A New Hope

Episode IV of the Star Wars trilogy (i.e. the first Star Wars movie) was subtitled A New Hope.  Watching the movie, you would believe that Luke Skywalker is the new hope.  But after watching Rogue One, you come to the realization that the new hope isn’t a person at all.  Without giving away too much, I can say that the rebels are in a seemingly hopeless situation.  And they seem to be splintering.  Some question the reasons for fighting the Empire while others see nothing but futility in continuing the fight.  Because a few were willing to put aside their differences and work together, in spite of the odds, the movie ended with new hope.  There wasn’t any one individual that could be considered the hero.  They all worked together. Although the situation hadn’t really changed, the Empire still had the Death Star after all, there was a new hope that the Empire could be defeated.

I think a lot of people will say the country is probably not any better off than it was on January 20^th, 2009.  Some will disagree.  Some will see Trump or the new Republican Congress as a new hope.  Others will see them as the Evil Empire from Star Wars.  I don’t see either as the embodiment of hope or evil. Regardless, I do know if things are going to improve in this country, it has to start with us.

How do we create a new hope?  For starters, we could follow what Peter wrote in his first letter, “Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”” (1 Peter 5:5) But doing that means we have to keep in mind:

1. Disagreement doesn’t mean hate. People can respectfully disagree. Trying to understand why they disagree may be helpful in reaching an agreement. Assuming that they disagree because they hate gets us nowhere. 
2. Most people don’t really want to hear our opinion or our complaints about politics, transgender issues, radical Islam, or the designated hitter rule, or whatever the complaint du jour may be. Our freedom of speech doesn’t mean we are entitled to have an audience.
3. Respect has to be earned; don’t demand it. 
4. Trying to shutdown opposing viewpoints prevents us from having meaningful conversations about important subjects.  Having a “safe space” to evade differing viewpoints because they might make you uncomfortable is silly.  If the differing viewpoint makes you feel “unsafe”, is it because we are afraid our viewpoint may be proven wrong?
5. Be polite in our discourse. Rudeness is a sure way to shut down a conversation.
6. If you wouldn’t say it to another person, face to face, don’t put it on Facebook, Twitter, or some other social media.  People probably wouldn’t spew the venom they do on social media if they had to look the subject in the eye while they said it.
7. Speaking of social media, we should count to 10, or 100, or 1000 before we type that reply.  Just because social media allows us instant communication doesn’t mean we should instantly communicate.
8. Our freedom of speech, within reason, is protected.  However, we should not assume that this freedom means that we are the only one free to speak.  Others will likely disagree with us.  Be prepared for that.
9. Just because we find something offensive doesn’t mean it was intended that way. We all come from different backgrounds and perspectives. If I use words you find offensive, perhaps it’s because I don’t have your perspective and, therefore have no understanding of the offense.  It isn’t malice, it is simply ignorance. Give me the benefit of the doubt.
10. On the flip side, try to be cognizant of the different perspective.  What may seem harmless could be deeply hurtful.
11. Live by the Golden Rule.  We should treat others as we want to be treated.

If we want a peaceful coexistence, all of us, regardless of race, politics, gender, orientation, income level, or other differences, will have to make an effort. That effort is the new hope.

Dear Hollywood

Dear Hollywood,

I normally don’t watch entertainment awards shows such as the Oscars or Golden Globes.  I assumed these events were just narcissistic self-adulation forums, but it turns out I missed a real opportunity to gain wisdom and enlightenment from Tinsel Town philosophers and sages.

Had I known Meryl Streep would take precious time out of her acceptance speech to warn the rest of us about the dangers of a Donald Trump presidency, I surely would have watched.  Believe me, I won’t miss another for fear of missing out.  But, as I consoled myself after missing an opportunity, I decided that I should thank you for sharing your wisdom and advice.

Thank you Jim Carrey, and others, for putting together a video to inform me of the evils of gun ownership.  I assume that your years of making movies where gun violence is rampant has made you an authority on the dangers of guns and law-abiding gun owners.

I’d like thank Katie Perry, Madonna, and others who took time out of their busy schedules to remind me to vote.  If you hadn’t stripped to your birthday suit, I would have assumed that voting was unimportant.  And thank you for warning me of the dangers of voting for Trump.  Since the mainstream media didn’t report any of Trump’s racist and misogynist language, I would certainly not have known.  I also want to take thank those celebrities who said they would leave the country if Trump won.  I would not have known that our Presidency would suddenly become like a third-world dictatorship just because the wrong person was elected. I stupidly thought that the systems of checks and balances ensconced in the US Constitution would have prevented it.

