One month review...
Get back into shape... Let's see, I started T25 on January 5, did 8 workouts, and realized that an overweight, 52 year old guy is definitely NOT who can take the best advantage of it after I tweaked my knee. It's still healing, but I am still committed to getting in better shape once it's healed!
I am trying to pray every day. Not quite there yet, but definitely trying.
Eating... Definitely improving! Still need to do a little better for breakfast, but lunch and dinner are both routine.
Walking... I'll be back on it after this knee thing resolves. If it's still bugging me when I have my annual physical on March 10, I'm definitely telling the doctor.
Job... Knocking it out of the park (actually take a break to jot this down)!
Seeing the family... Haven't yet this year, but am planning to do so later this month. Really looking forward to it. If I can afford to get back for Uncle Russ' funeral this week, it will give me another opportunity.
Kara... Is still around, we're actually getting out of the city next weekend for a few days in the Dominican Republic (on points and miles, thank you IBI).
Drinking... Am definitely drinking less, and that's a good thing.
Blogging... Have to do better!
Saturday, February 7, 2015
Saturday, January 3, 2015
It's About Time...
To start taking a peek at 2015 and some of the things I want to do this year. I don't like to make 'resolutions' because they usually are too big and too vague and too hard to achieve. Saying I'm going to lose weight, I'm going to quit smoking, I'm going to try to be nice to people I don't like, etc. Stuff like that. (For the record, in 2008 one of my resolutions was to lose weight and I lost over 100 pounds and in 2013 I resolved to quit smoking and, finally, succeeded.) But I don't want to think that big because I think I'm in a pretty decent place. My New Year will start on Monday, by the way. But there are some things I need to re-focus on...
I want to get in better shape and take better care of myself. I'm starting Focus T25 on Monday. This 10 week program should help me get started the right way. Intense, 25 minute workouts every Monday to Friday, followed by a weekend of rest and stretching. If my body is up to it (and I think it is), this should be a great challenge!
I want to try to find some time every day to pray. Well, maybe not to pray. I want to try to find time every day to be quiet. To shut down the brain, to stop talking to myself, to just listen. Maybe this time will be after my workout while I stop sweating, maybe it will be when I get home from the office, heck, it might even be at the office! But I need to find time every day to listen to my soul.
I need to eat 3 times a day. Breakfast, lunch, supper. My eating habits are horrible and they probably lead to my current body shape (increasingly round). I want to eat better and more healthy, too, but I think I'm doing OK with that.
I want to get back to walking at least 2 miles every morning (after the T25 is over). I really need to get my steps up from about 5K to 10K every day. Should improve my fitness level. I did pretty good for a few months in 2014, but fell off when the weather changed. My plantar fasciitis and throwing my back out (again) didn't help that much.
I want to be successful in my job. I struggled for a while after some decisions were made that I didn't agree with, and that impacted my job performance and my attitude on the job. I've come to accept the decisions (probably because I can't change them) and have found a 'groove'. I want to stay positive, but I also want to stay honest.
I want to see my children and my grandchildren more in 2015 than I did in 2014. I saw them a lot more in 2014 than I had in the previous 2 or 3 years, and I had a wonderful (if challenging) time every time I did. My kids make me better. I never thought that having adult children would be as much fun as it really is. And I thought that once they were adults that my love for them would begin to erode. I'm really glad it hasn't. And I want to talk to them all way more often. And I want them to feel OK that, when I don't, it's OK to call me and tell me that I'm not calling enough.
I want to keep hanging out with Kara. I've never been in a platonic relationship with a woman like I am with her. She really is wonderful. Both as a friend and as a 'life coach'. It's really cool to spend time with someone with a different perspective on the world than mine. You see, Kara was born in Korea. She moved to Minnesota when she was 4, went to Breck for high school and Concordia (Moorhead) for college. She's extremely athletic, eats fantastically (and cooks pretty good, too), and is just fun to spend time with.
I probably should drink less. I don't believe I'm an alcoholic, and have had that confirmed a couple of times. I think concentrating on fitness will help me do that. Switching to drink vodka/soda instead of beer because it has fewer calories is kinda silly. I just need to drink less.
