Mustard Seeds for Cynics

Pope Francis is Time's Person of the Year. Thank goodness. I can't imagine what kind of post I'd be writing if it had been Miley Cyrus, which was apparently a real possibility. I guess I'd feel the same way I did when Al Gore won the Nobel Peace Prize for his slide show over Irena Sendler who rescued about 2500 Jewish children from the Nazis.

I'm not a Catholic so why is this my Christmas post? Because lately, my faith has been waning. Not necessarily my faith in God, but faith in Christians. (This is where well meaning believers point out to me that people will always disappoint, but Christ never will even thought the New Testament says that Christians will be known by their love.) My faith has taken a beating in the past couple of years. What with world views blown and all. My default position is now doubt. I hear people say that someone is a good man or has character and I say to myself "as far as you know." And  I'm embarrassed by what I hear come out of the mouths of my fellow believers.

I often wonder-- where's the love?

And along come a couple of people the world really needs right now. The Pope and Katie Davis. Two people with amazingly different backgrounds, my two examples that prove that the world recognizes and respects real Christianity when they see it. They know it doesn't look anything like the Westboro Baptist Church. Even if they don't subscribe to it, they know what it is supposed to look like.

It's supposed to look like Jesus.

That would mean it would detest hypocrisy and greed. It would never ask if you believe in evolution, or Noah's Ark, or gay marriage. It would be warm, welcoming, winsome. People would be drawn to the sheer kindness and generosity, grace and compassion of it.

The Pope is saying things that some of us have been thinking for some time, but aren't readily accepted in the Evangelical community. Radical things like, we spend way too much time discussing social issues and far too little time offering up unconditional love. He's the antidote to the Prosperity Gospel that has become firmly entrenched in church thinking.  Here's the thinking by behind his being chosen as explained by the editor of Time, Nancy Gibbs:

"Rarely has a new player on the world stage captured so much attention so quickly -- young and old, faithful and cynical -- as has Pope Francis. In his nine months in office, he has placed himself at the very center of the central conversations of our time: about wealth and poverty, fairness and justice, transparency, modernity, globalization, the role of women, the nature of marriage, the temptations of power...

He is embracing complexity and acknowledging the risk that a church obsessed with its own rights and righteousness could inflict more wounds than it heals... For pulling the papacy out of the palace and into the streets, for committing the world¹s largest church to confronting its deepest needs, and for balancing judgment with mercy, Pope Francis is TIME's 2013 Person of the Year."

Katie Davis is a fellow Tennessean who was Glamor Magazine's Woman of the Year in 2012. She eschewed her affluent life in a posh Nashville suburb to move to Uganda and care for hundreds of vulnerable children, adopting 13 girls herself. Her genuine love and humility reflects her personal beliefs in a way we rarely see. She is one of those people who is just going about her life in the most sincere way, but everything about her makes one wonder--What am I doing? 

I am not trying to imply that there aren't lots of other Christians who are living out their faith in powerful and dynamic ways. What makes these two notable for me is the fact that non believers are recognizing that there is something different about them. That people who claim no faith find them inspiring. That magazines full of advertising and consumerism are saying that there may be something else to aspire to.

Sometimes that mustard seed, no matter how small needs to be watered by a good example.

Merry Christmas. 

Wicked Intelligence, Dying Wisdom

Madame,

Budget deficits are being driven by the lingering deep recession, and all the food stamps, unemployment, etc. that arise from it; from Medicare Part D—a gift of the Bush era to pharmaceutical companies—; from interest on the debt; from the tax cuts; and from the two wars. 

And we divert ourselves in another round of holiday shopping.

WE of course are the problem even more than corporate greed.  We are demanding more stuff, more opportunities for stuff, more “traditions” of being able to compete for “bargains” (aided and abetted by deceptive corporate advertising, to be sure).  “Bargain-hunting blood lust,” one commentator put it.  And people are not shopping for others—2/3rds of their purchases are for themselves.

Our faltering and starved government (the money that is there often goes not so much to functional things, but to dysfunctional things) can’t keep weather satellites in operation.  More examples of faltering infrastructure.

What we really NEED (as opposed to our endless wants) is energy independence—clean energy—and we need investment in our young people.  We need investment in the right kind of infrastructure, and we need to reshape how we look at it.  We do need to address deficit spending, and already are, but our other priorities have evaporated.  I agree with Robert Reich that when we have two consecutive quarters of 6 percent unemployment or less and 3 percent annualized growth or more, we should automatically cut spending and raise taxes.

