That Sees Beyond the Years

this past week, i watched the democratic national convention for each of the evenings that it took place.  the speeches and video presentations made me both optimistic and fearful for our country and for the lives of each of us who live here.  i am optimistic because of the vision for the country that was laid out if democrats are victorious in the november election, fearful of what will happen if they are not.  for me, highlights of the convention were the speeches of michelle and barack obama, braydon harrington, bernie sanders and joe biden, the roll call vote of the states and territories as vice-president biden was named the party's nominee, and the black lives matter presentation that included comments by george floyd's brother, philonise.  there were other speakers who were effective as well:   bill and hilary clinton, pete buttigieg, vice-presidential nominee kamala harris, andrew yang, colin powell, cindy mccain, john kasich, amy klobuchar, elizabeth warren, and jan inslee among them.

during the convention, the country's diversity was emphasized, with the theme of "we the people" including all of the disparate ethnic groups that have come together to make up "the people."  the celebration of our rich patchwork of cultures was a vivid contrast to the vision of donald trump and his allies, who see the usa as a society where white men ought to be dominant and in control.  i was especially touched by the comments of deb haaland, a native american who is a us representative, as she told us that she was the 35th generation of her people, the pueblo nations, living in what is now new mexico.

the convention also highlighted the human decency and compassion of joe biden, the party's nominee for president.  cindy mccain spoke of the deep friendship between mr. biden and the late senator mccain, who, though they were members of different parties, found common ground in their love for this country and their mutual desire to serve as best they could.  others told of mr. biden's kindness in reaching out to them in times of difficulty, as he took time from a busy schedule to stop and listen to them and offer words of encouragement and comfort.  the thirteen-year-old speaker, braydon harrington, told of how mr. biden spent time with him after meeting him at a campaign event when joe shared his own struggle with stuttering and told braydon of some of the things he did to overcome his disability.  no one could imagine our current president doing any of those things, and it is this stark contrast that makes it so important to do whatever we can to elect joe biden as our country's president.

may those of us who can vote in this country do so.  may we vote for candidates who embody lovingkindness and compassion.  may we work to encourage others to support those who embrace our highest ideals and who reject the rhetoric of division and hate.  may we be truly great by using the power of government to help all people, to protect every member of our society, to welcome strangers, and to care for one another.  shalom.

Amid the Flood of Mortal Ills

the pandemic seems to go on forever.  we live with the restrictions is has imposed on us and long for a return to what life was like before it struck.  we tire of wearing masks every time we go out.  we long to be able to shake hands, hug, and to sit and stand near others, but we know that we endanger ourselves and them if our personal contact is too close.  we want to be able to sing in choirs and in our church services, to attend concerts, to take part in group activities, but we know all those pursuits are dangerous.  we wish we could travel, going away to see loved ones or to see sights we've never visited before, but we are fearful that we might be a party to spreading the virus or might become infected.

we watch as our leaders fail us, refusing to take the tough actions that would slow the spread of the disease.  we fear for the safety of school employees and students as schools reopen for in-person learning despite the warnings that this will cause the virus to infect staff and children unnecessarily.  we see how our health care facilities and those who staff them are overwhelmed and wonder what will happen when they must deal with both influenza and covid-19 at the same time.  we weep for those who are jobless, who cannot pay their bills, who are being forced out of their homes, and who cannot feed themselves and their loved ones, as some in the government block efforts to assist them in the belief that providing financial assistance will make workers lazy.  we shake our heads in disgust and amazement as the advice of experts is ignored or contradicted by some in power to promote their own re-election and financial gain.

it seems that this whole affair has been bungled from the start.  our leaders refused to take the hard actions required at the beginning and rushed to end the meager steps that had been taken.  we've dithered as the virus became rampant and, even when we knew that we needed to take drastic actions, we lacked the national leadership that was necessary.  now we find ourselves in circumstances as dire as they were at the start of the virus's spread.  it is as if nothing was ever done and the virus was allowed to infect millions with little effort to stop it.

there is not much we can do as individuals, other than take the precautions needed to keep ourselves safe.  we can hope that in november there will be a change in the national government that may bring about a nationwide effort to improve our situation and can work towards that end.  we can offer help to those who need it.  beyond that, we are at the mercy of the virus and those whom we've elected.

may we do what we can to make the best of the situation.  may we be filled with lovingkindness and compassion.  if we and our loved ones are free of the virus, may we be grateful that we have escaped so far.  beyond that, may we be grateful for all that we have.  may we share our bounty with those who are struggling.  shalom.