Lastly, I want to blog more. This kind of goes back to the 'listening (i.e., praying)' that I want to do more of, believe it or not. A lot of the things in my head stay there until I put them down in black and white and can see them. It's easier to get rid of them. Not just what's going inside me (because, let's face it, it really isn't all THAT exciting), but what's going on around me as well. 2015 is going to bring a move and a readjustment to a new neighborhood, it may bring more, and when I can express those things in a blog, that's not necessarily a bad thing.
Here's to 2015 and all that it has to offer! Here's to living out my wants and my needs!
I want to get in better shape and take better care of myself. I'm starting Focus T25 on Monday. This 10 week program should help me get started the right way. Intense, 25 minute workouts every Monday to Friday, followed by a weekend of rest and stretching. If my body is up to it (and I think it is), this should be a great challenge!
I want to try to find some time every day to pray. Well, maybe not to pray. I want to try to find time every day to be quiet. To shut down the brain, to stop talking to myself, to just listen. Maybe this time will be after my workout while I stop sweating, maybe it will be when I get home from the office, heck, it might even be at the office! But I need to find time every day to listen to my soul.
I need to eat 3 times a day. Breakfast, lunch, supper. My eating habits are horrible and they probably lead to my current body shape (increasingly round). I want to eat better and more healthy, too, but I think I'm doing OK with that.
I want to get back to walking at least 2 miles every morning (after the T25 is over). I really need to get my steps up from about 5K to 10K every day. Should improve my fitness level. I did pretty good for a few months in 2014, but fell off when the weather changed. My plantar fasciitis and throwing my back out (again) didn't help that much.
I want to be successful in my job. I struggled for a while after some decisions were made that I didn't agree with, and that impacted my job performance and my attitude on the job. I've come to accept the decisions (probably because I can't change them) and have found a 'groove'. I want to stay positive, but I also want to stay honest.
I want to see my children and my grandchildren more in 2015 than I did in 2014. I saw them a lot more in 2014 than I had in the previous 2 or 3 years, and I had a wonderful (if challenging) time every time I did. My kids make me better. I never thought that having adult children would be as much fun as it really is. And I thought that once they were adults that my love for them would begin to erode. I'm really glad it hasn't. And I want to talk to them all way more often. And I want them to feel OK that, when I don't, it's OK to call me and tell me that I'm not calling enough.
I want to keep hanging out with Kara. I've never been in a platonic relationship with a woman like I am with her. She really is wonderful. Both as a friend and as a 'life coach'. It's really cool to spend time with someone with a different perspective on the world than mine. You see, Kara was born in Korea. She moved to Minnesota when she was 4, went to Breck for high school and Concordia (Moorhead) for college. She's extremely athletic, eats fantastically (and cooks pretty good, too), and is just fun to spend time with.
I probably should drink less. I don't believe I'm an alcoholic, and have had that confirmed a couple of times. I think concentrating on fitness will help me do that. Switching to drink vodka/soda instead of beer because it has fewer calories is kinda silly. I just need to drink less.
Lastly, I want to blog more. This kind of goes back to the 'listening (i.e., praying)' that I want to do more of, believe it or not. A lot of the things in my head stay there until I put them down in black and white and can see them. It's easier to get rid of them. Not just what's going inside me (because, let's face it, it really isn't all THAT exciting), but what's going on around me as well. 2015 is going to bring a move and a readjustment to a new neighborhood, it may bring more, and when I can express those things in a blog, that's not necessarily a bad thing.
Here's to 2015 and all that it has to offer! Here's to living out my wants and my needs!
Saturday, December 27, 2014
Requiescat in Pacem, Rafael Ramos
The City of New York, and the New York Police Department, buried one of our (their) own today. Rafael Ramos was buried. Officer Ramos was assassinated last Saturday with his partner, Weinjin Liu. As I watched the funeral this morning, I could not help but be moved by the words expressed by the pastors and government leaders. It is true, police officers put it out there every day.
My uncle, Rich, was a cop. His son, Jim, is a cop. It's a job I could never do, I don't have the patience for law breakers, nor do I have the patience or understanding required to deal with people I would never associate with. Cops do. Every day. I get that. And I appreciate the hell out of it. I'm the guy who walks around the city on Thanksgiving shaking the hands of NYPD officers and thanking them. It's a tradition I started my first Thanksgiving out here, and I will continue it as long as I am here.
