A Challenge To Set The Bar Higher

I think it would be beneficial for both Democratic and Republican voters draw a line they are unwilling to cross in support of their candidates, to determine a depth below which they will not sink. This would establish some small degree of commonality in a society that is more concerned about the sins of the other than the sins of self. Hell, maybe Republicans and Democrats could start a competition as to how high a standard they hold their politicians to, and when they attack the other, they would do so by saying “I hold my candidates to high moral and intellectual standards, while you are somewhat lax in accepting less than sterling qualities among those you choose to represent you.”

Heck, maybe then they could start doing that with their media, as well. They would then say things like “I have a counter argument to the false narrative you have shared from MSNBC, but I am ashamed to share it with you, because it comes from FOX, which is not very diligent in their search for the truth.”

Lastly, and this may be asking for too much, perhaps we can start to set the good example ourselves rather than pointing out the imperfections of those with whom we disagree. We can demonstrate the type of behavior we wish others to emulate, and personify the ideals we hold dear in the hope that our political opponents might appreciate our dedication to our beliefs. This wouldn’t mean that we’d have to keep silent about what we felt passionately, just that we would not let our ideas outpace our behavior. Maybe we could teach respect best by respecting others. Maybe, just maybe, our ideas could be spread best not by force but by showing others they are preferable to the alternatives.

Because right now everybody is making an excuse for their own bad behavior. And right now everybody is justifying violence as a response to violence. But maybe bad behavior is never justified. And maybe violence is never acceptable. And even if it is, perhaps the distinction should be made so damn clear that not even the worst perpetrators of bad deeds and violence would be under any illusion about who is the guilty party.

But who am I to critique the way things are being done when they're obviously working? 

Remembering Christ's Message On Memorial Day

William Lloyd Garrison

I know of no other way to address the evils and wrongs of our current society but as a Christian. This is not to say that this is the right way or the only way, but it is at the moment the only right way I can envision. It is the only perspective that gives me both the agency and the obligation to speak. And I feel I must speak.

I must speak because I have seen every holiday, religious or otherwise, become an excuse to glorify and justify war. I have seen November 11, which was once a day to mark the end of war, become a day to honor those who participated in war. I have seen the day where we used to celebrate our nation’s independence become a holiday to celebrate a military whose job it has become to take away independence from people living in faraway lands.

And I have seen Christmas, the day commemorating the birth of the Prince Of Peace, become a day in which we are expected to pause and give thanks to those who serve in the military far from the home and nation where they are loved and in whose name they are supposed to be fighting, whose freedoms they are supposed to be defending.

And so I provide you today with excerpts from the DECLARATION OF SENTIMENTS ADOPTED BY PEACE CONVENTION Boston, 1838. Because I feel if my Christian holidays are going to be co-opted by the war machine, then it is not merely my right but my obligation as a Christian to provide Christian perspectives on Memorial Day. For there is one who gave his life for not only a nation but an entire world. My love, Christian love, transcends national boundaries. It transcends empires that are here to day and vanished tomorrow. My vision is not for some but for all, not for that which is transitory but for that which is eternal. Because nations rise and fall but God’s word endures forever.

From the document written by William Lloyd Garrison:

"We do not acknowledge allegiance to any human government. We recognize but one King and Lawgiver, one Judge and Ruler of mankind. Our country is the world, our countrymen are all mankind. We love the land of our nativity only as we love all other lands. The interests and rights of American citizens are not dearer to us than those of the whole human race. Hence we can allow no appeal to patriotism to revenge any national insult or injury…”

"We regard as unchristian and unlawful not only all wars, whether offensive or defensive, but all preparations for war; every naval ship, every arsenal, every fortification, we regard as unchristian and unlawful; the existence of any kind of standing army, all military chieftains, all monuments commemorative of victory over a fallen foe, all trophies won in battle, all celebrations in honor of military exploits, all appropriations for defense by arms; we regard as unchristian and unlawful every edict of government requiring of its subjects military service.

“We believe that the penal code of the old covenant—an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth—has been abrogated by Jesus Christ, and that under the new covenant the forgiveness instead of the punishment of enemies has been enjoined on all his disciples in all cases whatsoever. To extort money from enemies, cast them into prison, exile or execute them, is obviously not to forgive but to take retribution. "

"The history of mankind is crowded with evidences proving that physical coercion is not adapted to moral regeneration, and that the sinful dispositions of men can be subdued only by love; that evil can be exterminated only by good; that it is not safe to rely upon the strength of an arm to preserve us from harm; that there is great security in being gentle, long-suffering, and abundant in mercy; that it is only the meek who shall inherit the earth; for those who take up the sword shall perish by the sword.”

“If, then, the time is predicted when swords shall be beaten into plowshares and spears into pruning hooks, and men shall not learn the art of war any more, it follows that all who manufacture, sell, or wield these deadly weapons do thus array themselves against the peaceful dominion of the Son of God on earth.”

