Still On A Crescendo: Anti-Trump Sentiments – October 26. 2020 - Monday

 

 

 

I always quiver in wonderment, though also saddened at times, when I open media in the Internet where almost daily I get all my information about the world.  There is still the increasing crescendo of anti-Trump criticism that has seen no abatement this late in the game, but has instead intensified and toughened each new day.  And this emanating from all sources, both from supposedly friendly and clearly hostile, from friends and even relatives to committed partisans, from most of the elite establishments in the US and in most of the globe to bored or maybe tepid-minded social media consumers who cannot help themselves trying to get some kind of mileage with a brusque kind of talk.

But the exception I believe has come from religious, particularly Christian, communities that have expressed kind words to him, not for his person or personality, but for what he has done for Christianity.  And they have responded not just with typical platitudes, but by collective prayers and contemplation.  Two of any faith’s greatest tools for support and strength.  Notably and sadly missing from this has been pronouncements from the Catholic hierarchy, save for a splintered few who have been unequivocal for their support.  Some Catholic quasi-religious groups have even articulated in labored rhetoric why it would be okay to not vote for Trump, and vote instead for one who is Catholic in name but clearly anti-Catholic in rhetoric and stance, and whose party would limit even further the already constricted religious liberties.

It was no surprise then that when I opened to read one of my sources for daily devotionals, these terse passages below jumped to my attention.

Excerpted from the book, Jesus Christ The Son of God, Rev. Alban Goodier, SJ, who served as Archbishop of Hierapolis (Turkey).  Written in the 1920’s.

By way of introduction, the author writes about all the people who participated in the conspiracy to finally put Jesus to his crucifixion.  From the crowd of ordinary and meek people, to the high priests who sat in judgment, to the temporal and secular rulers both domestic and foreign.  This as a matter of explanation for the alignment and coming together of very disparate groups, bent only on one thing.  Dispose of Jesus Christ!

“And it is easily understood.  For what is any crowd but a mass of ignorance, wandering in the dark and in confusion, made weaker by its very strength, since the greater its number the greater must be the babel of tongues to which it is compelled to listen?”

“What is it but a huge dependent force, unable to act for itself by the very independence of its units, dependent on any power that can master it, and by it led one way or another, little enough by any choice of its own entirely, or almost entirely, under the sway of him that dominates it?” 

The collective crowd made weaker by its very strength!

Which crowd has become a dependent force by the very independence of the various units.  The independence of supposedly enlightened groups made dependent on an outside force.

The final question to ask is who or what is the force that holds the sway and dominates this frenzied crowd?

What Would Christ Do? - October 21, 2020 Wednesday

 

 

A question I repeatedly have to ask myself each day as I rise from slumber, upon being assailed by many unrelenting challenges that test one’s person and nature.

Though man intends well as a species, as a’  Kempis affirms, his flawed nature and his concupiscence have need to constantly be examined and reminded.

A most apt and most often confronted issue has been how we address those that do not agree with us or who we just loathe or hate for what they stand for.

We know how we treat and entreat our loved ones, with the most diligent attention and most glowing words of praise and kindness.  As much and even beyond what and where our God-given natural affections could lead us.  And no doubt it is one relatively easy task, not only because it comes naturally but also because the object of our praises reflect our very persons and perceived virtues.  And how many of us do not love our own selves?  And thus all the superlatives rush out from our innermost core.

But what of those who though not necessarily at direct enmity, but simply those we disagree with whether personally, socially, or politically?

One looks around and sees the following.  The harshest and unkindest pejoratives of words and sentences are uttered and heaped upon others without much reservations or circumspection.  Likened to addressing the vilest, the most abominable of creatures.  Like one is the evil incarnate. Though even Christ would say, no man is.  After all, Christ showed us how.  With the admirable ways he addressed and treated the very people who defamed him, those who conspired against his very person, and even those revered magistrates who unjustly sentenced him to a most horrible end.

And mind you, this is coming not just from the ordinary man on the street, the coarse and uncouth creatures congregating in ghettoes or hovels of the world.  This coming also from those most educated, most accomplished in the many noble and commendable fields of endeavor chosen by upright and right-thinking persons.  People in polite society would call friends, acquaintances, or their loved ones.

But why?  Why, in this respect otherwise sainted men could suddenly turn to such an extreme?

What Would Christ Do?

Man In His Fateful Journey

 

Anointed man regally bearing the likeness and nature of a god both physically and mystically, is designed in due course and in the fullness of time to perfect himself to be worthy to lodge in his rightful place beside his Creator.  This truth is not just his fate but is immersed in his very DNA.

And this is not one lazy or presumptuous man’s idle declaration.  God himself promised this ultimate sharing in his Godhead.  If man has earned it.  Remember, man, thou are made to the image and likeness of your God!

And because of this, man abundantly blessed ought with dogged determination and resolve to perfectly tailor his life toward this end.  Marshall all his efforts and resources to guarantee that in the fullness of time, he gets to his place of destiny.

Well and good.  But is man on the rightful path toward his anointed end?

As a species?  No earnest observer of humanity collectively adjudicating his temporal journey could consider the human condition in a positive light.  Many could say that man has instead retrogressed, to a time beyond the coarse and crude milieu of an Abel and Cain.

Consider the hate, the chaos, the anarchy, the willfulness, waywardness, etc., man has flagrantly exhibited toward his own kind and to Nature.

