The one about “just rewards”

Some years ago, an ugly scene erupted in the family.  My mom and sisters got into a tiff over something that was complicated and prickly.  I learned about it through abrupt phone calls with people telling which side to take.  I had zero idea of what was going on.

When I finally figured out the basics, I reached out to a few mutual friends I'd heard knew more and got very polarizing, very different points of view.  The cause of the disagreement is irrelevant for the moment - the main thing is that people were ticked off in a serious way.  I'd never seen mom so angry.

I prayed for clarity, made some more calls.  I heard ultimatums and "If this doesn't happen, then I ____" kinds of back and forth.  It was a little unreal, or at least, in my experience with family, maybe it's better to say I'd not experienced internal conflict like that between those particular parties before.

I remember talking to my mom one night - mind you, this was about 5-6 days into the discussion if I remember correctly - and mom said she didn't care if she saw "them" again ever and kinda hoped she didn't.  That kind of blew me away and gave me a sense of how deep and hot this situation was.

It was probably one of those Holy Spirit moments, but my next question to her was, "So you'd like for them to go to hell?  Or you'd rather go to hell and have them not go there?  You're saying you'd like to never see them again - is that just in this life or forever?"

After a gasp and short silence, mom seemed to realize fully that the issue that had caused division was absolutely not that important and that things needed to be worked through, fixed, and healing begun, if at all possible.  It was the beginning of some good changes.

__________

About a year and a half from now, I hope many of you will be gathered into open & public spaces for your just rewards. I hope your awareness will have been peaked, right before you realized it was too late to do anything about it. And that there is a great squirm-ish, giving you enough time to begin to push back, but then the realization, you'd been duped.

The level of political discussion and disrespect that happens every four years is beyond ridiculous, yet again, with the upcoming election.  Few people I read or listen to seem to go deep into what they think their party believes or takes the time to understand "the other side".  It's all about doing whatever needs to be said or done to get your vote, usually by causing outrage, anger, and demonizing people.

The end justifies the means.  It's okay to say or do anything you need to say or do in order to get what you want to have done.  That is the rule of politics today.  No news station on TV or social media appears to have any integrity or ability to simply state basic facts or ideas without slanting the discussion completely for or against someone or something.  And if you go against them, you're evil.

Instead of any awareness of what our implications for the future are, we as a people seem to wish the other side would just go to hell.

__________

"Ticks are really bad this season so you really need to use your bug spray!"  I remember hearing a fellow youth minister from way back in my youth ministry days, telling the crowd this important message as part of the announcements during a weekend retreat.

I asked him later, out of genuine interest and concern, "Really?  Ticks are gonna be bad this year?  Where'd you hear that?  That's really interesting."  And he looked at me with that "Really?  Are you really asking me this?" look - because it was one of those "good lies" to get people's attention to do something - playing up a problem in a way that is way larger than reality in order to get everyone afraid and to act.

THAT is the nature of politics these days.  (Religion too, but that's for another day.)  THAT is why people say and do stupid things and believe stupid things.  We've lost the ability to speak truth.  We don't have a common ground or vocabulary with which to have a discussion about "what is good?".  All we can do is assume the worst, sling as much mud as possible, and never stop fighting, ever.

And that is completely ridiculous to me.  We've lost it - if we ever had it - we've lost the ability to have discussion and dialogue.  We've even actually lost the ability to debate.  What passes for debate these days is NOTHING like debate decades ago, when people, in theory at least, would actually spend time examining an issue or idea and do a "pros/cons" discussion back and forth.  

And people would actually walk away with an education, not just adrenaline.  Sometimes people, even the debaters, would "change sides" or acknowledge something true or good from their opponent.

Now of days, it's just a couple of high school sports teams talking trash, ready to fight.

__________

Which is why it'd be nice in a few months, after the election, to have everyone's words come back to haunt them.  To have everything said and shouted brought out into public and replayed or read aloud so that we can say, "Did that come true?  Is this what is happening now?  Are the predictions you made and things you said over the last two years really true?"  

And if anything is not true - a pie in the face for each thing.  Everyone has to go through it.  If you've said something about what the other side is going to do and it doesn't come true - a pie in the face. 

It might not change a thing in the world, but at least my recent investments in pies would pay off.  And it might cause people to really think through the warm bovine fecal matter they share and at least consider whether or not the words and images they share are real.  For example...

One side says the other is going to take the country back in time and make women barefoot and pregnant again and only available to work in the kitchen.  People of color won't be able to be lawyers anymore.  There'll be free guns for everyone and you can target practice at your local elementary school.  And other really stupid stuff.

Another side says that colorful clowns will be able to sexually assault anyone they want with no repercussions - your spouse, your kids, and maybe even you.  People from other countries will be invited in to replace all the babies we're aborting and keep the economy alive and job numbers up.  And other really stupid stuff.

Is there reality behind any of those things?  Have people heard something or read something that gave them an idea?  Probably so.  There's always a kernel of truth behind some of the biggest lies.  

We usually always take a little of what we fear and turn it into a raging monster that is many times the size of reality.  Are there issues or concerns that need to be addressed? Yes. Are ticks really going to be bad this year?  Well, maybe in a few places.  Hmmmm...why do we talk like we do?

__________

We are all useful idiots when it comes to politics.  As principled and educated as we think we might be, we are still pawns in a game, hoping that we at least get a little something for our trouble.

And, as mentioned in previous posts, both "sides" are often benefiting a third or fourth group who stand back behind the scenes and benefit themselves at the cost of everyone they stir up.

And, as people have pointed out, wisely so, we're all bought into a game where we think we have to choose from one side or another - you have to pick the lesser of evils.  You have to play their game.

No one considers the idea that not playing the game anymore might actually work.  And maybe we should.  Maybe we should.

I'll probably go to the polls in November and hold my nose and pick a candidate based on what their platform says and what they said they will do - AND what they've done so far.  And that includes third party candidates.

What I'll not do anymore is listen to ideologues and fear mongers.  Which basically means I'll have to do more research than watching a few TikTok videos or one of the mainstream news outlets.  

I'll have to go to official websites and read actual policies and THEN go back and look at track records, not simply gossipy news stories about personal lives. 

If anyone hasn't read the sordid behind the scenes stories of some very popular leaders in the past century, do so.  The current crop looks kind of tame by comparison.  And I'm talking about both sides. 

__________

Probably the larger concern for me going forward is not what happened at the Olympics or whether or not January 6 or July 13 were the most disturbing days.  It's all the money.  Where's it all going? 

ALL these big issues from "both sides"/either party ride on money and how it will be spent.  Where has all the money been spent over the past three decades?  Where are people wanting to spend it now and in the next few years?

__________

I pray on the regular that people will chill out.  Take a walk.  Consider your neighbor.  Don't let people whip you up into "us versus them".  

Don't wish people would go to hell.  

Don't tell "good lies" in hopes of motivating behavior and manipulating people.  

Take time to talk with people and, after getting to understand their basics, talk more to understand motivations, fears, dreams, etc.  Don't let people who benefit from stirring and dividing be who gives you your marching orders.

In 100 years, none of this will matter for you.  It might for your grandchildren, so consider what kind of example you want to leave for them - one full of perpetual conflict or one pursuing peace?

Do the work.  Or pie in the face.

You'll be fine.