A recent interaction I had caused me to do some deeper reflection. Disclosure: I come at this reflection from a lifetime of being a critical thinker (thank you to my high school history teacher - Mr. Schrader), years of pastoral counseling, teaching critical thinking to my students, personal spiritual reflection, and being an historian as a student and teacher.
I was taken by surprise when a young person I have known for a long period of time made a choice to show me public disrespect. My first instinct was to do what I picked up from my mother’s example - simply dismiss this inappropriate behavior by saying, “that’s just the way so-and-so is.” That is a coping strategy, but in this case, since I know this person and care about him, I made a choice to point out the disrespect - hoping it was unintentional and that he would see it as inappropriate. He informed me that it was intentional, and there would be no apology. Instead, I was told that I was showing disrespect to him by pointing out his disrespect. As I reflected upon this, I wondered if there was actually something I had done to cause hurt to this individual. But there was nothing, other than we have different perspectives on life. Perhaps he was simply being closed-minded and couldn’t accept that I was different from him. This is a possibility. Such an attitude has been a problem for him in the past. If so, there will be little I can do to change the situation. His consistent insistence on his being “right” will preclude any possibility of meaningful dialog. I considered that perhaps his attack and transference came as a result of some psychological issues he is struggling with. Again, since I have known this individual for a long time, I know this is a possibility. If this is so, there will be little I can do to alleviate the situation unless he seeks some therapy. Another possibility is that he has seen this type of behavior modeled by others and considers it acceptable rather than inappropriate. He has certainly seen this modeled by the leader he follows. If this is the cause of his action, again there is little I can do, other than to hope he ultimately sees the negative consequences of this type of behavior. Yet another possibility is that this is a manifestation of the breakdown of our social contract. The religious tradition I was raised in and which still strongly influences my spiritual life taught me to respect life. The commandment against killing was taken to be a prohibition against harming another in any way. So, while being shown disrespect is not ultimately as harmful as death, it is the case that when I am on the receiving end of such action - I am harmed. It is a breakdown of the social order in which I grew up. So, is this intentional display of disrespect by a young person I know a manifestation of an assault on the social order? Perhaps he has not intentionally thought it out to be so - but it is. Again, there is little I can do about his actions and decisions. But I still care about him and have concern for him on his spiritual journey. As an educator (a teacher of history and civics) I wonder whether his action is a failure of our educational system. Have we done such a poor job of teaching our people to live within the social contract of our society so that such behavior is acceptable in the minds of some of our citizens. From this action, and other actions and comments this individual has made, it is apparent that he has come to a place where he considers his personal beliefs and welfare above that of other members of society. This attitude appears to be commonplace in our present society. I certainly am a believer that every human has basic human rights, but when I taught Civics, I made it a point to teach my students that living in a society means having rights AND the responsibility of respecting other people's rights. One person's rights do not transcend another’s human rights. Is his failure to learn this a failure of our educational system, or is it his failure? At this point, if you have read this far in into this rambling personal reflection, you may be wondering - Why share this? I do have a purpose. I realize that there is very little chance that I will have an effect upon the young man who showed disrespect for me - he won’t even be reading this. However, I do hope that some who witness this personal reflection on my soul’s journey through this life will be encouraged in their reflections. This relatively minor show of disrespect could easily be ignored. It has no major impact on my psyche. Yet, because I am an introspective person, I tend to think critically about my experiences and the world around me. The first lesson of life I would share with my readers is that it is tempting to explain occurrences in life in simplistic ways, however this situation reveals that there are many and complex factors involved in even the simplest of human experiences and interactions. The second lesson is that the personal peace and spiritual serenity I have come to on my soul’s journey through this life is not threatened by such interaction, but rather reinforces my desire that those who perpetuate such harm will live long enough to ultimately come to a place on their soul’s journey where they might experience peace and grace - resulting in love of their fellow humans as well as all of creation. The third lesson concerns our human society. We have lived through centuries of the human experience in expanding our human understanding and application of the human rights expounded upon in the Enlightenment. However, we do not live in a perfect society. Progress may come in fits and starts, but progress will come. People filled with pain and hatred in their hearts will seek to damage others and society, but ultimately they will fail. Humanity will move on. The fourth lesson concerns personal responsibility. We have responsibility to love and care for each other, but we also have responsibility to accept that we do not control the actions of others and that they will ultimately bear responsibility for their own actions. I have an inclination to want to “fix” things for my young friend, yet I cannot. Ultimately he must bear the responsibility for what he says and what he does. I won’t give up on hoping for his growth as a human, but I also won’t take that responsibility away from him. I hope he lives a long life. I hope he grows in grace and wisdom. I hope he ultimately becomes a blessing to all who come into contact with him. In conclusion, during these troubling times in our country, if you are experiencing hardship of any kind, be it as an individual or as a group, don’t give up. Reflect upon your situation and that of others. Strive to do that which is good and just. May you have inner peace as you work for our future humanity - one that is filled with justice and common well-being. Consider these words from Gandhi: “When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they can seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall. Think of it--always.”