Rafael Ramos was a testament to the NYPD and what makes cops great. He was a spiritual man and has a wonderful family. He cared about his community and he cared about his brother and sister officers. From everything I've heard, he was a perfect cop. Who got killed simply because he was a cop.
There's a rift here in the city between the NYPD and the Mayor. I don't understand it, frankly, probably because I'm not a cop and I don't have bi-racial children like the mayor does. The mayor said some things about how he's not comfortable with his kids being dealt with equally by cops and, in saying that, made the cops somewhat irate. To the point where they actually turned their backs to the monitor when he was speaking today at the funeral.
And, therein, lies the problem. We are becoming an intolerant society. We are becoming intolerant of people with different opinions, different ideas, different skin colors, we are becoming intolerant of different. AND THAT HAS TO STOP. But it won't stop, and we all know it, until our government and leaders learn how to be tolerant. Every day we hear stories from just about every house of our government about how they don't agree, about how the views of one political party or group are not tolerant of the view of the other. Every day we see fingers pointed across the aisle or somewhere else. We've become a nation of 'blame the other guy'.
And that leads cops to turn their back on the mayor at a funeral. That leads to a government that can't pass laws. That leads to people treating people differently. A society of intolerance is a society that is doomed to fail.
And if it does, Officer Rafael Ramos will be sorely disappointed.
My uncle, Rich, was a cop. His son, Jim, is a cop. It's a job I could never do, I don't have the patience for law breakers, nor do I have the patience or understanding required to deal with people I would never associate with. Cops do. Every day. I get that. And I appreciate the hell out of it. I'm the guy who walks around the city on Thanksgiving shaking the hands of NYPD officers and thanking them. It's a tradition I started my first Thanksgiving out here, and I will continue it as long as I am here.
Rafael Ramos was a testament to the NYPD and what makes cops great. He was a spiritual man and has a wonderful family. He cared about his community and he cared about his brother and sister officers. From everything I've heard, he was a perfect cop. Who got killed simply because he was a cop.
There's a rift here in the city between the NYPD and the Mayor. I don't understand it, frankly, probably because I'm not a cop and I don't have bi-racial children like the mayor does. The mayor said some things about how he's not comfortable with his kids being dealt with equally by cops and, in saying that, made the cops somewhat irate. To the point where they actually turned their backs to the monitor when he was speaking today at the funeral.
And, therein, lies the problem. We are becoming an intolerant society. We are becoming intolerant of people with different opinions, different ideas, different skin colors, we are becoming intolerant of different. AND THAT HAS TO STOP. But it won't stop, and we all know it, until our government and leaders learn how to be tolerant. Every day we hear stories from just about every house of our government about how they don't agree, about how the views of one political party or group are not tolerant of the view of the other. Every day we see fingers pointed across the aisle or somewhere else. We've become a nation of 'blame the other guy'.
And that leads cops to turn their back on the mayor at a funeral. That leads to a government that can't pass laws. That leads to people treating people differently. A society of intolerance is a society that is doomed to fail.
And if it does, Officer Rafael Ramos will be sorely disappointed.
Thursday, December 25, 2014
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
The train has been moving along nicely as of late, but usually comes to a screeching halt over the holidays. It's good, because it gives me a chance to do some reflection on where I'm at, what I'm doing (or not doing) right, and what's and who's important.
It started, actually, last weekend. I spent some time in Dorado, about 25 miles outside of San Juan, in Puerto Rico. Five days of sitting by the pool with one of my best friends was exactly what I needed. It was an insane few months between Labor Day and Thanksgiving at work, doing seminars in 19 different cities all over the US and Canada. I was not home for a full week until the week of Thanksgiving, and now we're in full on 2015 preparation mode. So those few days sitting by the pool and not answering emails (but checking them, of course, because nobody wants to come back from a few days away and wade through hundreds of emails) were just what the doctor ordered.
But what sucks about this time of the year is being alone. I think I blogged about that my first year out here in NYC, but my circumstance is a little different now and I'm in a MUCH better place. Of course, that doesn't mean that I didn't move the Kleenex box out to the living room on Christmas Eve and listen to Christmas music and cry a bit. Yeah, it sucks being along on the holidays, but that's what I chose. It would be nice, though, if some of the friends I have out here would invite me over. But I get it, Christmas is family time. And it's when I miss mine the most.
