Colors

As I have spent the better part of a year thinking about the way in which we view the world, I am struck by an awareness this evening of how our perspectives can cause us to see only one dimension ideologically. We struggle to see any symmetry or connectedness in those who think or believe differently than us.

When we view ourselves and others, imagine an image of a large sheet stretched out with bold colors. We may see ourselves as a blue sheet and we see ourselves "belonging" with other blue things (In using these colors, I am using them as generic reference points to respresent our ideological mindsets or worldviews). We also see the green sheet and the purple sheet and the yellow sheet and the red sheet and so on.

From this perspective, there is a stark contrast between the various colors and very clear distinctions that magnify our separateness. Additionally, this vantage point makes it easy for us to see where we are incompatible with others.

I would like to propose a different image. It is an image with which we are not conditioned - that of an elaborate tapestry.

Even when looking at a tapestry, we may find identification in particular color patterns or designs within the tapestry.

What I am coming to understand is that the reality of human existence is better understood in the intricacies of a tapestry rather than a monochrome sheet.

Even more intriguing is the idea of the reverse side of the tapestry. The side of the tapestry where the design is not discernable. The side where one cannot clearly separate the colors or designs into distinct groupings.

The beauty of the human experience is that, while we are individuals, our lives are woven together into a wonderful tapestry. On one side, that tapestry may be an indistinguishable tangle but when you flip it over it reveals a harmonious and beautiful creation.

We are art. We are poetry. We are an expression of love knitted together and we are greater than the sum of our parts.

As we dig deep to understand how and why we see the world the way we do, I hope we grow to see ourselves as an interwoven tapestry of likeness and humaness rather than a contrasting disparate creation of separation.

People of the lie....

People of the Lie - it's a book by M. Scott Peck - but aptly stated it is a disposition of the human experience. We all live in a state of suspended disbelief. Suspended disbelief is a state in which we refuse to acknowledge the implausibility of a story in order to allow it to stir us. Think of a magic show for instance. We allow ourselves to be amazed by magic even though we know that the magician is not actually doing magic. Although denying that the magician is actually doing magic is more of an over-the-top example of a much more subtle way that we approach the things we encounter day to day, it is one example of a way we "con" or lie to ourselves to live in the world in which we live.

Why do we lie to ourselves? We lie because the alternative is unbearable. We lie because we want to believe we are better than we are. We lie because telling the truth means that we would need to live our lives in a very different way - and most of us don't want that inconvenience.

I have heard that as much as 90% of the chocolate sold in America is produced by slave labor. Have you ever been to one of those places where they make fudge right in front of you? They turn it into a performance where the fudgemakers actually entertain the crowd and everyone buys fudge or at least taste the samples. Imagine if the scene was slightly different. Imagine if instead of the smiling dramatic performances by skilled fudgemaking entertainers, there were three twelve year old boys who were being beaten as they attempted to make that same fudge. Imagine if, as you were watching, one of the boys tear-filled eyes caught yours in a silent cry for help. Would you still buy that fudge? Would you walk away? Would you try to help? Either way, it makes the idea of the fudge much less appealing.

But, these are truths that we can't know. I don't want to have to decide between my iPad mini (made in factories with mass suicides and massive labor concerns over the years) or making an ethical choice.

We don't want to think about the fact that some of our clothing, our electronics, and our food, passes through the hands of those who are tortured and enslaved. It's easier to live in a state of suspended disbelief.

There is a story in the bible in which Jesus says:
"When I was hungry, you fed me. When I was thirsty, you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, you invited me into your home...."

To me, the modern equivalent to this is how we as a people respond to what we know about the world around us. What are we teaching our children and the world around us about how we live and the choices we make? Are we willing to reshape our lives around choices that are ethical and honoring to other people?

I was trapped in slavery and you rescued me. I was forced to perform as a slave laborer and you chose to buy fair trade.

Knowledge is power and accountability. You know and now you must act.

Here are the alternatives to being people of the lie:
1. Do nothing
2. Begin making changes in how you purchase (fair trade)
3. Share the message
4. Become an activist

#LiveaLegacy

Here is an article on slave chocolate.
Here is an article about conditions where Apple products are made. (This is not just an Apple problem).
Here is an article about modern slavery.

Everything I ever needed to know about relating I learned from a puppy....

