Spring in the Ozarks and What the Hell is wrong with people?

It was nearly 70f (20c) on Tuesday as I was working in what will be our garden. It was 34f (1c) when I woke up this morning and now it's snowing!
Ugh!

I'm back to coffee by the fireplace this morning and probably will be for a few more mornings.
Today's coffee and quiet time will be cut short by a trip into Springfield -- Dr. appointment for Chris, setting up for in-person services at The Venues for me. We're doing the ecologically and economically best thing by carpooling. I'll probably be finished before Chris but I'm sure I can find a coffee shop and I always have a selection of books on my phone. 

   * * * * *

I am finding the current trend of attacks on Asians to be very troubling -- not only because of the racism, but the attackers are targeting older people. It seems that most of the violence is against senior adults. 
What the hell?!
Effing damn cowards!

I suspect cowardice is a common trait among racists. They find strength in numbers or anonymity, but would not be so bold one on one with a person of equal or greater strength or size. Reading about attacks on unsuspecting Asian seniors really pisses me off and I find it a challenge to maintain my newly found calm, peaceful, more gentle demeanor. 
Perhaps the thing that upsets me the most is the failure of so many Republican (Yes, I'm calling them out!) leaders to address the racist issues in our country. If fact, far from addressing the issues -- in 43 state legislatures and in Congress, most are contributing to the goddamned racism that our previous President and his followers -- every f#*cking one of you -- endorses.
No more passes. You don't get to say you support his policies but not his racism. His policies are racist. If you support him, you support a racist. If you support a racist - YOU ARE A RACIST.

Go ahead - change my mind. 
I'll listen, but you better bring some kind of super strong defense.

sigh
I'm going to need some serious quiet time to re-find my peace this morning.
Or maybe I need to be outraged for a while longer. 
Maybe we all need to be outraged.

John

Random Thoughts on Racism

I don't think it's just me. I think a lot of us in the US are wondering how we have failed so badly at racial relations. I honestly don't have my thoughts (nor my emotions) organized enough to put together a decent post so I'm just going to share a few thoughts.

When I see the systematic racism in our country's highest level of government I wonder -- Are there more racist people in our country than non-racists? How do we have so many racist elected and appointed government officials? How do we have so many racist law enforcement officers?

Why does it take so much money to run for public office in the US?

The advances in technology and communication should make it less expensive to make our messages known, but it now takes millions of dollars to run for a seat in Congress. Is it any wonder that most neighborhoods and communities lack real representation in government?

Why have so many Christian people listened to the message of hate from people rather than the message of love from the Christ they claim to follow?

Is indifference to oppression worse than hate? Is that how we go about our privileged lives, acting as moral, righteous people while others are treated with hate and oppression?

As I'm writing this, it occurred to me that I'm wearing my Venues' Love Your Neighbor t-shirt. I took it off to take a picture of the back.

Do you see it?

It's there near the bottom.

Your RACIST neighbor.

I've seen social media post telling racists people to unfriend them or be unfriended by them and I wonder -- How am I supposed to show love to people that hate?

I want to disengage to contemplate and figure things out.

I want to stay connected to feel the pain of the oppressed, the love of those that care, and yes -- even the hate of the oppressors.

Like the world around me, the world inside me is in a bit of chaos. I need to calm the chaos inside before I can help with the chaos outside.

John

On Race and Rioting

I am not a fan of the riots that are taking place in Minnesota right now, but these days I find myself being more contemplative than judgmental.

Martin Luther King Jr. said that riots are the desperate voices of the unheard. Here in the USA, we have a race problem and the white race is not listening to the black race. The white race is still quieting and oppressing the black race. The white race is killing the black race.

The riots in Minnesota are an extreme action by a desperate people.

If members of our own groups -- family, churches, community -- were being systematically targeted and killed, we would expect society (government) to intervene and bring about justice. If that failed to happen (repeatedly), wouldn't we eventually take matters into our own hands to seek justice and revenge?

While I do not condone the riots, I understand why they are taking place. 

Don't tell me they should have peaceful protests. Peaceful protests (Colin Kaepernick) have been condemned as anti-American and gone unheard. People were (and still are) more offended by the protest than they are by the injustice being protested.

I have read far too many comments by people of the privileged class that simply do not understand the injustices faced by the black members of our society. 