We forget that much of the country is in a drought.  NASA scientist James Hansen is so concerned about Arctic melt rate that he declared it a “planetary emergency.”  Where is the tax on carbon?  Forget credits and caps, the Wall Street speculators have already shown how much they would twist and corrupt such a process.  This is, as Bill McKibben writes, “the legacy issue of all legacy issues, one that stretches out into geologic time.”

We have a reckless war on the planet, as if we can buy another one.  Jobs don’t exist if the planet is biosphere dead for most life.

If you’re listening for the alarm bells, there aren’t hardly any, and most of what do exist are so faint you can’t detect them above the cacophony.  For it serves the plutocrats leading us into wreckage just fine.  Their outlook is short, their objectives selfishly blind.  They would rather have us diverted by materialism, or the inane, or the pettiness of culture wars.  They are brilliant; but their lack of wisdom is on its way to wrecking us.

Where's the War?

Professor J,

It's supposed to be the most wonderful time of year. Elvis wondered, "why can't every day be like Christmas?"

What has happened since these songs were written? There is no sleeping in heavenly peace as people lie awake at night and wonder how they are going to afford all the things Santa will be bringing (hopefully we don't have any tiny disillusioned readers). It seems like everything from banking to grocery shopping feels like a marathon.

I'm beginning to think that the book Scroogenomics had more of an impact on me than I realized.

...and then there are the Christmas police. Thanks, O'Reilly. The fantasy War on Christmas drains a little more joy out of it every year. I use to hear cheerful voices wish each other a Merry Christmas, but now often when I hear it said by a customer in the check out line, it's said in an antagonistic voice. Behind the phrase is not the genuine blessing of someone else's holiday but a snideness worthy of Scrooge. A tone that seems to say "That's right. I said Merry Christmas and I hope you are offended, or feel guilty, or are ashamed of yourself for lowering yourself to a generic greeting."

I can't say I've ever been to a city where decorating for Christmas was banned. My local fire station has a manger scene as part of a larger display. But we are bombarded every year with the same trite "Keep CHRIST in Christmas" message. And do you really need a sticker that let's me know you say Merry Christmas. Um...when you say it I'll kind of know.

The same is true of the ambient knowledge floating around in Christian culture that kids aren't saying the Pledge of Allegiance in school anymore. I recently taught a class on bees and honey to an elementary class. I was there at the beginning of the day and heard it for myself complete with "under God" which people regularly rant about having been removed. The Pledge was followed by a moment of silence. Something I'm sure the teacher was most thankful for.

I've heard people for years lament how hard it is to find a card that says Merry Christmas. There are many complaints about the phrases Season's Greetings and Happy Holidays. A few years ago when I cleaned out an elderly relative's card collection I was surprised how often those phrases were used in the overly romanticized past. I found some examples from the 40s, 50s, and 60s:

 












 

So since the entire thing seems to be over reacting at best and pure concoction at worst, I have to ask with you, Prof, who benefits from it? 

In an article about a completely unrelated topic I found this quote:  "The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis states that the way you use language shapes your perception of the world."

Let that one sink in.  

Hmmm... I may have to stop talking about how exhausting the Christmas season is. I may be making my words a reality. And I just got off the phone with my daughter who said this: I heard that song today "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year and I thought the most stressful time!" But that's probably just finals week talking.

Anyway, a most sincere and heartfelt Merry Christmas to all.

A Light Goes Into The Next Room

Madame,

“Hinges rusted shut.”  Wonderful image, so aptly descriptive of so much seen.

Of course, I’m sure we all feel that “others” have theirs rusted shut, but WE are open minded, lol.  If we all questioned our own thinking a little more, how better the world might be!

As to “cheating,” variation from so called “desired social norms” takes place for many different reasons—biological, psychological, or emotional only some of them. But the desire for partner—momentary or otherwise—variety, albeit traditionally stronger in males, is sharply present in enough of the population to be significant.  Variety is sought plenty in many everyday things.  Add in the lure of the sexual/emotional/excitement/danger, and one has a cocktail of temptation made all the more so by hormones.  The analogy should not be taken too far, but one may have favorite foods or favorite restaurants, yet one still likes to eat other things at times, even if they may not be quite as good.

Although he would dislike such talk, we lost one of the titans of character this week: Nelson Mandela.  Tributes will take place to him, far more than I can do justice to here, but a great light has moved on, leaving us impoverished.  “Hate clouds the mind,” and interferes with strategizing, he said for his obituary interview with the New York Times seven years ago.  This from a man who had more reasons to hate than most.

This Gandhi/King like figure, who was at the same time in ways more than either, focused on dignity, even before justice. In his own words, he was a “sinner who never stopped trying” to be better than he was before, and to strive to live up to the ideals he set for himself. 