Yes - watching a puppy.

That may sound silly at first thought but the truth is that there are few things in life that will draw more people in than a puppy.

Puppies have boundless enthusiasm and a spirit of joy like nothing else. One of the greatest attributes of a puppy is their exuberance each time they see you. I can walk out of the room from snuggling and playing with my puppy and walk back into the room 5 minutes later and I am greeted with the same level of exuberance.

If you ever want to feel good about yourself, spend some time with a puppy - they give out genuine love. They have so much enthusiasm that it is infectious. Their entire body wiggles with excitement just because they are happy to see you! What could be better than that?

I also love how quickly puppies (dogs in general) forgive. Even when you have to discipline your puppy, just give it 15 seconds and they will be back on your lap licking away. There is something profound in the way a puppy forgives.

It is nearly impossible to be depressed if you are near a puppy.

Imagine what your life and relationships would be like if you had the disposition of a puppy:
1. Boundless joy
2. Infectious enthusiasm
3. Instant forgiveness
4. Unconditional love
5. Loyal

I think puppies/dogs give us a glimpse into what life can be if we live with enthusiasm, love, and joy. If you need to reorient your life around things that are important, watch a puppy - it may help.

Happy New Year!

My evangelical phase is over...(thankfully)

I'm experiencing a major philosophical shift related to my theology. I have been a part of the evangelical "christian" communitiy for 25 years and I am done. I am officially no longer going to refer to myself as evangelical (I haven't felt comfortable in that group for a while anyway).

The reasons are manifold. For many of my evangelical friends, you wouldn't understand where I am and why so there is no point in trying to convince you. For many of my NON-evangelical friends, I feel as though I owe you an explanation and an apology.

Having been raised Roman Catholic, I not only believed in God, I actually made an effort. I prayed, attended church, and tried to engage. My christianity has shaped both my morality and my world view. I am thankful for the foundational values that were instilled in me as a catholic and for the awareness of the bible message that developed in my days as an evangelical. However, the more I come to understand the bible, the less I think that evangelicalism reflects the truths and values that live in the pages of the text.

I became an evangelical when a very close friend, who's family attended an evangelical church, invited me to attend. It was exciting, fun, and the people seemed to be extremely passionate and serious about God. I am a passionate person - as you can tell. I don't like to do things halfway and nothing about this group of people I was exposed to seemed halfway.

As the years passed, I dove in with both feet. I got rid of my non-christian music, stopped watching non-christian movies, broke up with my non-christian girlfriend, and ordered my life around the rules and regs that were part of evangelical christianity. If there is anything in life I can do well, it is conform. I fit well in structures and I am not a rebel by nature.

I decided to attend a christian bible college and I am thankful that there I met my wife and that the course of my life would be reshaped by a few key people.

My friend Adam Marquez played an instrumental role in my life by encouraging me to actually THINK about what I believe and why I believe it.

It was at bible college that I started to see some of the chinks in the evangelical armor. I was always left more than a little unsatisfied the many times that I could not reconcile the things I was reading in the bible with what I was seeing in practice in the churches I had been a part of.

I realize that NOTHING is perfect. There is no system out there, if humans are a part of it, that are without flaws. I am just not in a place where I want to align myself with the flaws of evagelicalism any longer.

To my friends and family who I sat in judgment over in those very early days, I am sorry. I was zealous. It is not an excuse but I was operating out of sincere desire to know God and to have you know God as well. I realize now that I was following a form of God created in an evagelical image that is no more reflective of what God is like than any other image that man has created of God. Please forgive me.

I am still seeking God - I am still passionate about knowing God and understanding God's purpose in our lives. I am now trying to do that through a personal journey and expression that does not get bogged down in the trappings of all that is evangelical.

Evangelicalism has become so entrenched in dogma that is associated with self over community, politics, personal well being, etc that is has lost sight of the fact that our greatest example was one of ultimate sacrifice. Our example is of one who chose to humble and empty himself.

How did we get here? Again, that is a long complex issue...but I am jumping off the train. As the evangelical train chugs full steam ahead, I have a very strong sense that there is a bridge up ahead and it is out....

Guns don't kill people...but people with guns do

When does it make sense to change our minds? That's a tough question to answer. For many of us, our heels are dug in deep.