I really don't have the words to express my emotions on this.

I am weary of a country that is so divided.

We are Republicans or Democrats.

We are conservatives or liberals.

We are blacks or whites or Latinos or Asians.

Our states are not united.

Our people are not united.

We are no longer The United States of America.

We are no longer we.

I am angry.

And I am so very sad.

I have no words ... and even if I did, I'm afraid they would go unheard.

John

Director of Changing the World

Several months ago my brother made the big move from his lake front cottage in rural Vermont across the vast expanse of the US to his new job in California. The job was created for him and came with the job title "Director of Changing the World."

My brother is a pretty cool guy. He is intelligent, articulate, humble and unassuming, and he can be pretty goofy, too. He genuinely cares about humanity in general and individual people, too. Personally, I can't think of a person better suited for the job of Director of Changing the World.
God knows we need some changes!

But I am wondering...
If the task of directing change in the world was left to you (or to me), how would we go about it and what would our priorities be?

When I look around me today -- the news, social media, the church, politics -- the thing that I find most disturbing is the amount of fear that we have. I know that much of it is hyped and spread by those that wish to control the fearful by promising control over the ones they fear, but the consequences are real and quite destructive. I don't know how to go about combating the machine that spews hate and causes fear other than to educate the masses to the truth.
Education, exposure, and experience are the greatest weapons against fear. Unfortunately, many choose to remain willfully ignorant because fearing is easier than education and education may mean finding out that we have been wrong all along.

What would happen if we each began to examine our critical beliefs with the idea that we may have it wrong? What if we stopped looking at generalities -- Republican, Democrat, black, white, Christian, Muslim, atheist, straight, gay, etc. -- and looked at individuals and based our judgments solely on their merits?
What if we were to examine the teaching of our god against the teaching of another god?
What if we examined the purpose of government and found that large blocks of citizens were being forgotten or actively oppressed by the political party we've supported?

Would we be willing to change our way of thinking and speak up about our new found truth?
In today's environment, many people are more afraid of the consequences of speaking to the truth they are of being wrong. They would rather continue in their ignorance than find out they need to make a change.

I'm afraid that changing the world would be far too difficult a task for me. I struggle with the changes that I need to make in my own heart and mind. Through education, exposure, and experience, I am finding that I have been wrong about a lot of things and a lot of people.

Maybe I need to hire my brother to be Director of Changing John.
It wouldn't make a great impact on changing the world, but it would be a start.

John <><

Who is my neighbor?

The Gospel of Luke -- according to John (that's me).
If you were at church with me on Sunday morning or if we were having a simple conversation, I would probably use the more familiar title of Story-time with Pastor John.
As it is, I'll try to lay this simple story out the way I would tell it in preaching or in conversation. It's a story that most people have heard in some form or fashion. If you'd rather read it for yourself, you'll find it in the tenth chapter of the Gospel According to Luke.

Jesus is doing his thing and teaching about how we should live and a lawyer (probably a Pharisee since they were the ones that were all about living by the 613 laws of the Torah) asks the simple question, "Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
Jesus answered, "You're a lawyer. What does the Law say?"
The lawyer responds with an answer that Jesus has given, "Love God with everything you've got and love your neighbor as yourself."
Bingo!
Jesus says, "That's right! Do it and you'll live!"

Although the answer seems simple enough, the lawyer asks for some clarity. I mean if we're talking about eternal life, we need to make sure of the details, right?
So the lawyer asks, "Who is my neighbor?"

That's when Jesus tells his story:
There was a man that went down from Jerusalem to Jericho. While on the way, he fell among thieves that beat him, took his clothes and all of his belongings, and left him badly beaten and bloodied at the side of the road. A priest passed by but saw the man and passed by without stopping. Later, a servant of the temple passed by, looked at the man and then crossed over to the other side of the road and continued on.
Finally, a man of Samaria passed by and took care of the beaten man. He cleaned and bound his wounds, and transported him to a nearby town. He left him in the care of a local townsman and paid for his care. He also promised to return to pay for any additional charges.
Then Jesus asked, "Which man was the neighbor to the man that had been robbed?"
It's a no brainer, but even the lawyer's answer reveals something about the story. He said, "The man that showed mercy."
And Jesus said, "Yep! You be that guy!"

