your center of
gravity, reaching out into thin air high above the ground and far beyond what’s
safe and reasonable.
Some folks
cling tightly by their fingertips and toes to their shaky, off-center support
and continue to slap at the job, reality-be-damned. Others abandon the task at
hand. The wise climb down, and revisit the problem from solid ground below (maybe if I adjust my position or slide over just
a bit – maybe if I come at it from a different angle – is there something I’m
overlooking?).
Painting your
house or stating and defending an opinion: With each, the job you do will be
out there on display for all to see and judge. The state of the exterior tells
a lot about what kind of shape the inside is in, whether we’re talking about
your home or your mind.
If you find
yourself so extremely angry at those with whom you disagree that you consider
them mortal enemies; if you stubbornly misrepresent their position in such an exaggerated way as
to make it nonsensical; if you find fault, heap scorn, and assign sinister
motives with anything they say and everything they do… I think you should
consider climbing down off your ladder for a few minutes. You’re way beyond your
center of gravity.
Calm and quiet your soul…
Look at your
primary news sources: Do they simply reinforce opinions you already hold? Do
they add to the pile rather than unearth new ways of looking at issues? If you
mostly nod or shake your head along to the TV and radio, that’s probably what’s
happening. If you slightly shift your head and bring your hand to your face, your preconceived notions are being challenged and you’re
learning something.
Like a weaned child…
Turn it all off
for a few days. Drive to and from work in silence. Unplug the shop radio. Hide the remote and don’t
even turn on the TV for a weekend. Go outside instead.
...with its mother…
Pray. One of
the first things I advise when someone is consumed with anger toward another is
that they pray for that individual. The catch: Don’t pray that they will change
their ways or be saved from themselves, but simply pray that God will bless them, and nothing more. Try it for a few
days. The results will amaze you.
Yes, I’m talking about guns. Yes, I’m
talking about immigration. Yes, I’m talking about Barack Obama. Yes, I’m
talking about Mitch McConnell. Yes, I'm talking about contraception. Yes, I’m talking about illegal contact in the
endzone. Yes, I’m talking about Al Sharpton. Yes, I’m talking about Franklin
Graham. Yes, I'm talking about healthcare reform. Yes, I’m talking about the crap you post on Facebook. Yes, I’m talking
about auto-tuned popstars. Yes, I'm talking about your blanket e-mails. Yes, I’m talking about the Mason-Dixon Line.
Yes, I’m talking about you and me.
The discussion, the discourse, is still important and is part of what it is to live in a democracy. But we need to restore some politeness to the discourse. Many of us have been led to believe it is okay to vilify those with whom you disagree. That vilification detracts from the points one makes because it demeans the person doing the vilification, casting his/her integrity and character in doubt.
ReplyDeletePolite political discourse is a lost art. I would state where I believe the blame lies for that, but it would no doubt inspire a flame war of the type you are speaking. There are several reasons and sources for the state of political discourse in this country, and it does not all lie with one particular entity or philosophy. It doesn't matter who initiated it. Responding in kind is as bad.
But sometimes not responding in kind renders one side of an argument perceptibly weaker, and the ongoing refusal to "fight fire with fire" can, and has, weaken a perfectly sound political philosophy in the eyes of those who are not savvy enough to know it's happening.
Damned if you do, damned if you don't. Taking the high road is always desired by those with concerns for politeness, fairness and personal integrity. Too often, the cost of doing so is to lose political ground.
Politics is important. We all just have to agree to play nice. And my partisan inner voice is saying, at this very moment, "Yeah. Good luck with that."
Your piece comes fresh on the heels of me reading this wonderfully reflective piece: http://www.crunkfeministcollective.com/2013/02/04/on-making-sure-love-never-fails-some-reflections-on-feminism-faith-and-holograms/#comment-21168
ReplyDeletePutting the love forward within any movement, and continuing to challenge the status quo for change without demeaning those aligned to status quo thinking. A fine and funky balance.
Corey - your blog (really) saved my day from what could have been a rancorous, head-banging encounter to a reasonable, peaceable meeting of minds (if not total agreement).
ReplyDeleteThanks for your responses, all.
ReplyDeleteIt is not a simple thing to be part of that loose team focusing on "love never ends," but I definitely don't want to leave for the other side of that statement, no matter how relentless and tempting the recruiting effort!