We love our brands, our ideas, our politics, our religion, our guns. In some cases, we ignore competing evidence to things that challenge our ideology. We dismiss or throw in the red herring to hide the weakness in our position. In some cases, we just refuse to acknowledge the weakness of our position.

Take for instance the topic of gun control. There are reams - and I do mean reams of stats and studies that reinforce the idea that the U.S. has the highest rates of gun-related homicide and violent crime of any country in the world. We also have the least restrictive gun laws.

This issue is at the forefront of people's minds due to the recent tragedy in Newtown, CT. Lest you think I am gun-hating leftist jumping on an opportunity to further my gun-confiscating agenda, you should know that I am a gun owner. I own a Glock 30 .45 caliber handgun similar to the one used in the Newtown shooting. I grew up with a conservative ideology and have always supported the right to own guns - the 2nd Amendment.

I am becoming increasingly conflicted over my own stance on this issue.

I want to lay a couple of ground rules on what I am addressing in this post. I am going to be speaking about U.S. based gun control. I am not here discuss every other arms program. I am not here to talk about U.S. government morality as it relates to all of our other world dealings. I am not suggesting that those are not important issues as well but that is not what is being addressed here.

I am not advocating for guns to be confiscated from law-abiding citizens. If you get uneasy about anything I say, use that as a reference point.

Changes to Policy

The first thing I would do is change the way that we buy handguns and assault rifles. Here is what I recommend:
1. Anyone interested in buying a handgun or assault rifle must fill out an application that has a clear explanation of why they need that weapon. This application will be reviewed by 3 independent reviewers who must approve the application.
2. Mandatory 28 day waiting period.
3. Extensive background check to include: FBI check, cross-referenced state checks, AND psychological/medical background check.
4. Burden will be on the applicant to prove that no member of their household is on psychotropic medications.
5. Two people will have to vouch for you when purchasing a handgun or assault rifle.
6. If approved, only 1 purchase will be allowed every 3 years.
7. If a gun registered to someone is used in a violent crime, that person will be fined a minimum of $5,000 unless they can prove that gun was stolen from a secure location.

High standards.

Next, I would deal with confiscation. Here's how:
1. I would enact a massive effort to collect illegal guns. I would do sweeps of pawn shops, gun shows, any magazines that allow ads for guns for sale, etc.
2. If someone could not provide a proof of purchase of a weapon, that weapon would be subject to potential confiscation. If that created the confiscation of legally acquired weapons, I would allow that owner to "reapply" through the new process to get their gun back.
3. Confiscated guns would be given to the military and either be put into use or melted down for their metal.
4. Any gun crime would result in a minimum of a $25,000 fine in addition to all other penalties.
Look at the results in Australia when they changed their gun laws here.

Let's discuss the 2nd Amendment.

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

Constitutionalist have long debated whether a strict interpretation of the Constitution allows for (1) INDIVIDUAL rights to gun ownership or (2) State's rights - in the form of a militia.

The Supreme Court has upheld in District of Columbia v. Heller (2008) that the amendment does in fact protect the rights of individual gun owners to own weapons for personal defense.

However, the government has also limited amendments where it is in the best interest of "We the people...." For instance, we cannot yell fire in a crowded theater if there is no fire. And, one can not speak of explosives in the security line at an airport. Just to name a couple.

But, let's think about the issue of a goverment takeover because I have heard many raise a concern about this. How plausible is it that the U.S. Government would, now or at some point in the future, seek to overthrow it's citizenry?

If the President were to give a unilateral order to the military to subdue the citizens of the U.S. (it would have to be unilateral because he would never get the support of the house or senate - OR the military), but let's say hypothetically that that order was issued. Would the military be likely to obey or disobey that order? Think before you answer. What soldier in America is going to start marching into towns like Flint, Michigan or Boise, Idaho and subdue the citizenry?

I not only think this is implausable but I am convinced that it will never happen. Part of the beauty of our Republic, is that our founding fathers set up a system that makes it very difficult for any one person to impose their will on the people. For our government to turn on us, it would require the cooperation and support of the President, the Congress, the state goverments, the military, the state National Guards, etc. Not likely.

Newtown, CT  and Knee-jerk reactions

Some folks get uneasy when we talk about things like gun control after events like Newtown. I understand that. But, the fact is that people are far more open to change in times like this than they would ever be otherwise. I did not expect to be blogging this week about gun control. In fact, I posted a pro-gun ownership photo on my facebook page just last week (that my Canadian brother in law challenged).

