What’s It Gonna Be?

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The Supreme Court ain’t so supreme, of late.

Maybe it has always benefited from a certain undeserved mystique- its members aren’t gods, after all, just human beings tasked with important work. Justices over the years have produced many landmark decisions seemingly based on a sincere and fair treatment of testimony and applicable law, even charting new ground from time to time, especially when it comes to human rights and bodily autonomy.

Lately, though, there seems to be some backsliding. More suspicion, more doubt, more finger pointing in the direction of a hand-picked conservative majority on a mission to, oh, I don’t know, tighten things up, bring us back to a “better” place that pleases straight, white Christians everywhere.

In the midst of the Trump mess, the court seems to not want to stick its neck out and abide by the 14th Amendment provision of forbidding insurrectionists from running for office. Though he hasn’t been accused yet, many know what Trump did and who and what he really is, and how dangerous he has become.

So maybe it comes down to how closely the court adheres to the letter of the law, along with its efforts to reel in the temptation to react to certain public sentiment, and to what many are seeing with their own eyes: Trump running roughshod over, and even making a mockery of certain norms that have long served as guardrails.

Sometimes it looks like nothing can be done to make him go away.

Good Bones

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What is there to celebrate right now?

Who are we? Has America always been someone’s pipe dream? There’s been a lot of blood spilled in the name of “freedom and democracy” and protecting some way of life. But I’ve been wondering lately if the whole “new birth of freedom” of which Lincoln spoke died with him.

Most leaders do their best to offer up inspiration and hope and reality checks when necessary. Donald Trump is not a leader, so he can’t be expected to rise to even the minimum expectations of someone in his position. He’d rather talk about a ballroom or an arch or spend a ridiculous amount of time pontificating on the spelling of “dumb.”

I know what I’d like to celebrate, and it has nothing to do with power trips and reflecting ponds and constant ego stroking. It has much more to do with celebrating the fits and starts that have contributed along the way to this elusive “more perfect union” of which so many speak. It has to do with believing in the idea of a place where everyone is seen and heard and valued– even if such a place may remain a figment of our imagination.

Here’s to our imperfect founding fathers and mothers, who cast a vision and gave us a framework. Here’s to all who are putting in the effort to offer something different and better to the tired and poor and everyone else.

Long, Hot Summer

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I’ve been away for a while, taking a road trip from Colorado to Michigan with our daughter. I had paid hardly any but passing attention to current events during that time, except to notice that there were a couple of deadly earthquakes in Venezuela and a deadly heatwave in France.

I paid little mind to the ongoing disaster always unfolding in Washington, except to note that some sort of ceasefire with Iran appears to be just another PR stunt to keep the markets and media hounds at bay. And it sounds like the Trump administration attempt at celebrating our 250th has been a predictable flop.

What is there to celebrate, really? I hear it’s gonna end up being yet another “massive” Trump rally, which should be totally great for that unshakeable 30% who STILL believe The Donald is God’s chosen one and who can stomach the next rambling screed.

So… here we are, wondering about the mental and emotional state of our CEO, our future seemingly in the hands of people woefully ill-equipped for their assigned roles, who have been appointed because of their willingness to sell out their country and sell their souls to a lost cause and a whiny man baby.

It’s enough to cause one to consider taking a chance on some sort of world-wide cooperative instead of leaving governance to a multi-ring circus full of incompetent cast-offs and flakes.

Thought-Provoking

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Daily writing prompt
What’s a piece of media (book, movie, song) that changed how you see the world?
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The one movie that has left the greatest long-term impression is Selma, because it drove home the idea that life isn’t a take it or leave it thing. Yes, we do have a say in whether or not we engage or disengage, whether we dive in or just dismiss any sense of obligation. But this movie made it much more difficult to treat life with a certain cavalier disinterest.

A book that changed the way I view the world is Sapiens, by Juval Noah Harari. Among other things, it has clouded my understanding of religious faith, which is no insignificant development.

Barriers Fall

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Daily writing prompt
Which languages do you speak and how did that impact your life?
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Just English. I took Spanish and French in high school, learned a bit of Swedish in college, and did what I could with Greek in seminary, but I became proficient in none of those.

Knowing English has been enough to carry me through life, but being able to converse in something other than one’s native tongue has always seemed like a great achievement to me. Anyone who is multilingual has my respect, especially those who come to this country and have to learn English on the fly.

Eyes Open

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Daily writing prompt
What’s the best advice you’d give to someone younger than you?
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Look around you, listen and learn. Take a break from the electronics— on a regular basis. Step away from that noise. The world isn’t necessarily as you view it in a TikTok video, or whatever the current worldwide delivery system has to offer.

Don’t listen to the naysayers, and take with a grain of salt whatever a bully might be able to summon in the way of insults and caustic remarks. Seek out a trusted friend or two— there’s nothing wrong with a small circle of friends. You don’t have to be everybody’s buddy.

Learn patience, be kind. If you’re looking for a religious community, seek out one that isn’t afraid of questions and doubts, one that’s intentional about being engaged and relieving suffering, one that indeed welcomes all and doesn’t claim inerrancy as a selling point.

Know that this earthly life can take a toll on us all, that no one is close to being perfect, and most of us are looking for love, maybe even redemption.

Setting Standards

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Daily writing prompt
What’s your top tip to be successful in life?
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Don’t know as I’m the one to ask about that. It seems that it might begin with one’s own dreams and aspirations, with one’s sitz im leben, or setting in life.
Does a person possess a certain indomitable spirit that allows them to rise above what could be viewed as a lack of opportunity? Do they set their sights high and refuse failure as an option? Do they catch a break every now and then? Do they have people who support them along the way?

And how do they themselves define success?

I guess my only tip is to avoid defining it too narrowly, as if the only success that matters is of a financial nature, or status-oriented. It seems it’s easy to stay in that shallow water.

First Encounter

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Daily writing prompt
What’s a book, movie, or TV show that you wish you could experience again for the first time?
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In some ways, this dynamic already presents itself as a function of my age and all the water under the bridge. I might pick up To Kill a Mockingbird, or watch Dances with Wolves or Castaway or M*A*S*H and experience them differently because my perceptions and understandings have been influenced and shaped along the way.

For the sake of this prompt, I think I’d like to encounter The Wizard of Oz, the movie, for the first time.

Beware the Vanity Project

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Daily writing prompt
What’s a common misconception people have about happiness?
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I suppose the classic assumption that money or power bring happiness, when maybe it’s more about having enough to provide food, clothing, and shelter, along with enjoying a certain level of respect and appreciation.

It seems to me that happiness of a basic sort means having needs met, feeling loved and supported.

I find it hard to believe that the lifestyles of the rich and famous can automatically be equated with being happy. Yes, I’d rather have money than not have it, but at some point working for a living can turn into an endless pursuit, where people lose sight of what it means to simply have enough.