It's funny, Christmas. It makes me hearken back to a few years ago when I was working at St. Rita's and have such fond memories of all the people there. Getting ready for Christmas in the parish was such a fun time! The highlight every year was usually me arguing with Christina Quast over how the environment should be set up. And I'm happy to remember that I usually won those arguments! I do miss belonging to a faith community, mainly because I still consider myself a Roman Catholic who just can't live with some of the changes to the Mass (see my previous blog) and the continuing refusal of the hierarchy of the Church to take responsibility for some of the scandals and crimes made by priests and bishops.
Back to Christmas... I find it funny (the ironic kind of funny) that for one day a year everybody talks about peace, puts things aside for a day, and spends it with their family. These couple of days are usually filled with peace, joy, happiness, and laughs. And every religious tradition has something like Christmas, but I'll stick to Christmas because that's my religious tradition. We take the day or two off and relax. And there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. But here in the United States in particular, we go back to being our regular selves the next day and look forward to the next Christmas and pretty much forget about the holiday we just celebrated.
And that's where we make our biggest mistake (and I'm just as guilty). We forget that Christmas is about the Incarnation of the Son of God. We forget that Christmas is designed to remind us that He needs to continually be born in us, every day, not just on Christmas. We forget His message of love of God and love of neighbor. We go back to the status quo, where everyone is in it for themselves and not even giving one damn about how we get to where we want to go during that journey, no matter how much it hurts others. We forget Christmas on December 26.
I'm going to try very hard not to do that.
It started, actually, last weekend. I spent some time in Dorado, about 25 miles outside of San Juan, in Puerto Rico. Five days of sitting by the pool with one of my best friends was exactly what I needed. It was an insane few months between Labor Day and Thanksgiving at work, doing seminars in 19 different cities all over the US and Canada. I was not home for a full week until the week of Thanksgiving, and now we're in full on 2015 preparation mode. So those few days sitting by the pool and not answering emails (but checking them, of course, because nobody wants to come back from a few days away and wade through hundreds of emails) were just what the doctor ordered.
But what sucks about this time of the year is being alone. I think I blogged about that my first year out here in NYC, but my circumstance is a little different now and I'm in a MUCH better place. Of course, that doesn't mean that I didn't move the Kleenex box out to the living room on Christmas Eve and listen to Christmas music and cry a bit. Yeah, it sucks being along on the holidays, but that's what I chose. It would be nice, though, if some of the friends I have out here would invite me over. But I get it, Christmas is family time. And it's when I miss mine the most.
It's funny, Christmas. It makes me hearken back to a few years ago when I was working at St. Rita's and have such fond memories of all the people there. Getting ready for Christmas in the parish was such a fun time! The highlight every year was usually me arguing with Christina Quast over how the environment should be set up. And I'm happy to remember that I usually won those arguments! I do miss belonging to a faith community, mainly because I still consider myself a Roman Catholic who just can't live with some of the changes to the Mass (see my previous blog) and the continuing refusal of the hierarchy of the Church to take responsibility for some of the scandals and crimes made by priests and bishops.
Back to Christmas... I find it funny (the ironic kind of funny) that for one day a year everybody talks about peace, puts things aside for a day, and spends it with their family. These couple of days are usually filled with peace, joy, happiness, and laughs. And every religious tradition has something like Christmas, but I'll stick to Christmas because that's my religious tradition. We take the day or two off and relax. And there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. But here in the United States in particular, we go back to being our regular selves the next day and look forward to the next Christmas and pretty much forget about the holiday we just celebrated.
And that's where we make our biggest mistake (and I'm just as guilty). We forget that Christmas is about the Incarnation of the Son of God. We forget that Christmas is designed to remind us that He needs to continually be born in us, every day, not just on Christmas. We forget His message of love of God and love of neighbor. We go back to the status quo, where everyone is in it for themselves and not even giving one damn about how we get to where we want to go during that journey, no matter how much it hurts others. We forget Christmas on December 26.
I'm going to try very hard not to do that.
Friday, November 28, 2014
Thanksgiving 2015
Thanksgiving is usually a time for me to reflect on a lot of things, and this year is no exception.