It's pretty easy to read that, glean a simple lesson about being kind to strangers and move on.
But there is much more to the command "You be that guy!" than just be kind to others.

The Samaritans were a people of mixed race and despised by the Jews.
To understand why this was so, one needs to go back to the divided kingdoms and the rebuilding of the southern kingdom at Jerusalem. Those Jews felt that they had kept their race pure while the northern kingdom (Samaria) had lived with their captors, intermarried with them, and corrupted the Jewish way of life. The Samaritans were considered to be unclean, unholy, and a people to be avoided and despised.
When Jesus asked, "Who was the neighbor?" the lawyer didn't even acknowledge the man's race. He simply said, "The man that showed mercy." It's like he purposely avoided saying the Samaritan was the good guy.

And the command of Jesus wasn't to show mercy to people you don't like. It was to show mercy, even to people that don't like you!

This Samaritan traveler stopped to care for a man that would likely have left him to die if their positions were reversed. Even the priest and Levite (servant of the temple) wouldn't stop to help one of their own. A person's dislike for us is no excuse for our treating them poorly.

There are many people that are applauding the actions of a DC restaurant owner that asked the White House press secretary to leave based on the poor morals of the current Administration.
Some say that they (the White House staff) deserve it.
Many say that if a baker can refuse to bake a cake based on moral differences, a restaurant owner should be able to refuse service based on moral differences.

I think that Jesus would hold us to a higher standard. I'm pretty sure that he would tell us to love those that hate us, to be kind to those that are unkind to us, and to show mercy to those that disagree with us.

I wonder how different things would be if the owner of the restaurant had taken Ms. Sanders aside and said, "Listen, I want you to know that I really disagree with what is being done by your boss. I honestly don't know how you can work for him and do the things you do. Having said that, I want to thank you for choosing to eat in my restaurant and I hope that you and your party enjoy your meal and choose to comeback in the future."

Martin Luther put it this way --
"The Christian shoemaker does his duty, not by putting little crosses on shoes, but by making good shoes, because God is interested in good craftsmanship"

How we treat others shouldn't have anything to do with how they treat us.
Ms Sanders comment about the owner's actions saying more about the owner than about her were spot on.

It's funny how easy it is to see the right and wrong of the actions of others and how difficult it is to see our own misdeeds.

Who is my neighbor?
You are.
You are even if we disagree ...
on religion
on politics
on social issues
on civil rights
on economy.
You are my neighbor based on my choice to follow Jesus.
You are my neighbor even if you don't consider me to be your neighbor.

sigh
This following Jesus thing can be difficult.
Please be patient with me.

John <><

Summer Solstice

Seasons change; life goes on.
At a little past 5am in the US Midwest, the sun reached its northern most point as the Earth makes its orbit around it -- 23 degrees, 26 minutes above the equator, touching the imaginary line we call the Tropic of Cancer.

Around the world, few people will take notice of the annual event.
Most people in the US are on their way to work or have already begun their work day. West coasters may still be sleeping or snoozing their alarm clocks for a few more precious minutes of rest..

It is said that light overcomes darkness as good overcomes evil.
Perhaps this will be the day

For thousands of children, the longest day will turn into a longer and lonelier night -- a night that will not end. Their summer begins in a room separated from their parents or anyone they know. Although they are with a multitude of other separated children, they are alone.
Some are infants.
Some are toddlers.
Some are preschool or elementary school age.
Some are young teens.
All are too young to have been torn from their families.

The longest day and the longer nights will also be experienced by the parents that have had their children taken from them. Parents seeking safety from the violence and turmoil of their native land have traveled thousands of treacherous miles to reach the uncaring and evil border of the USA.
They came with hope.
They were met with evil.

I am ashamed of my country.
I am ashamed of so many of the associations I have with people that have supported an Administration that has taken such heinous actions on innocent people.
I am ashamed of the willful ignorance and the political bias that keeps people from seeing the truth.
I am ashamed that people make comparisons like summer camps or playgrounds or ball fields.
I am ashamed that we have listened to that and not removed them from office or from their career positions.
I am ashamed of myself for not having done enough to prevent this from happening.
I am ashamed that I feel so powerless to do anything to undo the evil that has been done.

Today will be a long day.
Tonight will be a long night.

