I Need This Reminder Always….
Indeed….
How Have We Come to This?
This is a rhetorical question but also the title of a just-completed piece of music that will be part of a future album release, outlet to be determined. I hope to have enough pieces for an album release in 2026. Stay tuned….
As to the rhetorical question “How Have We Come to This?”, it is something I’m saying to myself more and more as I watch what I’ll call the myths of a stable society teetering and collapsing. I see the nightmare in Gaza playing out in what is by any definition a genocide and people being verbally eviscerated for being critical of the inhumanity on display. I see the predictable dichotomies and binary arguments that are always used to defend atrocity and historical injustices. I see power being exerted beyond what had long thought to have been “normal”, revealing the fragility of agreements that structure society. I see what I had hoped to have been archaic modes of thinking towards race and identify remerge, angrier and uglier than ever. I see all this and ask, “How Have We Come to This?”.
But surprisingly, I also have hope. It is not a flowery or sentimental hope. It is a hope based on something I really can’t properly describe as it is rooted as spiritually experiential. It is a hope born of prayer and meditation and not one that is unshakable. To be clear, I have great moments of fear and anger. I can experience despair with the best of them. But when I am deliberate in my prayer practice, I find hope that no matter how bad things get in the world (and I expect things to get much worse before they get better), there is still goodness. There is still kindness. There is still compassion. There is still love. That sounds flowery and perhaps it is. But I do believe that love prevails always. And I take solace in words of people I admire throughout history, like this guy….
Sound advice.
Empathy and The State of Play
The “state of play” in The United States is incredibly disheartening for me. Seemingly not too long ago, I was more optimistic about how we were going to evolve as a society and was not expecting so much anger to be evident in all walks of life. With so much negativity, I struggle to not be pessimistic.
One topic that came up recently that has fueled my skepticism is Empathy and how some voices have said that empathy has made people weak or has been used as an undermining tool. As background, here’s an interesting article from the NY Times. And here’s the definition of Empathy per Merriam-Webster
I was surprised to learn that the word itself first appeared in the English language in 1908. But, like so much of language, the meaning and its use is dynamic and evolving. That said, I’m pretty sure that most people understand the general meaning behind the word, even those that consider it a weakness, a flaw, or a sin. From where I stand, the debate about empathy is as big an indicator of the aforementioned state-of-play as it gets.
For what it’s worth, I believe empathy is a virtue and an admirable quality. I will be the 1st to admit that I am not the best practitioner of empathy and perhaps by only having good intentions without action is the actual sin. But I do try to be an empathetic and sympathetic person. I try to be of service to others. Sometimes I succeed. Sometimes I don’t. But I have experience with being a selfish prick of a person to the detriment of both me and all I love. I have been the self-centered asshole who caused great harm to others because I was too focused on my own wants and needs and either didn’t realize or didn’t care that I was hurting people. Thankfully, by Grace and lots of work, I’m not that destructive person anymore. Again, I’m not perfect but I do know and have ample evidence that by having some level of empathy and acting accordingly has been MY saving grace.
I say all this not to participate in whatever ridiculous debate that is occurring. To be honest, if anyone reading this agrees with Elon Musk, Ben Garrett or anyone else that thinks empathy is bad, I don’t care. You do you. I can’t control what other people think or do. But I will say that I wholeheartedly disagree with the notion that the action of understanding and being sensitive to the feelings, thoughts, and experience of another is wrong.
My father would often say “There, but by the grace of God, go I…” which I came to understand as meaning that only the grace of powers he could not control separated him from someone in a worse state and, therefore, it was incumbent upon him to be empathetic and to lend a helping hand….which sounds suspiciously like The Golden Rule…hmmmm…Anyhow, I wish you peace and every good. – Alan
Racism…alive and well in 2025
I’m a bit staggered by the blatant racism that is on full, unapologetic display now…both online and in the real world…an overheard conversation while waiting on a flight…comments on Facebook forums dedicated, ironically, to contemplative prayer….angry stares….racism is nothing new but it has definitely been given “permission” to be out in the open.
I shall not tolerate racism, sexism, etc. because that is the truest indicator of a lack of empathy. If you look at common factors of evil deeds, it always starts with a lack of empathy.
That said, I do get sad when I encounter racism, in that there are wounds, ignorance, and fear at the root of any lack of empathy. There is inevitably a hurt person behind hate and anger. I believe that hate must be resisted against but I also think that resistance is to be animated by love and compassion, not more hate. I do believe that is what Jesus was driving at when he said “Love your enemy”…..which is hard….very hard…but I believe it is what we are called to do to combat evil.
Sounds about right….
Antonio Gramsci: “The old world is dying, and the new world struggles to be born: Now is the time of monsters.”
Politics and Racism
Another U.S. election has come and gone and I’m more inclined than ever to NOT watch TV news and the like. The level of negativity and vitriol is exhausting. That said, there are a few points I can’t help but to make….