Reflection #1 - I really don't blog enough. I find that blogging about important things is something I'm not really doing enough of right now. There's lots of things going on like "why don't we know what's going on in Africa?" or "just what the heck is happening in Ferguson?" or "why is Black Friday such a big deal when the deals are better on Christmas Eve?"
Reflection #2 - Happiness is something to strive daily for, and I don't do a good job of that. It's pretty easy to sit in the recliner and pet the cats and watch the gecko (don't ask) and watch TV and wonder why I'm not very happy. Because I'm not really trying to be happy all the time and I'm not looking for ways to be happy. Probably should do more of that. Thanksgiving this year is a great example. I tried to convince people that I was going to be perfectly happy sitting in the recliner with a TV dinner or two and watching football. Then my friend, Allie, texted me and we got together in the afternoon at a cool bar on the Lower East Side, drank cheap (but good) alcohols, ate some chicken wings, watched football, and had a blast. Sometimes happiness finds me when I'm not looking for it too hard.
Reflection #3 - I miss my children (and my grandchildren). I've got a little better at reaching back to them, but I can always do better. The thing I regret the most about relocating to NYC (there are few things, but looking at my weather app and seeing the weather in Minny, leaving THAT is something I don't regret one bit) is not being close to them. So I've got to do a better job at reaching out and getting back to visit.
Reflection #4 - I'm lucky to be involved in a platonic relationship with someone awfully cool. It's fun once in a while to cook with someone, to argue over what's for dinner, to have a few drinks with, to travel with. It helps that she's very active and encouraging me to be more active. It helps that she's Asian (Korean, actually), which exposes me to different ways of thinking and acting. She's given me a real good glimpse into 'managing circles' so they don't intersect. I don't like that. But I like having someone to hang out with on a pretty regular basis.
Reflection #5 - I'm sad I've lost my relationship with the Church. It wasn't really my choice, I had to stand by my word. And it's only one word (plus some behaviors I don't approve of) that caused this. The Church changed the word, "all" to the word, "many" in the words of institution of the Eucharist. That limits God's ability to welcome all and gives people the ability to decide on the many. And that's just not my image of God.
Refection #6 - I never thought I'd blog about this, but I'm really excited for the Gopher football team. It's been a fun season of trying to watch every game and I never expected them to be in a position to play in one game to get to the Big Ten championship game. And that's pretty darn exciting.
That's about it for today, need to get some cleaning done before the weekend. I hope you had a great Thanksgiving and please, seek happiness.
Reflection #1 - I really don't blog enough. I find that blogging about important things is something I'm not really doing enough of right now. There's lots of things going on like "why don't we know what's going on in Africa?" or "just what the heck is happening in Ferguson?" or "why is Black Friday such a big deal when the deals are better on Christmas Eve?"
Reflection #2 - Happiness is something to strive daily for, and I don't do a good job of that. It's pretty easy to sit in the recliner and pet the cats and watch the gecko (don't ask) and watch TV and wonder why I'm not very happy. Because I'm not really trying to be happy all the time and I'm not looking for ways to be happy. Probably should do more of that. Thanksgiving this year is a great example. I tried to convince people that I was going to be perfectly happy sitting in the recliner with a TV dinner or two and watching football. Then my friend, Allie, texted me and we got together in the afternoon at a cool bar on the Lower East Side, drank cheap (but good) alcohols, ate some chicken wings, watched football, and had a blast. Sometimes happiness finds me when I'm not looking for it too hard.
Reflection #3 - I miss my children (and my grandchildren). I've got a little better at reaching back to them, but I can always do better. The thing I regret the most about relocating to NYC (there are few things, but looking at my weather app and seeing the weather in Minny, leaving THAT is something I don't regret one bit) is not being close to them. So I've got to do a better job at reaching out and getting back to visit.
Reflection #4 - I'm lucky to be involved in a platonic relationship with someone awfully cool. It's fun once in a while to cook with someone, to argue over what's for dinner, to have a few drinks with, to travel with. It helps that she's very active and encouraging me to be more active. It helps that she's Asian (Korean, actually), which exposes me to different ways of thinking and acting. She's given me a real good glimpse into 'managing circles' so they don't intersect. I don't like that. But I like having someone to hang out with on a pretty regular basis.
