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

Memorial Day Weekend

How will you observe Memorial Day?

To be completely honest, to a retired, anti-social curmudgeon like me, it will pretty much look like every other day.

I might mount the bracket and display our flag that we received as a house warming gift.

I might clean up the gas grill and get a tank of propane so we can cook out tomorrow.

Or I might not do anything at all.

It might actually feel pretty good to do nothing.

John

Thoughts on Moving Forward in the COVID Era

I get it.

Nobody likes staying home forever.

And I understand that the purpose of the stay at home orders was to flatten the curve and make sure that the healthcare system can handle the COVID-19 cases. If we are to that point and can remain that way, then we should certainly be moving towards reopening businesses and our economy.

But it doesn't mean that the threat has passed, and it doesn't mean that we should move forward without caution. The coronavirus is still active, can still be spread by people without symptoms, and can still be fatal to a significant portion of our community. To move about without taking precautions is foolish. It shows a lack of caring or ignorance (and often -- both).

To be fair, some people genuinely believe that there is no real threat to them, and that they are no threat to others. If that's you, know that there are people that are legitimately threatened by people that are unmasked in public. They may have asthma or COPD, or another condition that compromises them. Or they may live with or care for someone that is compromised.

Be respectful of their concerns.

While I don't agree with people that choose to ignore recommendations of wearing masks and social distancing, I do get that there will always be people that think differently than I do. But there is no need to mock people that practice caution when in public or to be assholes to businesses that choose to protect their employees and customers by using safe practices. 

If you don't like it, shop somewhere else.

If you need something from that business, honor their restrictions.

If you see someone wearing a mask or deliberately distancing from people, give them space.

Personally, we will continue in relative isolation for a while. We are both retired and afforded the privilege of only needing to go out for food and supplies. And I'm a bit anti-social to begin with so the isolation isn't a big deal for me.

It may seem like an oxymoron, but we can disagree in harmony.

Of course, if you are just dead set on being a hateful asshat I've got nothing for you. Just go ahead and live your miserable asshat life and I'll do my best to avoid you. As an added bonus, I'll continue to avoid you long after this pandemic has passed. 

John

Wednesday Wisdom

Just in case you didn't already know,

Now you know...

John

Today's Coffee

This morning's coffee has a little chocolate sweetness added. I added a bit of chocolate syrup and heavy cream to the pot this morning -- not a lot, just enough for a little treat. It was about what one might add to a single cup of coffee, but I added it to the entire pot.

It is a sweet way to start a rainy Ozark morning.

Although I have a standard go-to coffee, I enjoy trying coffee with different origins. I'm not really into flavored coffees, but do enjoy the subtle flavors and differences that come from different countries and different roasts. As previously mentioned, I typically drink my coffee black. This allows me to better taste those subtleties and appreciate the coffee.

Tell me about your coffee.

Do you have a favorite country of origin? (Mine is Ethiopia)

Do you have a favorite type of roast? (light to medium, now. It used to be dark)

Favorite brew method? (Pour over, medium grind)

Maybe your morning coffee ritual is more about the ritual than it is about the coffee.

Maybe your morning coffee is more about the caffeine than it is about the ritual or the coffee.

And I realize that there are as many non-coffee drinkers as there are coffee drinkers. 

Do you (non-coffee peeps) have a morning drink or ritual?

I'm thinking maybe a second pot; maybe a little cinnamon.

Have a grand day

John

First World Plans

It seems a little weird to be looking out over our small acreage and thinking of how to utilize it to become more self sufficient and less dependent on others. Although we didn't build with solar power, we do have plans to convert to it. We have a shared well (three homes) for water and a septic system. We use propane gas for our furnace, stove and fireplace.

I'm not going all doomsday prepper or anything, but I would like to utilize the land to grow our own food and learn how to preserve it. I would like to be more energy aware and utilize the sun (and wind) for electricity. We'll still need LP gas for heating and cooking and gasoline for the cars so we're not thinking we'll be off grid isolationists or anything; just maybe a little less dependent on the social system than we have been.
With all of the technology that is available, with large corporate farms, giant grocery stores, and the societal infrastructure to support it all, it feels a little primitive to be thinking of working around the system. Also, there is the awareness that I actually have the privilege of choice in the matter.

For now, I'm just thinking. It may turn out that I continue to embrace the leisure provided by the system and my good retirement. I'll sit in the morning sun, drink my good coffee and dream of being productive.

John

A Coffee Treat

A couple of years ago, my daughter gave me a home-made book of coffee recipes and a gift bag filled with ingredients to prepare the drinks contained in the book. This morning I decided to venture from my normal black pour-over and treat myself to a modified version of Thai coffee.