Clearly, I am not as educated or wise as you.  If I may, I’d like to ask a few questions so that I may become more enlightened.

1. Did you or any of your loved ones lose a job due to the increase in federal regulations introduced during the Obama administration?
2. If yes, did any of these people lose their home resulting in a stay in a homeless shelter or did they have to visit a food bank in order to feed their family (your gardener, stylist, or maid doesn’t count)?
3. Did you or a loved one lose insurance coverage because of the Affordable Care Act? If you were able to keep your insurance, has the rising costs of insurance premiums impacted your ability to meet your other financial obligations like car insurance, house payments, or the like?
4. Have you ever had to worry about school violence, overcrowding, or failing grades in your children’s schools?
5. When was the last time you filled out your own income tax form? If you saw how much was going to the federal government, did you wonder where it all went?
6. When you protested the racist, draconian law officers who massacre the blacks of America, did you also think to protest the 762 murders committed in Chicago last year, especially since most were black-on-black homicides?
7. I was taught in school that the Electoral College was set up so even the least populous states have a say in the presidential election process.  Did you demand the Electoral College be abolished because you knew the President should be elected only by the four or five most populous states, which, coincidentally, tend to vote overwhelmingly Democratic? Or was it based on the fact your candidate lost the election?
8. When you demanded that Electoral College electors not vote for the candidate to whom they were pledged, was it because you believe the rules and laws apply only to the common folks, not liberal elites? Or were you just being a sore loser?
9. Speaking of rules and laws, do you believe that a Secretary of State President should strive to protect National Security assets and information, even if it means the inconvenience of using US email systems? Or are do those laws only apply to the “common folk”?

I look forward to being endowed with the wisdom of your responses to these questions (since I am not on Twitter, a response of more than 140 characters is acceptable), considering anyone who lives and works in the land of make-believe is obviously wiser than the rest of us.

Sincerely,

Active Thinker

Happy New Year 2017

2017.  A brand new year.  2016 is now history.  To be honest, I am glad 2016 is gone.  It certainly felt like a year full of hate and anger.  It seemed as if everyone was either hating or accusing someone of hating, or both.  I pray that 2017 isn’t like that.  In my gut, I am afraid 2017 won’t be much different. But in my heart I believe there is a way to make it a much less hateful year.

Most people have heard the New Testament story of the Good Samaritan.  On the surface, it’s the story of someone helping a stranger.  But it’s deeper than that.  And it’s the deeper meaning that is the key to a better year, if only we’ll try to live by it.

In Luke, chapter 10, an expert in Hebrew law is trying to test Jesus by questioning him.  Jesus answers his question with a question.  The expert “…answered, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’, and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”(Luke 10:27 NIV)  The expert, still trying to test Jesus, then asks, “…And who is my neighbor?” (Luke 10:29 NIV) Jesus responds with the parable of the Good Samaritan.

 

In the parable, a man was robbed, beaten, and left for dead.  A priest and a Levite both ignored him.  These were Jewish religious leaders, the good guys.  People who should have stopped to help but didn’t.  So why didn’t they?  One can only speculate but I imagine that their reasons would sound familiar.  “I didn’t want to get involved.” “I was afraid.” Or, “I was in a hurry.”  However, a Samaritan did stop.  Not only did he stop to help, but he took care of him and arranged and paid for additional care for the man.

Samaritans and Jews were taught by their respective leaders to avoid each other and to not even speak to each other.  The Jewish historian, Josephus, writes that through much of the first century there were numerous violent conflicts between Jews and Samaritans.  They were, in other words, political and religious enemies.  So why did the Samaritan stop?

Perhaps he looked beyond the race or religion.  Maybe he ignored the injured man’s politics and simply focused on the fact that man was in need.  Regardless, the one least likely to help a Jew was the only one who did.

So in this New Year, we should all resolve to love our neighbor in spite of their color, creed, political or religious beliefs.  We can show our love by helping those in need, obviously.  But we can also show our love by not attacking our neighbors for holding a different viewpoint, different belief, or different political affiliation.  If, in 2017 we truly love our neighbors as our self, not just the ones who speak like us, look like us, or share our same opinions, maybe it will be a better year than 2016.

Happy New Year!