If Adam Lanza's mother was subject to my process above, would she have had 6 guns in the house? Many people say that a person like Adam Lanza would have found a way to get guns. That is speculation. I think it is just as likely that he may have just hung himself - none of us knows for sure.

I realize that it is a simplification to suggest that poor gun control is the only contributing factor in cases like this. I know there are many other factors and moving parts. There is a serious problem in this country with mental illness and how we deal with that issue as well. In this blog though, I am focused on the gun control piece and I want us to look at gun control from a bigger picture perspective.

Over the next several weeks, you will see the typical rhetoric from both sides...guns don't kill people and guns are terrible. You will see pundits write articles trying to assert that violent crime happens in other places too or that crime in the wild wild west days was much worse.

Whether or not those positions are valid is not of interest to me. What I am forced to do in this time and place is to make a judgment about what I believe and how I am going to act on that belief? What if anything will I submit as my response to this crisis? That is what I have tried to lay out here. Is it perfect? No. Is it even adequate? I am not sure. Will it prevent one single violent gun crime? I have no idea. But, I refuse to do nothing so I submit these ideas to you as a possible solution to some of the challenges related to gun crime.

Here are some stats:

Handguns killed 10,728 people in the U.S, last year. Let's compare that to 48 people in Japan, 8 people in Great Britain, 34 in Switzerland, 52 in Canada, 58 in Israel, 21 in Sweden and 42 in West Germany.

Read those numbers again.

We have the most permissive gun laws in the world and we have the highest rate of gun related homicides in the world.

So, my mind is changing.

How about yours?

Ideological Incongruencies

What happens when a spiritual mandate slams head on with a cultural or political ideology?

I think some people of faith are at an impasse. In America, faith-based voters have typically aligned with political conservatism. Political conservatism has, among its many values, an opposition to what some call the "entitlement" state. This is a group of perceived leeches who suck the resources from those that "have" and "do" from those that "have not" and "won't do." While there is much debate on this issue and conflicting perspectives on who makes up those camps, there is undoubtably a poor segment of our culture that, without help, will not eat.

People who align with conservative ideology have a visceral reaction to the idea of someone who is otherwise able-bodied sponging off those who are both willing and able. I don't want to make assumptions about what anyone thinks but I can tell you that I used to think that the vast majority of people who received entitlements fell into the "lazy and unwilling" category. (Here is good article on the topic: http://www.alternet.org/economy/5-ways-most-americans-are-blind-how-their-country-stacked-wealthy) This mindset started changing for me around 1998 (those of you who know me know why).

It was around 1998 that I began to get involved with poor people domestically and internationally. Lines that were thick black and white lines started to turn shades of grey. I met many poor people for the first time in my life. I began interacting with people about whom I had made many assumptions and it started to reshape my world view - but that is another blog.

For those of you who embrace a Judeo-Christian ethos, I would propose that we have identified truth in the wrong metanarrative. While I understand the feeling of "injustice" that seems to rise up in those of us who are shaped by a conservative world view, I would suggest that people like Jesus, Mother Theresa, Oskar Schindler, and countless other unnamed people of faith truly understood the concept of living, even sacrificially, for those who are less fortunate.

I recently read the Old Testament of the Bible. Throughout much of the Old Testament, the concepts of caring for the poor and justice are major themes - much more major than some of the hot buttom social issues that people of faith seem to fixate on today.

So, where does that leave us?

I believe that it leaves people of faith with a clear mandate. Our responsibility to those who are poor and marginalized is to be their hope, their source, their protection, and their voice. Whether it is a poor african american mom in the inner city of the U.S. who is trapped in a welfare system that makes dependence easier than independence, whether it is a young girl forced into sexual slavery in southeast Asia, whether it is a migrant worker who came to America in the hope of providing for their family and is being forced to live in squaller and work for next to nothing, we are their hope. We are their advocates.

There is a concept in the Old Testament - it is the concept of Jubilee. In this concept, if anyone fell on hard times and they were forced to become enslaved, at the 7th year they were free with ALL debt forgiven and their property and possessions were restored. Additionally, God set up a way for those who were poor to have food and other resources at their disposal.