Reflection #5 - I'm sad I've lost my relationship with the Church. It wasn't really my choice, I had to stand by my word. And it's only one word (plus some behaviors I don't approve of) that caused this. The Church changed the word, "all" to the word, "many" in the words of institution of the Eucharist. That limits God's ability to welcome all and gives people the ability to decide on the many. And that's just not my image of God.
Refection #6 - I never thought I'd blog about this, but I'm really excited for the Gopher football team. It's been a fun season of trying to watch every game and I never expected them to be in a position to play in one game to get to the Big Ten championship game. And that's pretty darn exciting.
That's about it for today, need to get some cleaning done before the weekend. I hope you had a great Thanksgiving and please, seek happiness.
Monday, September 30, 2013
The #8 Train Looks at Beautifully Unique Sparkleponies
It would be irresponsible to blog that I hated the book. Because that's SOOO not the case. There were elements of it that I absolutely adored... The Burns stuff makes me laugh out loud every time I read it, the chapter on Jesus was phenomenal, anything that had to do with the economy and the greed in our culture was (my opinion) spot on. I got lost in some of the sci-fi and gaming stuff, I expected to, they just haven't (yet) piqued my interest.
However, there's an underlying anti-religion message. Keep in mind, that is vastly different from an anti-faith message. Religion is the communal expression of a shared faith. Be it the Catholic religion, the Jewish religion, the Hindu religion, the Buddhist religion, you get the point... Faith doesn't mean squat if it can't be shared, examined, torn apart (more about this in a bit), and subjected to some scrutiny. I believe that people don't come to blindly accept a faith anymore. I think there is far too much evidence in our scientific world to suggest that we can pretty much explain just about everything. And that's cool. But it can't explain that feeling I have when I see my children (or the ultrasound pictures of my daughter's twins). There's something THERE. I don't know what it is, but I think it's the work of the Divine in my life.
I've come to learn to have a profound disrespect for my Church. It's sad, really. I wanted to be a Catholic priest. I would have been an awesome priest. But they wouldn't let me, because I also wanted to be a Dad. My choice was amazingly correct. But I studied the religious aspect of that faith (ad nauseum) and the historical implications from whence it came. I understand how theology adapted to changing society. I understand what happened to the Church (note the capitalization) during the feudal society and the role of the Catholic hierarchy in that society. And I understand that the choices the Church made were easy. After all, their priests and hierarchy were the only ones who knew how to read and write! You see, we have a problem, honestly. We blame the Church. But the Church was simply adapting to the way society was working. That's kind of like all religions have worked over time. Now, does that make religion itself bad?
There's one more step we have to take, though, before we answer that question. Once we "get" the history, we need to realize how it's applied TODAY. The thing that drove me away from the Catholic Church was the sexual abuse crisis. (See past blog on Penn State.) At no point in history should the sexual abuse of children be condoned. So, when a pedophile is a priest and offends, the ONLY fix to that is to say "you aren't working as a priest anymore". Instead, bishops all over the world were complicit in allowing these guys to not only continue to function in their ministries, they just moved them somewhere else WHERE THEY COULD DO THE SAME THING. And assumed no culpability for that. To that, I say "bullshit". Pedophilia is a disease. It should be treated. I pity the men that have that disease, in the same way I pity those who have other psychological disorders. I can't blame them for this. I blame a structure that perpetuated it and never confronted it. And I, personally, need to get past this. I know men who are no longer priests because of this and I know their victims. I know men who are still priests (and some are now deceased, RIP Paul Dudley, one of the finest men I've ever known) who were wrongfully accused. Finally now, it's become a legal issue and not an issue of canon law.
But let's go back a couple paragraphs and look at what religion should REALLY be. It should be a ritualistic expression of an individual's faith celebrated in community. The rituals and the teachings of the religion should reflect the community. OR (and this is a big OR) it should provide the ability of the religion to provide guidance to its adherents as to what they should or should not believe. Sounds Jonestown-like, right? In the final analysis, if a "real" religion doesn't exhibit cult-like features, it really shouldn't be a religion. "Cult" has a negative connotation (thanks James Jones and the Moonies), it shouldn't. A cult is close-knit group of people who are trying to live out their faith as they understand it. And they get together once in a while to share how that's going and celebrate it.