1st off, I must state that I’m not a partisan. I have been greatly disappointed by both major parties in my lifetime. If I was to label my political philosophy, I’d lean towards “Anarchism” in the classical definition and Christian Anarchism to be more specific. I’m also a realist and know that we as a society are not evolved enough to have a state-less society as described in classical anarchism. That said, I have, at the least, suspicion of those who seek power and, at the most, contempt.
All that is to say that I am very disappointed in where we as a society seem to be. That racism is no longer a disqualifier, after a brief period in our history (post-Civil Rights movement) where it was, disgusts me. It has emboldened people to display ugliness. I speak not just from observations made in the media but also from recent personal experience. I find myself being suspicious of people in public spaces…and I hate that.
It is my hope that things will not continue to get worse in regards to civility. It is my hope that people who profess to be Christians will remember The Sermon on the Mount before they cast disparagement at their neighbor in support of a leader who, by any observation, lacks the ability to be sympathetic or charitable. It is my hope that love will prevail. Perhaps we must 1st experience more ugliness and pain before “our better angels” emerge.
I will finish this borderline rant by expressing my core values. I’m unapologetically, unequivocally opposed to racism, xenophobia, homophobia (or any social “phobia”) and violence. I have no tolerance for any of that BS. I’m of mixed race (BTW, who isn’t?!) and am married to a Filipina immigrant. I have no time for anyone who I perceive as a threat to those I love.
Practicing Nonviolence
From the Center for Action and Contemplation:
Franciscan peacemakers Rosemary Lynch and Alain Richard have identified ten “commandments” for those seeking to live a spiritual life of nonviolence. They call it “The Decalogue for a Spirituality of Nonviolence”:
Active nonviolence calls us:
- To learn to recognize and respect “the sacred” in every person, including in ourselves, and in every piece of Creation….
- To accept oneself deeply, “who I am” with all my gifts and richness, with all my limitations, errors, failings and weaknesses, and to realize that I am accepted by God….
- To recognize that what I resent, and perhaps even detest, in another, comes from my difficulty in admitting that this same reality lives also in me….
- To renounce dualism, the “we-they” mentality (Manicheism). This divides us into “good people/bad people” and allows us to demonize the adversary. It is the root of authoritarian and exclusivist behavior. It generates racism and makes possible conflicts and wars.
- To face fear and to deal with it not mainly with courage but with love.
- To understand and accept that the New Creation, the building up of the Beloved Community is always carried forward with others. It is never a “solo act.”…
- To see ourselves as a part of the whole creation to which we foster a relationship of love, not of mastery, remembering that the destruction of our planet is a profoundly spiritual problem, not simply a scientific or technological one. We are one.
- To be ready to suffer, perhaps even with joy, if we believe this will help liberate the Divine in others. This includes the acceptance of our place and moment in history with its trauma, with its ambiguities.
- To be capable of celebration, of joy, when the presence of God has been accepted, and when it has not been to help discover and recognize this fact.
- To slow down, to be patient, planting the seeds of love and forgiveness in our own hearts and in the hearts of those around us. Slowly we will grow in love, compassion and the capacity to forgive.
“The Power of Nonviolence”
As it was recently Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, I thought it appropriate to post his words that resonate with me the most deepest. I encourage everyone to read the entire essay. He echoes M.K. Gandhi who, in turn, echoes “The Sermon on the Mount” by Jesus of Nazareth. All three of these men have informed my staunch belief in nonviolent resistance. Too often, people take “snips” of MLK’s words (as well as Gandhi’s and, especially Jesus’). Context is important, especially when it comes to nonviolent philosophy.
The Power of Nonviolence
By Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
From the very beginning there was a philosophy undergirding the Montgomery boycott, the philosophy of nonviolent resistance. There was always the problem of getting this method over because it didn’t make sense to most of the people in the beginning. We had to use our mass meetings to explain nonviolence to a community of people who had never heard of the philosophy and in many instances were not sympathetic with it. We had meetings twice a week on Mondays and on Thursdays, and we had an institute on nonviolence and social change. We had to make it clear that nonviolent resistance is not a method of cowardice. It does resist. It is not a method of stagnant passivity and deadening complacency. The nonviolent resister is just as opposed to the evil that he is standing against as the violent resister but he resists without violence. This method is nonaggressive physically but strongly aggressive spiritually.
