I’ve been hearing a lot of talk the past couple of years about “the end of civility” in America (video ; blog). I’m glad we’ve been talking about it. I hope someday we can grow out of it. But for now, it just seems to be getting worse.
The Supreme Court’s “Citizens United” decision has resulted in a stream of unbelievably uncivil attack ads “preparing” the voters for the upcoming elections. And I’ve been astounded at the disrespectfulness of the debates that I’ve peeked in on.
My 8th grade daughter was given a school assignment to watch a Fox News debate between our state’s (CT) gubernatorial candidates. Having never watched a debate before, she was excited about it. It was fun to see her eagerness to be part of this.
That’s where the fun ended. The candidates spent most of their time making fun of the other, speaking directly to each other in the most condescending of tones. “Bullying” was the word that kept coming to my mind. I was horrified that these two grown adults were speaking this way in front of my child. As she turned off the TV, her dismay poured out: “Are these the only two choices we have to be our next governor?”
There’s nothing new about incivility, of course. There’s nothing new about people being spittin’ angry and playing blaming power games to make themselves feel better or more important or “right”.
Jesus once told a story to people who were prettydam’ sure they were “right”, as long as they could spot a loser to compare themselves with. It’s the kind of “in your face” story that put Jesus on the hit lists of some powerful folk. Take a look, at this link: Luke 18:9-14.
If you’ve read this story before, you may be more familiar with an ending like this: For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted. I love the way The Message version says it in picture language: If you walk around with your nose in the air, you're going to end up flat on your face, but if you're content to be simply yourself, you will become more than yourself.
Shoot. I wish Jesus would be running for governor.
I suppose with words like that, he wouldn’t get very far in a Fox News debate.
But what if I tried believing that Jesus is present at every debate -- standing there between the debaters with arms outstretched, sighing, crying, trying to tell the bullies they've been redeemed ("righted") already. Sure cools down my boiling blood, gets me breathing easier, makes me hopeful.
This story Jesus tells can get us thinking: How do we talk to and about each other? How do we talk to God? And how does the way we relate to God affect the way we relate to people who are different from us?
Newsflash: Your relationship to God has nothing to do with how rotten other people are. Your relationship to God has everything to do with how open-heartedly forgiving God is!
What would happen to the way we humans treat each other if we truly believed that? How would the incivility factor change if we all talked to God like the tax man in Jesus’ story: coming with open hands, unloading our emotional baggage, standing EMPTY before God, allowing God to fill us with new life and love.
Try out these words of prayer, written by Frank von Christierson. They can be sung with an ancient chant melody called Adore te Devote or just prayed in silence. They just plain carry me into the heart of God...
Eternal Spirit of the living Christ,
I know not how to ask or what to say;
I only know my need, as deep as life,
and only you can teach me how to pray.
Come, pray in me the prayer I need this day:
help me to see your purpose and your will,
where I have failed, what I have done amiss;
held in forgiving love, let me be still.
Come with the vision and the strength I need
to serve my God and all humanity;
fulfillment of my life in love out-poured:
my life in you, O Christ, your love in me. Amen.
Please join the conversation here by leaving your comments and/or coming to an audio skype conversation: Thursday at 7pm (EST), October 20. You need to have downloaded the program from skype.com and have a microphone with your computer (as most laptops do). Then look for "bythewaycommunity" on skype.
Peace, civility, and holy emptiness be yours,
Kari
7 comments:
Welcome back to the blog! Your insight and the connections you make are welcome additions to the conversation.
Kari, that was a really great blog post. I will be so happy when all of this election business is over. I am tired of seeing people who are supposed to be our leaders act so ugly towards one another. What a terrible example for our children. I am very sorry that I will miss the conversation tomorrow night.
This is brilliant! What a gift you have!! I sure did need to hear this!!
It's good to know that while politician-bullies are criticizing one another in an effort to outdo their opponents, humble people the world over are like that tax collecter throwing themselves down before God.
Great crafting. I think the minute we think we are like the tax collector, we are really like the Pharisee. And the real catch is not even we say things that are blatantly uncivil. It's that we think them, and that our conversations and attitudes are subtly constructed as a veneer of respectability. We would never introduce ourselves like this: "Hi, I'm Dave. I'm a loser, like that tax collector."
Anonymous, your comment reminds me of a poem by Dietrich Bonhoeffer called "Who am I?". You may want to check it out: http://www.religion-online.org/showarticle.asp?title=385
Of course, the only thing worse than pre-election political rhetoric might be post-election political rhetoric. Let us hope than in the coming days and weeks our country can process the election results civilly, and that our churches can be leaders in faithful, respectful dialogue, and avoid the hyperbole and negative attitude of so many others.
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