Nations willfully try to destroy other nations whether in actual war or in stealth subterfuges.  In their politics the order of the day is hate and loathsomeness, and falsehood and cheating as the weapons of choice to bring down opposing ideologies.  Even in the realm of religion we are witness to the debauchery and willful negligence of high-echelon members of the clergy toward their appointed tasks as shepherds of their flock.  Friends and families loudly alienate themselves from each other because of detestable and unruly rhetoric, using such caustic and harsh language to express their anger, intolerance and hate.   It appears there is no segment and sector of society or civilization that has not been tainted with the cupidity and mendacity of man.

Is there any deliverance from this, here on earth?  Or do we need to sojourn first to the land of mist and mystery before we can attain the reward for whatever goodness and righteousness we may each individually have gathered and attained?

It appears that culling from the ample history of man, these same worrisome periods in man’s journey just keep on revisiting, from unbridled cycles of ups and downs, and back again, each time not only not learning lessons from the previous, but the willful acts of banality and malevolence ramping up in degrees.

So what is the endgame for man?

Extinction?  With a new and better species to take his place.

Why not possible?  Natures seems to favor this kind of a resolution, in the lower species. 

But born with a nature both hardy and stubborn, I for one refuse the see the inevitability of this doom and gloom.  Somehow, that inscrutable Mind up there will think of a way.  He just needs our attention and cooperation.

So, empty your minds and soften your hearts, deliverance is always nigh.

Claim the promise of a foretaste of eternity right here on earth.

Away From the Madding Crowd

 

Away From the Madding Crowd.

A time to glorify the homebody? The loner?  The rugged individualist?

We know that this dreaded pandemic has been a great equalizer, in the political, social and economic realms.  But beyond that what one could consider most impactful has that it has also been an equalizer in the area of priorities.

Pre-pandemic, it was easy to see that the inexorable path that civilized society generally had been taking had been skewed toward those pleasurable or entertaining activities which though quietly considered and accepted as non-essential humanity has devoted way too much time and effort, and resources.  We mean those massive gatherings in the areas of sports and entertainment, and leisure travel.

Man has so focused on those first two areas on very grand scales and expense that practitioners actively participating in them have grown into almost like gods and goddesses in terms of following, influence, and yes, wealth.  Look around you and you can tell easily who these people are.  They are idolized, lionized and fabulously rewarded.  Yet we know that honestly in terms of contributions to the welfare and well-being of humanity one could be hard pressed to justify their assumed importance.  We do not doubt their human meaning in areas like culture and leisure, but one doubts to the degree and significance that they have been elevated. And leisure travel has become such big business enterprises accommodating large masses of clients, and patronized by a predominant segment of society with the resources and wherewithal to afford them.

Primarily because of the pandemic there has been unwelcomed reassessment of our priorities in life not only personally but also socially.  Now we are constrained to limit our activities to those that are considered essential for our continued health and well-being. And professional sports, entertainment and other allied activities like leisure travel are not anymore considered as having serious priorities.  Though nothing much in their very nature and activities have changed. Except that mass gathering of people has become a built-in restriction for most social gatherings.   Thus by and large, many of them have been greatly curtailed.  Some even stopped altogether.  Some even said to be unfairly so, like the freedom to gather for worship.

So is man the better because of this development?  By serious reckoning, one would think so, though one could easily take exception in the way the freedom of worship has been handled.  But a good segment of society welcomes the respite from professional sports and entertainment, especially with the petulant and unpatriotic behavior of many of their players.

But this wholesale curtailment in some economic activities would necessitate realignment or refinement of other economic activities considered having more urgent and beneficial priorities. We would like to believe that if all essential economic activities are restarted, then the negative impacts of the lockdowns and the mental health issues of social isolation caused by these harsh restrictions could easily be ameliorated.  Man will find a way to channel resources and efforts on more commendable activities that would redound to the benefit of society.  Like more beneficial outdoor activities like farming, hiking, visiting parks, etc.

A return of traditional priorities to their rightful places! 

The Binary Nature of things.

The yin and yang of things.  Good or Bad.  In or Out. This or That. Love or Hate.  Words or Action.  Hard to think of unitary things in this world.

Yet because of the binary nature of things, we are always making choices between at least two things.   If we are prudent and wise, good choices are those when we earnestly weigh all with the critical eye of picking those that benefit us or the commonweal, or are the least harmful to us.

That is our lot.  But do we always take the prudent and wise route in making our choices?

During election cycles we are again confronted with having to make choices.  How do we fare?

In my virtual travels, these are the relevant observations.

In US politics, countless times and words are devoted detailing all the shortcomings and deficiencies of the incumbent, as the primary reason for not voting for him.  Well and good, but we know that is only half of it.   The other half is the other choice.  How come not a single complementary word about that choice?  Not a single reason why he would be a good choice?  Always think binary, folks!   The only way to go to have informed choices.

Following in the same vein, the detractors of the incumbent are always exploring and parsing his supposed statements to uncover for gotcha moments.  And for a person who undoubtedly and unequivocally always “speaks his mind” there is a treasure trove to be mined.  But again that is only the half of it.  The other more significant aspect is his actions which are all out in the open and are provable.  So if one must criticize, pick on that and not what he is supposed to have uttered, especially in private and in confidence.

Imagine if there are many of us who incessantly “speak our mind” and we are always taken seriously every time, many of us would be jailed or killed, or at the very least condemned or ostracized.  We know our minds have minds of their own and will race whichever ways they are allowed.  But we do typically control our runaway minds and act only on things that typically are socially and morally acceptable in society.  And we are judged based on that.  Ever heard of somebody being sentenced for thinking lustful thoughts about another?  Or one who had thought of killing somebody because of what that person has done to him?