Each Loving Life A Psalm of Gratitude

my wife and i witnessed a conversation between a mother and her son a few days ago that has been on my mind ever since.  we are related to these two, and both are wonderful people of whom we are quite fond.  the son, who is just shy of fifty, lives in his parents' home.  he has suffered life-threatening accidents twice in his adult life, both the results of poor judgment on his part.  these injuries have left him with some physical and mental handicaps that make it difficult for him to hold a full-time job, so he is dependent on his parents for the necessities of life.  though his parents have three extra bedrooms in their home, he has chosen to live in their basement lawn mower garage because he wants to have an indoor cat.  his father is allergic to cats, so they cannot have a cat in the house.

his mother worries about him constantly.  it is a source of great aggravation to her that he refuses to keep his garage/bedroom clean and tidy.  when it is cleaned, it is she who must do it.  as we were visiting with them, she made a comment about the state of his living quarters, and he took offense that she would bring the matter up in front of us.  his mother usually changes the subject when he takes umbrage at what she is saying, but this time she reminded him that he is living in her house and therefore should conform to her expectations about how he keeps his room.  my wife and i were glad that she stuck to her position.  in her mid-seventies she should not have to be picking up and cleaning up after a man who is in his late forties.

as we talked about the conversation later, we both felt the same way.  if the son truly loves his mother and cares about her well being as much as she does about his, he would do the simple tasks she asks of him, knowing that in so doing he is relieving her of a burden that weighs on her.  at her age she should not have to climb up and down the stairs to his basement living quarters to take care of what he should be taking care of himself.  by relieving her of this worrisome task, he would be creating a healthier environment for himself and his cat and contributing to a more harmonious household for all three of them.

thinking about this reminded me that we all can ease the burdens of others by paying attention to the things that we do that cause them to suffer.  i know that each of us causes our own suffering, but as we live in society with others there is no need for us to continue with actions that bother others when stopping those actions would not harm us and might even help us, as is the case with our male relative who continues to act as if his mother is his maid.  so often, a simple act of kindness that costs us nothing makes a world of difference to another.

it is much the same with the mask-wearing controversy in our country.  even if one doesn't believe that wearing a mask when out in public prevents the spread of disease, it is a simple act to wear one, an act that costs us little, but wearing a mask may help another person to feel safer and more secure.  indeed, refusal to wear a mask ignores the possibility that we are protecting ourselves and others.

may we try to look at life through the eyes of others, seeking to understand things from their perspective.  may we not be so quick to judge or to insist on our own way.  may we learn to listen with compassion and may our actions be guided by love both for ourselves and for others.  shalom.

Everybody Get Together

the other day, i found an article from the washington post in apple news.   the article described the experience of a young man who had come to our town, spending several days here holding up a sign that said "black lives matter."  some of the time, he held the sign at the foot of a billboard near the southern border of our town.  the billboard advertised "whiteprideradio.com" and "altrighttv.com," and the words "for the family" with a picture of a white family beside a flaming cross, an obvious reference to the ku klux klan, appeared in the center.

i'm always disturbed by the sign when i pass it.  unfortunately, the area that includes the town in which i live has a reputation for racism of the most vile kind.  at the beginning of the 20th century, the black population of the town was terrorized by a mob of angry whites to the point that the black residents fled, never to return.  not far from our town and in the same county is a small hamlet, the remains of a zinc mining town, that is reputed to be the headquarters of one branch of the kkk.  just before you reach this town, there is a church that espouses white supremacy as essential to the christian religion, and the pastor of the church is said to be a high officer in the kkk.

it is not uncommon to see confederate flags being flown outside homes and even a few businesses here.  there used to be several other racist billboards outside town, but under pressure from some of the town leaders, those have been taken down.  apparently, the owner of the one remaining billboard, pictured in this article, cannot be persuaded to remove it.  the town has been struggling to erase the images of racism that have given it the reputation of being "America's most racist town."  among those championing the fight against the tradition of racism here are the leaders of the church to which i belong.  our church has a few black members, employs two black staff members, and has just called a black woman to be our pastor.

after reading the article and watching the accompanying video, it is quite evident that there is still much work to be done.  the verbal abuse the young man suffers at the hands of several people who drive past him hurling insults, some of which are quite threatening and vulgar, demonstrate the deep-seated prejudices that are slow to disappear.  one has hope that there is a generation of young people who reject this racist tradition, as a young woman comes up to the man and hands him a note that reads "ignore the haters.  you’re being peaceful.  what you’re doing is good."  in the days following the killing of george floyd two peaceful demonstrations in support of the black lives matter movement took place on the town square.  on the second day of the protests, a group of mostly young white men showed up waving confederate flags and heckling the protestors, using some of the same language that was directed against the young man in the article, but there was no physical violence directed at the blm demonstrators.

i don't know why this young man came here.  i know little about him, other than what appears in the article.  perhaps he was conducting an experiment to see if our town lives up to its reputation as a bastion of white supremacy.  perhaps he had other motives that were less idealistic.  whatever his reasons for being here with his sign, he didn't deserve the treatment he received.  attempts by some in the community to defend the town by impugning his integrity or questioning the authenticity of the video miss the point.  no one ought to be subjected to the insults hurled at him.  the way this man was abused proves the point of the blm movement: there are forces at work, even in small town america, that thrive on hatred directed at black people and their allies.  there is a deep-seated racism that infects our society that flows from the indefensible practice of enslaving other human beings, and it must be recognized for what it is and rooted out.  like an insidious infection, it grows inside us if we don't take steps to stop it, and  every white american, no matter how much we try to deny it, is infected by it to some degree or other.

may we see the kinship of us all, a kinship that is beyond superficial appearances, religion, ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation.  may we love even those who are filled with hate, those who are difficult to love.  may we not believe that any of us are too good to harbor unreasonable thoughts of the "other-ness" of anyone or any group.  may we recognize our own prejudices and let them go along with the emotions that cause them in us.  shalom.