I still used a simple pour-over brew method and I still prepared an entire pot. For my daily coffee I grind 50 grams of coffee and use 1 quart of water. Today I added a stick of cinnamon to the water, as well as a tablespoon or so of honey, then heated it to just about boiling. I use a simple 1 quart pot without any temperature gauge. If I do let the water reach a full boil, I might let it sit for a minute before pouring over the ground coffee.
This morning I sprinkled the coffee grounds with the cardamom and poured the sweet, cinnamon water over. I added a bit of heavy cream -- delicious!

I find the sweetened condensed milk to be a little too sweet for my taste, so I use a bit of honey and cream. Also, I generally have honey and cream on hand. Made with decaf, it would be excellent with dessert. Add a shot of Kahlua or your spirit of choice and drink it as dessert! Or skip the sweetened condensed milk and pour it over a scoop of vanilla ice cream!

The recipe has you sharing the experience with a friend and this is a wonderful drink to experience with someone else. Because I have few friends that can sit and enjoy a leisurely cup of coffee, I'll enjoy this pot solo.

Have a great caffeinated day!
John

Another "What if ... ?"

During one of the daily Facebook Live broadcasts from The Venues last week, the following comment was posted:

"We are made in the image and likeness of God, yet with a sin nature? How is that even possible?"

That's an interesting question. I responded that I had some thoughts but wanted to contemplate it a bit before responding.

I find the problem is with the first part of the comment. It says that we are created (made) in the image and likeness of God and with a sin nature. I understand that we've been taught both things, but are both things true?

What if the whole sin nature thing is a man made excuse for our bad behavior?
What if the ancient idea that we are evil from birth is the ancient equivalent of "The devil made me do it?"
What if we make bad choices and instead of taking responsibility for it, we justify our actions by creating a false reality of "that's just the way I am" or that we are all sinners by nature?
What if we are created in the image of God and are not naturally sinful?
What if sinning actually goes against our nature?

Or ...

Maybe we have two natures -- a spirit nature that is eternal and in the image of God, and a physical nature that will die and rot and is corrupt in all ways.
Is the struggle of conscience an internal battle between the two natures that dwell within us?
Is human nature sinful and our spirit nature good?
Are some people just dominated by their human nature while others follow their spirit being?
Do we have both a son (daughter) nature and a sin nature?

What do you think?
Is it possible to be created in the image and likeness of God and have a sin nature? And how?

John

What if ...

I've been thinking about last Sunday's post.
What if ...  I choose to make Nature my religion?

Don't get all excited. I'm not planning on making Nature my god, nor am I planning on worshiping the natural world. I'm just thinking that studying and experiencing nature might be a better way to connect with and understand the Creator God than studying the (mostly) BS religions of man.

What if ... I look at the mountains as cathedrals, the beaches as fellowship halls, and forests as sanctuaries?
What if ... I consider the sounds of nature as worship music, praise to the Creator?
What if ... the frequency and energy of nature becomes the harmony of life and my connection to God?
What if ... it is possible to know the character of God by studying his creation?

What if ... ?

I think this needs more thought.

John

Wellness Check Wednesday

Some of the wise people at The Venues have encouraged us less wise people to check up on each other during our time of social distancing. I thought it seemed like a good bit of wisdom to pass along to my friends and readers that are not already practicing these weekly checks.

All you have to do to participate is to make contact (DM, text, phone call) with a few people that you know are isolated or vulnerable (or even someone you just miss) and ask how they're doing. Next week, pick a few different people.
Simple enough, eh?

Anyone care to join me today?
Let's reach out to a few people and let them know they are loved.

John

A Little Sunday Morning Religion

It's a grey kind of sunrise in the Ozarks this morning. I took advantage of the mild temperatures last night and slept on the deck. The futon is comfortable enough and I slept well.

I woke up around 4:30 and opened my eyes to Jupiter and Saturn in the southern sky -- at least I was pretty sure it was them since I know they are in conjunction this month. Checking my SkEye app verified that it was and I was wishing I had my glasses to better see the constellations of Sagittarius and the Scorpion. By 5 o'clock the stars were obscured by clouds that are moving in for some possible Sunday morning showers.

I think the thing that woke me up was the noise from the birds. I had forgotten how loud they can be in the early morning. The treeline at the southern end of our property is about 1/4 mile (400m) from the house. Those are the nearest trees and the morning sounds are loud enough to wake me. There are also a couple of competing roosters from different farms that add to the morning cacophony. An occasional mooing cow and a couple of distant barking dogs -- yeah, we are not in the city anymore!

In spite of the noise of nature, I am finding my morning coffee and "quiet" time to be a pretty cool way to connect with God. In looking at the etymology of the word religion, we see a couple of different possibilities. Re (again) legere (to read) or to read again is one. A more common thought is re (again) ligare (to bind, the same root as in ligament) as in to reconnect with God.

Yeah, I like that.
The religion of Nature.
Reconnecting with The Creator through the created.
I'm going to contemplate on that for a time. I'll get back to you and share my thoughts sometime soon.

John