Sign up for an emailed notice when a new post it added. And leave a comment. What do you think?
I just watched an episode of "Leverage". What is it, I wondered, that attracts to many people, including me, to the 'Robin Hood' sort of outlawry? And I came up with a provisional answer.
The outlaw really has zero respect of everyone with power. The person with power and riches is portrayed as someone who cheated, lied, stole, or manipulated other in order to get what he/she has. In addition, he/she did a nasty thing to someone we know, or who hired us, and we can absolutely know it even if we cannot prove it.
At least, that's the assumption made by the Robin Hoods of fiction and fact.
By the way, nations behave in the same way. It is understood by most of the world the the USA is rich, evil, greedy for more, and willing to get it on the backs of the poor (or with the dead bodies of the poor) in the rest of the world. Any goodwill we accrued by stopping the Nazis and the warlords of Japan has long since evaporated.
How do we feel, being lumped in with "Americans" (if you are a citizen of the USA)? If you have been laid off because of corporate greed, or had your home repossessed because of banking incompetence, or lost your child to drugs because of empire building gangs, you probably do not feel rich and powerful. "They" are rotten and you deserve to "get them." Right?
Then along comes Jesus who tells us to agape' our enemy, our neighbor, our fellow disciple, our God and even ourselves.
As I remind us from time to time, the Greek word "agape'" as portrayed in I Corinthians 13:4-8a can be better described as a "profound, compassionate respect" than any sort of gooey emotional warm feeling.
I think we all crave respect, from the gang-banger in the projects to the mob boss and his hired goons to the business person, the employee doing menial labor and the school teacher. Could this be a major part of what Paul referred to in Romand 3:23 when he wrote that "all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God"? Haven't we all failed to respect someone at some time or other?
Maybe . . . wonder with me here a moment . . . maybe seeking a just outcome from the rich and powerful who abuse their wealth and power by abusing other (failing to respect others) is a way of showing respect for them?
What do you think? Leave a comment and let us know.
Al Lustie
Thinking with Al
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Obsession and Thinking
I have been thinking about people, including me, who obsess. When a person obsesses, he or she focuses on one or two things to the exclusion of all else. One phrase describes it in dictionary.com --"haunt persistently or abnormally". Some examples come to mind.
Some people in our neighborhoods seem to need an "enemy" in order to function. Someone, some school, some religion, some relative, some movement, some store or web site catches this person's attention. At first the person may feel pretty good about this object or attention. But the object of attention doesn't fulfill expectations, and all of a sudden -- suspicion! This object of attention (person, institution, movement, religion) is failing me or failing someone I love.
After awhile, maybe a few months, maybe only a few weeks, the object being obsessed about is "wrong". Doing it wrong, believing wrongly, transacting badly. "I can't stand be be around _________," thinks the obsessing person. "He/she/it knows what it is doing is wrong. I was on their side, but I was rejected."
Soon the obsessing person is talking about he/she/them/it behind their back. But the object of obsession does't know it.
After awhile, with little or no airing of concerns at all, he/she/it is a full-fledged enemy. If it weren't so tragic, it would be a sad joke. But it is tragic. This obsessing person is hurting others, often hurting reputations, breaking off a friendship for no reason the "he/she/it" can fathom, and isolating himself or herself.
"It is not good for humans to be alone," said the Creator.
Of course, the obsessing person is not fully alone, not at first. He/she surrounds self with converts to hating, converts to suspicion, converts to isolation. These folks are not alone. They have each other.
But in time, each is alone. This happens to extremists of every kind. But it also happens to decent, concerned ordinary people who fall into the obsession trap. It is not good.
That's how I see it. What do you think? Leave a comment and let us know.
Some people in our neighborhoods seem to need an "enemy" in order to function. Someone, some school, some religion, some relative, some movement, some store or web site catches this person's attention. At first the person may feel pretty good about this object or attention. But the object of attention doesn't fulfill expectations, and all of a sudden -- suspicion! This object of attention (person, institution, movement, religion) is failing me or failing someone I love.
After awhile, maybe a few months, maybe only a few weeks, the object being obsessed about is "wrong". Doing it wrong, believing wrongly, transacting badly. "I can't stand be be around _________," thinks the obsessing person. "He/she/it knows what it is doing is wrong. I was on their side, but I was rejected."
Soon the obsessing person is talking about he/she/them/it behind their back. But the object of obsession does't know it.
After awhile, with little or no airing of concerns at all, he/she/it is a full-fledged enemy. If it weren't so tragic, it would be a sad joke. But it is tragic. This obsessing person is hurting others, often hurting reputations, breaking off a friendship for no reason the "he/she/it" can fathom, and isolating himself or herself.
"It is not good for humans to be alone," said the Creator.
Of course, the obsessing person is not fully alone, not at first. He/she surrounds self with converts to hating, converts to suspicion, converts to isolation. These folks are not alone. They have each other.
But in time, each is alone. This happens to extremists of every kind. But it also happens to decent, concerned ordinary people who fall into the obsession trap. It is not good.
That's how I see it. What do you think? Leave a comment and let us know.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)