While Naomi Klein chronicled well in The Shock Doctrine how the ANC failed to realize that economic power would drive political maneuvering (and so gave up their rights), and how economic servitude did not change appreciably enough in post-apartheid South Africa, Mandela did accomplish an extraordinary thing with his Truth and Reconciliation Commission.  While it was far from perfect, it kept retribution away, much in the same way Vaclav Havel did in Czechoslovakia.  If the economic restraints can be loosened, South Africa holds the seeds of much promise.

Even today, on Robben Island, the place where Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for nearly 28 life-stealing years, Mandela’s presence is felt and his legacy continues.

For the tour guides are former guards and former prisoners.  Thinking about that might make patching up family disputes that millions have this holiday season not look as formidable as they did, eh?

But What Will We Talk About?

Professor,

I've noticed something about my willingness to have weighty discussions with people. I am less and less often willing to extend the social energy it takes to do so. I have a small group of friends from different parts of my life who are open minded, thoughtful, and value our friendship more than their being right who are wonderful to delve deep with ,but it's a select group. Whereas I use to enjoy bantering and questioning at parties and casual gatherings I now seldom have the desire to do so. In most situations there simply isn't time to have a discussion of any depth or complexity and I generally feel a pointlessness about it.

It's also considered an attack by some just to ask them why they feel the way they do about something or what, specifically, they see that helped them form their opinion. Then while they are talking I'm thinking about the size of their amygdala, or whether or not they have a daughter, or any other number of things that affect our thinking, which we think, of course, we have so cleverly thought out.

Here's an article about a study done showing parents of girls more likely to be Republican.

 Turns out it is quite the feat to even think about ideas deeply and then wonder to yourself why you hold the opinions you do, take into account how pushed and pulled you are by a myriad of other factors, and actually doubt your thinking and conclusions with any measure of objectivity. Often the hinges of the mind have rusted shut and no amount of prying with facts can force them open.

Gear switching with Madame: Your comments about women who have "given up" and "their" men who stray left out something we see often, which is men cheating "down" (think Tiger Woods and others like him). Not every man is tempted by something better, but sometimes it seems, only something "else."
Comments?

And you've probably heard about the study just done about brain mapping the male and female brain and showing clear differences. Everyone likes to make fun of this kind of research (Men and women are different, who knew?) But in fact it's probably important, relationship wise, to know your partner isn't just doing things to annoy you or that your son or daughter isn't as influenced in gender related thinking by society as previously thought. It's also pretty interesting to see how the differences complement each other.

Here's an article about how differently the male/female brains are wired.

It'll be interesting to see how quickly conservatives claim this science to be important, while pooh- poohing other scientific information they disagree with.

But that is opening up a whole other can of anti-intellectual worms.

On a side note: happy (early) Prohibition Repeal Day! 

Switching Gears With Madame

Madame and Readers:

Those of you who are trying to keep up with subject changes (so aptly demonstrated by Madame, lol), please see disclaimer that has been at the bottom of the home page since the beginning. :)

From your comments Madame, I see that you have been encountering more than your fair share of “Invincible Ignorance” recently!  You are probably thinking, when encountering repeated instances of that, that Socrates’ dictum about the unexamined life is far too widespread in America!

Our self-polarized culture of willingly ignorant echo chambers means we are making decisions based on not just inaccurate information, but often deliberately manufactured misinformation.  The main “conservative” radio and TV stations have, with occasional exceptions, become mostly a waste of time as a result.  The “liberal” or “progressive” ones typically have more instances of substance, but often enough degenerate into unexamined groupthink and refusal to consider the woeful incompleteness of their positions.  In far too many cases on all fronts, the search for what may be best, or the reasoned consideration of potentially valid points brought up by those not “in the tribe,” are both sacrificed for momentary advantage or avoidance of disadvantage. Which leads to policy stances full of (at best!) all sorts of unexamined and untested weaknesses.  And I say this even though I believe that “blame” for this is not only not equal, but thoroughly mistargeted in the first place because the actual culprits stay mostly hidden.

Even political comedy is increasingly unfunny or even banal.  Notice to The Daily Show: this includes you.

Gear switching with Madame (what a great title phrase!):  I see that you have classily tantalized readers with your passing mention of VS, lol.

Those women who have “given up”:  More than a few will come to be self and group aggrieved (and, incredibly, “shocked”) to find that “their” men have strayed and wandered.  And all the energy and effort they seem thoroughly incapable of or undesirous of exerting now will come out in furious force then.  Lather, don’t rinse, repeat, ad nauseum.  Because far be it for anyone to learn anything from what’s gone on before!