When we're doing it right, that's Church.
However, there's an underlying anti-religion message. Keep in mind, that is vastly different from an anti-faith message. Religion is the communal expression of a shared faith. Be it the Catholic religion, the Jewish religion, the Hindu religion, the Buddhist religion, you get the point... Faith doesn't mean squat if it can't be shared, examined, torn apart (more about this in a bit), and subjected to some scrutiny. I believe that people don't come to blindly accept a faith anymore. I think there is far too much evidence in our scientific world to suggest that we can pretty much explain just about everything. And that's cool. But it can't explain that feeling I have when I see my children (or the ultrasound pictures of my daughter's twins). There's something THERE. I don't know what it is, but I think it's the work of the Divine in my life.
I've come to learn to have a profound disrespect for my Church. It's sad, really. I wanted to be a Catholic priest. I would have been an awesome priest. But they wouldn't let me, because I also wanted to be a Dad. My choice was amazingly correct. But I studied the religious aspect of that faith (ad nauseum) and the historical implications from whence it came. I understand how theology adapted to changing society. I understand what happened to the Church (note the capitalization) during the feudal society and the role of the Catholic hierarchy in that society. And I understand that the choices the Church made were easy. After all, their priests and hierarchy were the only ones who knew how to read and write! You see, we have a problem, honestly. We blame the Church. But the Church was simply adapting to the way society was working. That's kind of like all religions have worked over time. Now, does that make religion itself bad?
There's one more step we have to take, though, before we answer that question. Once we "get" the history, we need to realize how it's applied TODAY. The thing that drove me away from the Catholic Church was the sexual abuse crisis. (See past blog on Penn State.) At no point in history should the sexual abuse of children be condoned. So, when a pedophile is a priest and offends, the ONLY fix to that is to say "you aren't working as a priest anymore". Instead, bishops all over the world were complicit in allowing these guys to not only continue to function in their ministries, they just moved them somewhere else WHERE THEY COULD DO THE SAME THING. And assumed no culpability for that. To that, I say "bullshit". Pedophilia is a disease. It should be treated. I pity the men that have that disease, in the same way I pity those who have other psychological disorders. I can't blame them for this. I blame a structure that perpetuated it and never confronted it. And I, personally, need to get past this. I know men who are no longer priests because of this and I know their victims. I know men who are still priests (and some are now deceased, RIP Paul Dudley, one of the finest men I've ever known) who were wrongfully accused. Finally now, it's become a legal issue and not an issue of canon law.
But let's go back a couple paragraphs and look at what religion should REALLY be. It should be a ritualistic expression of an individual's faith celebrated in community. The rituals and the teachings of the religion should reflect the community. OR (and this is a big OR) it should provide the ability of the religion to provide guidance to its adherents as to what they should or should not believe. Sounds Jonestown-like, right? In the final analysis, if a "real" religion doesn't exhibit cult-like features, it really shouldn't be a religion. "Cult" has a negative connotation (thanks James Jones and the Moonies), it shouldn't. A cult is close-knit group of people who are trying to live out their faith as they understand it. And they get together once in a while to share how that's going and celebrate it.
When we're doing it right, that's Church.
Thursday, July 4, 2013
July 4 - What Does it Really Mean?
I will never purport to be an expert on the beginnings of the Revolutionary War, nor will I purport to be an expert on the signers of the Declaration of Independence, nor will I purport to be an expert on what was going through the minds of people in the late 18th century.
Here's what I learned in my formative years... People of the colonies were tired of British rule. They wanted to be able to govern themselves, to have their own way of doing things, and to be responsible for themselves. Pretty noble, I think. And, with the help of the French and the Germans, they went to war for those noble purposes. And the war was won. I guess that's a good thing. Had to do it again a few years later, but the British finally figured out that this very large hunk of land probably wasn't worth governing from London.
And we, as a nation, grew. We expanded to those hunks. I grew up in one of them. And I now live in one of the original hunks. And we prospered and continued to grow. We, as a nation, grew to be one of the greatest superpowers in the world. We went to war several times (the Mexican American war, World War I, World War II, the Korean Conflict, Vietnam, Iraq I, Iraq II, Afghanistan, and probably a few others that I can't remember) and we've done pretty well in those. And. over the years, we've become a superpower.