No doubt we have come a long way from the way that the hebrew culture lived but the idea of how we care for the poor and those subject to injustice is a major theme for the families of Judeo-Christian faith. The problem is that it is now an affront to our political/cultural ideal of me, mine, individualism, personal space, personal property, my rights, my dream, etc.

I have said before that I believe the true measure of the character of a nation is seen in how it treats the most vulnerable in its midst. We are a country that is slowy losing it's soul as we reach for the brass ring. I hope we will consider the good fortune of our circumstances and take seriously the mandate that "he who give to the poor lends to the Lord."

Happy Thanksgiving

Your world view is not truth

We all have a problem. It's our point of view. There is nothing inherently wrong with each of us having opinions - especially when those opinions are well thought out and researched. The problem is that it is nearly impossible for us to be objective and look beyond our prejudices and biases and truly change what we have always assumed to be true. Let's explore that.

In America, we are in a season when this is at the forefront of our collective consciousness...election season.

As an independent, I often feel that I am able to step back from the rhetoric of both sides and take an "objective" look-see at things being said and done (make no mistake, I understand that I fall into the same trappings as anyone else). But in a two-sided system, when you are on neither side, it is just easier to be objective. I see pundits and ideologues making salacious claims and hurling hateful accusations and wonder why they hold so strongly their world view that they are comfortable doing it at the expense of others and in an intentionally hurtful way (again, I have done this myself, so, I am looking in the mirror while writing).

I want us to consider our world view. I want us to dig beyond the surface of what we believe and make some concessions. I would like for us to acknowledge the inherent value of someone else's perspective. This is not something that will be easy for many of us. Because we feel, in some cases, to acknowledge the value of someone else's perspective devalues or invalidates ours.

It may be helpful for you to reflect on why you believe the way you do about things like politics, religion, race, money, nationality, education, gender equality. How do your views on these issues differ from your upbringing? How much imprinting was part of the process of you believing what you believe and how much came from a deep contemplation of the topic or study or life experience?

I am not here to say that just because you inherited a belief system from your family that it is necessarily wrong - but who are any of us to say that because we inherited a belief system from our family it is necessarily correct? What makes your world view more or less true than those who have had a different life experience and drawn different conclusions?

Many of us are not in the habit of questioning our own beliefs. We accept what we have always accepted with some minor adjustments for life experience.

I tend to have a greater appreciation for someone who is living a life or a belief system that is divergent from their upbringing or world view because I understand how difficult it is for us to leave the safe haven of what we have been taught to be true. It takes courage and intelligence.

As a white male who grew up in an upper middle class politically conservative Christian home, my world view was shaped for me in ways that caused me to trust the "system." The status quo has been good to me and my kind. I did not grow up with an inherent distrust of the police, the government, authority, etc. In my lifetime, I have not been denied access to anything I had the resources to afford. I have had a life of choices - and except for my mistakes - most of those choices were good options.

Juxtapose that to someone who grows up in poverty in America. That person may be "taught" to distrust the system. They are made to believe that things don't work in their favor and that they don't have the same choices or options. For them, they have to work around, or work harder, or accept their lot in life. One could easily become embittered because they are taught to be so.

I would contend that our world view is as much a part of us as our race. For me to say to some of you to stop being liberal, or stop being conservative, or stop being Christian, or stop seeing things the way you do...would be akin to me saying stop being white or black or Asian.

There are exceptions to any situation and just as you may be able to point to a person here or there that was raised in poverty and was able to claw their way out. We can also point to individuals who were afforded better choices but made poor choices and ultimately sabotaged themselves.

Most of what we believe, is the result of what we are taught. It is not because you have a direct line to some secret vein of truth and you and your kind were just lucky enough to happen upon it.

For me, change began to occur through life experience. I traveled and saw and met the poor - extremely poor people. I have held infants dying of AIDS and I have held the hand of a prostitute who was tricked into sex slavery at 13. I had my preconceived ideas of why someone was poor and how or why they chose to stay that way. My beliefs were challenged and I believe I am better for it.

The point behind this is that we all have value. Every world view offers perspective. Every world view has legitimacy and we can all grow and expand our knowledge as we open our minds and hearts to understand those around us.

Are you willing to ask yourself the deeper questions about why you believe what you believe and how those beliefs affect the way you interact with the world around you?

I think you should.