Btw, very clever gear switching of you to relationships and people centric-ness, which is what folks want to talk about, especially when otherwise distracted by the holiday season!  I quite willingly go with the switch, which should give dedicated readers amusement that the Prof is living out the post-election focusless-ness I talked about a year ago! LOL

Madame has brilliantly described the largely self-degenerating vicious concentric circle of American aging, and how that circle ever decreases as the typical American ages.  As you have described on your own page recently, and a bit on our Facebook page, it is too often our unexamined choices to age one way and not another (or others).   Our American culture is a culture in which so very much is tied in to channel choices which are easy but not good for us, and to take away nearly completely many things which could be good for us (the woeful design of many of our cities and transportation systems,  unfortunately, take away many good choices).

As for the tasteless and spiritually deficient pursuit of holiday shopping mania, as well as the overeating, sedentary, and entertainment-diverted combo, those serve notice that Americans should reconsider that unexamined life thing.  Because there are more tipping points than just in one’s wine or beer glass.

Professor’s Log, Supplemental: Although I don’t (and wouldn’t want to, even if the “free” time were available) dedicate extreme amounts of time to training, it was great fun and exhilaration for my son and I to become Rugged Maniacs.  For the reasons why it felt so good in so many ways, please see Madame’s post below, especially paragraph seven!

Random Acts of Questioning

Professor J,

 The Tea Party/Dallas article was fascinating. Over the weekend I had so many encounters with the same kind of thinking, always explained in vagueness or easily recognizable sound bites. Flat out quoting someone on the radio. How does one begin to explain that a talk show host is not a source? Sometimes I ask questions but often the thinking is so ingrained and the "information" so readily accepted without question that I just order another drink and wait for an opportunity to change the subject.

 I'm more comfortable with questions that I am with answers. Trusting the answers is problematic as well. But I tend to be equally suspicious of all parties. I'm perplexed at those who reject all information or ideas because of who they come from while accepting all information and ideas from those they agree with. It is frustratingly bizarre. Anyone else?

And yes of course any combination or all of those reasons for lack of change, could be true at the same time, or none of them.

The Kennedy assassination does seem to mark a clear death of innocence and trust. Followed by an unpopular war, Watergate, and recession people seemed to find comfort in continued polarization instead of unity and problem solving.

Changing gears: 
 
I was shopping in Victoria's Secret recently and noticed that the other shoppers were mostly younger than me. I walked to the next store and noticed that for the most part, women older than me were shopping for housewares and candles. It made me wonder, at what point did these women give up? The housewares/candle crowd was without style, makeup, or attitude. And smiles.

I thought about the physical, mental, and emotional connections to aging.

I suspect feeling "old" happens when you stop enjoying the use of your body. Sex goes, (or it is let go) and if you've never been active you may not even know how good a breathless, sweaty, blood pounding body can feel. (I'm talking about exercise) or at least hard physical work. Which people tend to try to avoid as they age along with simple things like taking the stairs.

With most physical pleasures gone, and pain, stiffness, and lethargy taking over, the only enjoyable physical activity often left to people seems to be eating.  I recently heard one elderly relative comment to another while visiting "It's the only thing we've got left."

At some point for many people, the body only becomes a source of aches and pains. The pleasure of it is gone. Scooters replace walking because walking is hard. In my travels I have never seen anyone riding such a thing. In Italy and France you see elderly people taking the stairs without trepidation. In Scandinavia people of all ages are out and about doing the shopping or riding bikes, in China my son witnessed women he estimated to be between 70 and 80 climbing a mountain to sell their wares to tourists. He noted that it wasn't an easy climb for him at 18 and these women did it two or three times a day. In Ireland at a street fair the grandparents, parents, and kids were all singing the same songs together.

So...is America sucking the life out of us?

Is our culture the culprit?

For all our anti-aging efforts in pharmaceuticals and cosmetic procedures, is the best chance we have to stay active and happy for the duration of life possibly to expatriate? Not that I'd need much of a push to do that at this point. Please refer to paragraph one.

And finally (how many random topics can I cover in one post?), this idea of shopping on Thanksgiving: our time starved, over stressed, ragged families don't need one more distraction. The important things we sacrifice for the trivial, the level of competition that can be dragged out for shopping and eating...I am continually baffled.

 “He who knows that enough is enough will always have enough.” ~ Lao Tzu

What would happen if people, in addition to thinking of things they are thankful for, also took a few moments to just be content? To say, what I have is enough.

Wouldn't that be a happy Thanksgiving? 

 One more thing (isn't there always?): Sometimes the Universe sends a friend along just when you need them to help you find your voice. It's one of the things I'm thankful for. :)