Superpowers (I'm not going to say dynasty, because 237 years just can't constitute that) come and they go. Superpowers usually advocate for a way of life. The Soviet Union advocated marxist communism, China advocates a variant of that, Saudi Arabia (make no mistake, they're a superpower) advocates an islamic government.
As I look around the world, it appears as though our country is on a path to support democracy. Again, I guess that's noble. Democracy is a good thing, and it's worked pretty well in the diversity that is our nation. And we believe that democracy is something that should be supported worldwide. That's where we've got it wrong, my friends.
What we should be advocates for is something more basic than a form of government.
We should be advocates for peace. "We don't negotiate with terrorists" is a common policy. I just heard on the news "we need to pave the way for democracy". We hear it every single day, where this country is in the face of other countries advocating democracy while those countries are warring internally and we are telling them they must be democratic. Stop it. Just stop it.
평화. That's the Korean word for peace. Pyeonghwa. When we're talking to countries about what's going on and what we want, that's what we should want. Not democracy, not to be an ally, not to create a global economy where they can be a part. PEACE. That's what we should want for them.
And we shouldn't be afraid to talk about how we're not peaceful. We shouldn't be afraid to talk about how we spy on our own people. We shouldn't be afraid to talk about basic human rights and how we struggle with providing them.
Think, for just a few minutes, about how the conversations around and about our foreign policy would change if we advocated for peace and not democracy. [Here is your thinking part]
The funny thing about peace is that it's something we have to seek. It won't find us. And that's where this blog starts to end. We can't advocate for peace if we don't seek it ourselves.
I tattooed 평화 on my left arm to remind me that I need to always seek it.
Here's what I learned in my formative years... People of the colonies were tired of British rule. They wanted to be able to govern themselves, to have their own way of doing things, and to be responsible for themselves. Pretty noble, I think. And, with the help of the French and the Germans, they went to war for those noble purposes. And the war was won. I guess that's a good thing. Had to do it again a few years later, but the British finally figured out that this very large hunk of land probably wasn't worth governing from London.
And we, as a nation, grew. We expanded to those hunks. I grew up in one of them. And I now live in one of the original hunks. And we prospered and continued to grow. We, as a nation, grew to be one of the greatest superpowers in the world. We went to war several times (the Mexican American war, World War I, World War II, the Korean Conflict, Vietnam, Iraq I, Iraq II, Afghanistan, and probably a few others that I can't remember) and we've done pretty well in those. And. over the years, we've become a superpower.
Superpowers (I'm not going to say dynasty, because 237 years just can't constitute that) come and they go. Superpowers usually advocate for a way of life. The Soviet Union advocated marxist communism, China advocates a variant of that, Saudi Arabia (make no mistake, they're a superpower) advocates an islamic government.
As I look around the world, it appears as though our country is on a path to support democracy. Again, I guess that's noble. Democracy is a good thing, and it's worked pretty well in the diversity that is our nation. And we believe that democracy is something that should be supported worldwide. That's where we've got it wrong, my friends.
What we should be advocates for is something more basic than a form of government.
We should be advocates for peace. "We don't negotiate with terrorists" is a common policy. I just heard on the news "we need to pave the way for democracy". We hear it every single day, where this country is in the face of other countries advocating democracy while those countries are warring internally and we are telling them they must be democratic. Stop it. Just stop it.
평화. That's the Korean word for peace. Pyeonghwa. When we're talking to countries about what's going on and what we want, that's what we should want. Not democracy, not to be an ally, not to create a global economy where they can be a part. PEACE. That's what we should want for them.
And we shouldn't be afraid to talk about how we're not peaceful. We shouldn't be afraid to talk about how we spy on our own people. We shouldn't be afraid to talk about basic human rights and how we struggle with providing them.
Think, for just a few minutes, about how the conversations around and about our foreign policy would change if we advocated for peace and not democracy. [Here is your thinking part]
The funny thing about peace is that it's something we have to seek. It won't find us. And that's where this blog starts to end. We can't advocate for peace if we don't seek it ourselves.
I tattooed 평화 on my left arm to remind me that I need to always seek it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)