May God have mercy on me
And on my country,

John <><

Can We Talk?

The internet is full of opinions on the peaceful demonstrations of black athletes during our National Anthem. Coaches, owners, fellow athletes, broadcasters, and of course -- politicians are weighing in on the means of the demonstration.

Unfortunately, I'm seeing very little actual  talk about the purpose of the demonstrations -- the unjust treatment of African-Americans by our police forces and justice systems.

Even though I am Asian-American by birth, I have spent my life within the white privileged society and wouldn't be considered anything else except by the strictest white nationalist sects of our society. I think that I am the least Asian looking of my siblings and many people are surprised to hear that I have an Asian mother.
I have no idea of what it is like to be a black man in the United States  (or any other minority, for that matter). For all practical purposes, I am a white, Christian male and have the privileges associated with that standing. I can live were I want (and can afford). I can go where I want without fear of being stopped due to racial profiling. I can shop where I want without raising great suspicion that I'm going to steal something. I'm not suspected of being lazy or of slopping at the government trough (although I am on a government pension). I live in a part of the country that is nearly uninhabited by minorities.

I say all of that to say that I recognize that I am a part of the problem -- at least up to the point that I allow the problem to continue without some sort of dialog and change.

We, as a society, have responded in a typical way. The instinctual response of any accused is to justify our actions or redirect the blame for our actions on the accuser. It takes great character to admit that we may have been wrong; that our action (or inaction) has caused someone harm. Such an admission means that we have to be the ones to change.
As long as we make the demonstration about something other than its initial purpose, we can insist that the victims of this injustice change their method of demonstration while we continue to allow the racially motivated injustices to continue.

There will have to come a time when law enforcement agencies and criminal justice systems have to acknowledge that the statistics are damning and a change is needed. We (the privileged) can be the motivating segment of society to get our elected government officials to listen to the complaints rather than to dismiss them or deflect them so that they go unaddressed.

Kneeling during the Anthem has never been about disrespecting the Flag, our nation, nor anyone that serves our society. It's time we stopped treating it as such and address the real issue.

John <><

Black Lives Matter

I struggle to write this post.
My thoughts are such a jumble as the emotions of anger and frustration overwhelm the desire to be orderly and eloquent. Parts of my brain are screaming while other parts are silent and without words. I don't want to ramble from one random topic to another, but I fear that if I don't start somewhere, I will wait too long to capture the moment and appeal to the indignation of others that feel the same types of emotions.

I have been surprised and disgusted by some of the posts and comments that are on social media. I get that most white people don't have any understanding of their own privilege, but that is not an excuse to turn deaf ears to those that are oppressed. Their oppression is not a figment of their imagination. It is real.

Maybe that's a good place to begin.
Black Lives Matter

Black Lives Matter is not a hate group or a movement that discriminates against whites or any other race or ethnic group. It is a movement to create an awareness (among whites) that blacks are disproportionately targeted and killed by law enforcement and that black deaths are not pursued and prosecuted at the same rate as white deaths. It does not mean that cop lives or white lives matter less. It calls attention to black lives that are largely ignored by others.

The response of "All lives matter" or "Blue lives matter" ignores the reality of the disparate treatment of black lives. I know that is difficult for white people to understand so let me give you an example.

We get group tickets to a baseball game. Twenty of us go to the game and sit together. Our tickets include a hotdog and soda. Everybody gets a dog and a large drink in one of those large plastic souvenir cups, but your drink comes in a large disposable paper cup.
You say, "I want a plastic cup."
The response is, "We all want a plastic cup."

Do you see how that tells the truth but does nothing to address the inequality?
It completely ignores your issue.
As a matter of fact, it kind of puts you down for asking for fair treatment.
That is exactly what "All lives matter" says to those that are trying to bring awareness to an injustice. It says that your injustice doesn't matter to anybody but you.

Listening to others -- actually listening to them -- is the beginning of understanding. We need to put ourselves in their place and hear with their ears, see with their eyes, feel with their heart. When we get to that place, listen to what we have said and know the frustration they know. Even though we mean no harm, our indifference does contribute to the continuing injustice.

If you can get to that place of understanding, it will give you a different perspective on a lot of things -- including the Confederate flag and Confederate statues.
But that's a rant for another day...

John <><