Spectators all around
We have a spectator democracy. We have a spectator religion. In fact, we have a spectator life.
:- Doug.
Archive for October 18th, 2005
Was the Bible?
Was the Bible divinely inspired or dictated? Which one leaves room for no error? No accretion?
:- Doug.
Choose
Christian, if you had to choose one of these three, which is it? The creed, the Bible, or Jesus?
:- Doug.
When more than 2 converse…
When more than two converse we introduce an opportunity for reflection. There are then two persons in the room for every body, so that with three people there are 6 persons: one ostensibly talking or listening and one reflecting. As a consequence there are at least this many possible interactions: A to A’; A to B; A to B’; A to C; to C’; B to B’; B to C; B to C’; A’ to B; to B’; to C; to C’; B’ to C; to C’; C to C’: 15 in total. When 3 persons converse, they don’t each walk away with three ideas, but possibly as many as 15; more if you allow that ideas interact among themselves once they leave our mouths.
:- Doug.
Why get depressed?
To my good friends–
Why get depressed? Sure, we have big problems. Is there an answer out there? Is it possible there is an answer to be found? Then these people will find it.
Why get depressed about the challenges facing our society? We can allow ourselves to be overwhelmed and seek futilely for a government or a program or some other savior to fix it for us, knowing that there is no such help coming: those people have their own agendas. Or we can get busy, do the shoveling and dirty work ourselves and see what we can make of it. We do not have time for the first option: only the second will do. Besides, we generate a multitude of ideas, bring forth legions of people, and have abundant heart for the task.
It is this people who are suffering who have the questions which will draw us forward. This people. In this place. Acting. Together. With heart and arms and legs.
This came out of the meeting last evening with a leader of the local Urban League and an attorney who works for a trust company. We were conversing about the dropout rate in the local schools and one said that that is a national statistic, too! The conversation went in the direction of how it is a societal problem, how can we force parents to take an interest in their children, how can we do anything, it is an intractable problem. This is a common direction of these conversations: the problem is seen as something impossible. We do not have the power, etc. The answer to how is do: do something, even if little (what is little?), for in doing so, people will see their power to make a change–and fall in love. That is the real difficulty: getting ourselves to doing.
:- Doug.