NOT TO HUMILIATE BUT TO WIN OVER
Another thing that we had to get over was the fact that the nonviolent resister does not seek to humiliate or defeat the opponent but to win his friendship and understanding. This was always a cry that we had to set before people that our aim is not to defeat the white community, not to humiliate the white community, but to win the friendship of all of the persons who had perpetrated this system in the past. The end of violence or the aftermath of violence is bitterness. The aftermath of nonviolence is reconciliation and the creation of a beloved community. A boycott is never an end within itself. It is merely a means to awaken a sense of shame within the oppressor but the end is reconciliation, the end is redemption. Then we had to make it clear also that the nonviolent resister seeks to attack the evil system rather than individuals who happen to be caught up in the system. And this is why I say from time to time that the struggle in the South is not so much the tension between white people and Negro people. The struggle is rather between justice and injustice, between the forces of light and the forces of darkness. And if there is a victory it will not be a victory merely for fifty thousand Negroes. But it will be a victory for justice, a victory for good will, a victory for democracy. Another basic thing we had to get over is that nonviolent resistance is also an internal matter. It not only avoids external violence or external physical violence but also internal violence of spirit. And so at the center of our movement stood the philosophy of love. The attitude that the only way to ultimately change humanity and make for the society that we all long for is to keep love at the center of our lives. Now people used to ask me from the beginning what do you mean by love and how is it that you can tell us to love those persons who seek to defeat us and those persons who stand against us; how can you love such persons? And I had to make it clear all along that love in its highest sense is not a sentimental sort of thing, not even an affectionate sort of thing.
AGAPE LOVE
The Greek language uses three words for love. It talks about eros. Eros is a sort of aesthetic love. It has come to us to be a sort of romantic love and it stands with all of its beauty. But when we speak of loving those who oppose us we’re not talking about eros. The Greek language talks about philia and this is a sort of reciprocal love between personal friends. This is a vital, valuable love. But when we talk of loving those who oppose you and those who seek to defeat you we are not talking about eros or philia. The Greek language comes out with another word and it is agape. Agape is understanding, creative, redemptive good will for all men. Biblical theologians would say it is the love of God working in the minds of men. It is an overflowing love, which seeks nothing in return. And when you come to love on this level you begin to love men not because they are likable, not because they do things that attract us, but because God loves them and here we love the person who does the evil deed while hating the deed that the person does. It is the type of love that stands at the center of the movement that we are trying to carry on in the Southland-agape.
SOME POWER IN THE UNIVERSE THAT WORKS FOR JUSTICE
I am quite aware of the fact that there are persons who believe firmly in nonviolence who do not believe in a personal God, but I think every person who believes in nonviolent resistance believes somehow that the universe in some form is on the side of justice. That there is something unfolding in the universe whether one speaks of it as an unconscious process, or whether one speaks of it as some unmoved mover, or whether someone speaks of it as a persol1al God. There is something in the universe that unfolds for justice and so in Montgomery we felt somehow that as we struggled we had cosmic companionship. And this was one of the things that kept the people together, the belief that the universe is on the side of justice. God grant that as men and women all over the world struggle against evil systems they will struggle with love in their hearts, with understanding good will. Agape says you must go on with wise restraint and calm reasonableness but you must keep moving. We have a great opportunity in America to build here a great nation, a nation where all men live together as brothers and respect the dignity and worth of all human personality. We must keep moving toward that goal. I know that some people are saying we must slow up. They are writing letters to the North and they are appealing to white people of good will and to the Negroes saying slow up, you’re pushing too fast. They are saying we must adopt a policy of moderation. Now if moderation means moving on with wise restraint and calm reasonableness, then moderation is a great virtue that all men of good will must seek to achieve in this tense period of transition. But if moderation means slowing up in the move for justice and capitulating to the whims and caprices of the guardians of the deadening status quo, then moderation is a tragic vice, which all men of good will must condemn. We must continue to move on. Our self-respect is at stake; the prestige of our nation is at stake. Civil rights is an eternal moral issue which may well determine the destiny of our civilization in the ideological struggle with communism. We must keep moving with wise restraint and love and with proper discipline and dignity.
THE NEED TO BE “MALADJUSTED”
Modern psychology has a word that is probably used more than any other word. It is the word “maladjusted.” Now we all should seek to live a well-adjusted life in order to avoid neurotic and schizophrenic personalities. But there are some things within our social order to which I am proud to be maladjusted and to which I call upon you to be maladjusted. I never intend to adjust myself’ to segregation and discrimination. I never intend to adjust myself to mob rule. I never intend to adjust myself to the tragic effects of the methods of physical violence and to tragic militarism. I call upon you to be maladjusted to such things. I call upon you to be as maladjusted as Amos who in the midst of the injustices of his day cried out in words that echo across the generation, “Let judgment run down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.” As maladjusted as Abraham Lincoln who had the vision to see that this nation could not exist half slave and half free. As maladjusted as Jefferson, who in the midst of an age amazingly adjusted to slavery could cry out, “All men are created equal and are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights and that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” As maladjusted as Jesus of Nazareth who dreamed a dream of the fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man, God grant that we will be so maladjusted that we will be able to go out and change our world and our civilization. And then we will be able to move from the bleak and desolate midnight of man’s inhumanity to man to the bright and glittering daybreak of freedom and justice.