"Having thus stated our principles, we proceed to specify the measures we propose to adopt in carrying our object into effect. We expect to prevail through the Foolishness of Preaching. We shall endeavor to promulgate our views among all persons, to whatever nation, sect, or grade of society they may belong. Hence we shall organize public lectures, circulate tracts and publications, form societies, and petition every governing body. It will be our leading object to devise ways and means for effecting a radical change in the views, feelings, and practices of society respecting the sinfulness of war and the treatment of enemies."

"In entering upon the great work before us, we are not unmindful that in its prosecution we may be called to test our sincerity even as in a fiery ordeal. It may subject us to insult, outrage, suffering, yea, even death itself. We anticipate no small amount of misconception, misrepresentation, and calumny. Tumults may arise against us. The proud and pharisaical, the ambitious and tyrannical, principalities and powers, may combine to crush us. So they treated the Messiah whose example we are humbly striving to imitate. We shall not be afraid of their terror. Our confidence is in the Lord Almighty and not in man. Having withdrawn from human protection, what can sustain us but that faith which overcomes the world? We shall not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try us, but rejoice inasmuch as we are partakers of Christ's sufferings."

Look For Ways To Avoid Participating In What You Hate

So you say that capitalism is the problem. And when I say capitalism, I do not speak of those who wish to achieve success from their own labor but those who achieve success by exploiting the labor of others. The only real solution to that in my experience is to stop being a capitalist, stop rewarding those who are capitalists. This is not easy. In fact, it damn well may be impossible to escape the capitalist system entirely. But it is not impossible to find ways to withdrawal support from the system. And the more you practice it, the more alternatives you will find. You will find these alternatives not to be sacrifices but far superior ways of relating to the world than the purely financial relationship you now have with it. 

The more you follow a different path from the one capitalism has blazed, the more you stand out as a model for something different. The more joy you experience apart from the corporate capitalist model, the more attractive alternatives will appear to others who find themselves miserable and desperate in a model that offers no hope or joy, but only fear and desperation. A capitalist system offers many rewards--status, physical comfort, a sense of accomplishment, a sense of superiority--but it will never grant you joy or connection. If you are able to be happy without the so-called rewards that capitalism provides, if you are able to feel secure without living in a gated community, if you can feel you are successful and your life has meaning without driving an expensive vehicle, if you are able to find hope in the future without millions in investments to fall back on, you are giving lie to the dream that capitalism offers.

I have experienced it in my own life. When I’ve dared to walk outside the lines society has proscribed, I've reconnected to life in simple but amazing ways. And when I step outside the lines, I am often congratulated by others who don’t like the way things are and are looking for different ways of doing things. More than that, I start to build bonds of community with those who think likewise, so that together we are able to build further alternatives. Not only that, in walking a path outside the mainstream, I come across those whose examples humble me. I am inspired by the actions and commitment of ordinary everyday people. People whose efforts I would never even notice if I had not begun to stray from the path that has been well-paved for us.

In all my life, I have never felt myself to be a part of a larger community. A large part of the reason for that is because I’ve never really felt that I myself have had something to share with others. That is why it is necessary to work on oneself rather than find solutions in systems. Find ways in which you can live a life of meaning, and you will find ways to connect with others on meaningful levels. Find the strength and power and beauty in yourself and you will for the first time be able to fully appreciate the strength and power and beauty others around you exhibit every day. Once-ordinary people will begin to reveal their inner heroic nature to you. Life will begin to take on a nobler aspect. It will no longer be a game of survival but an inspired vocation. 

When you find yourself, you find community. When you find happiness, it cannot but spill out into the world at large. Because the greatest feeling in the world is love, and that is not a feeling we can keep to ourselves. Love is a feeling that reaches out to the entire world, but it comes from the inside of each of us. Oh, and you can't buy love. You can buy admiration, approval, envy, sycophancy, and obedience, but those aren't the same thing.

A cynic will tell you there is no such thing as love, that the rewards wealth brings are the closest thing you'll get in this life. A cynic is never happy. A cynic does not believe happiness is possible, and to prove it he will do whatever is necessary to prove himself right, believing that being right will make him feel better. It never does. 

Where does love fit into the capitalist model? It is the purchase of a piece of jewelry, the ability to reward loyalty, the need to acquire wealth so that we can attract people to admire us. This is not love, this is fear and attempts at manipulation. This is an unfulfilled desire for love playing out. Love is the recognition that we are part of the universe. It is allowing the joy others experience to heighten our own joy. The capitalist's need for acquisition and dominance has at its root the fear that we are ultimately detached and alone from the world and every living thing, that the world is essentially hostile to us. This feeling may spur accomplishment and success, but it will never bring happiness, contentment, joy. Joy can only be experienced accompanied by the sense that we are not at war but at peace with the world. 

There are two paths we can walk. We can work towards deeper connectivity with the world, or we can find our place within a system where we allow ourselves to be dominated and manipulated by some so that we can in turn dominate and manipulate others. We can be motivated by our fear that there is no such thing as love and that we must do whatever we can to provide for ourselves, or we can be motivated by the faith that we are part of this vast and beautiful universe and will find meaning and connectivity by being a part of it. Broken down to its essence, we can either choose fear or faith and joy. If you've ever permitted yourself to feel either fear or joy honestly, there really can be no doubt which is the decision to be made.