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The issue of abortion is one that highlights much of the political divide in our country. It is an issue that political operatives often use as a “wedge” to further divide the electorate. I believe there is a way to unite us rather than to let others divide us on this issue. Let us leave those who would divide us to the side, and let us consider the pertinent factors concerning human life. I believe we can find common ground if we allow our knowledge and sound reasoning to hold sway.
A major cause of contention surrounding this issue is that we have competing individual presuppositions about when human life begins. Those competing presuppositions have overshadowed our deeper common convictions. Perhaps the answer is to step back from disagreements and to build on commonalities. Consider that there are a variety of answers advanced through science, religion, and human emotion as to the beginning of an individual human life. There have been numerous theological interpretations from a variety of religious and philosophical thought systems throughout the ages. These include the ideas that: human life begins at the moment of conception; human life begins at the moment of quickening when the mother feels the first movements in the womb; human life begins at viability (when it could live outside the womb); human life begins at birth (taking its first breath); and, human life begins when an infant shows an awareness of the outside world. I make no claim to assert which of these theological interpretations is more correct than another, indeed, members of the same theological tradition will often debate and disagree within their faith community about the “correct” answer. Scientists examining the scientific facts concerning human life also come up with a variety of responses when they are pressed to say when human life begins. From fertilization through fetal development and birth a variety of scientific answers are advanced. A generalized consensus seems to revolve around a concept of viability but there is no “scientific agreement” as to specifics. The third factor of disagreement concerning human life is reflected by the emotions of individual members of our society. Emotions of mother, father, children, siblings, friends, and citizens are expressed through love, compassion, grief, desire for protection, nurturing, and so forth. These relationships and emotions are complex and often come into strong disagreement with each other. With the spectrum of answers advanced through religion, science, and personal perspectives, perhaps the safest thing to say is that there is no agreed upon consensus as to the beginning of an individual human life. It can only result in futility to have the proponents of one perspective attempt to force their particular view upon the others. A reasonable way out of the dilemma of the question “When does human life begin?” is to reframe the question (after all, the current answers lie in irreconcilable conflict with each other.) We can do this by stepping behind this question and its problematic answers to a more fundamental question: Of what does human life consist? There is consensus that human life includes: 1) human DNA, 2) an ethic and morality that values life, 3) human needs and desires for survival and growth. It may seem obvious, but if human DNA is absent in a nascent life - then there is no human. Another consensus is that there is a valuation of life. Ethical constructions by religious and non-religious institutions in our society, as well as the vast majority of individual expressions of morality, profess the principle that human life has value. It may not be as obvious, but there is also a general consensus that the human needs and desires of the host organism - the woman - must be considered as primary. She is a living, breathing person with fully developed needs and desires. It is within a woman that a nascent life develops. It is her body that sustains and nurtures what is growing there until it comes to term. The nascent life within the woman contains the total DNA of a human. While this DNA is the blueprint for a human it is not the same as a human being. We can not assert that the blueprint for a building is the completed building - nor can we legitimately assert that the first cells of human fertilization are a complete human. Taking those first cells, the woman sustains and nurtures that nascent life. The nascent life is not separate from her but is a part of her. The manner and choice of her decisions about what she does with her body belong to her, and none other. She may choose to seek the advice and help of other members of society, but the choice is hers. As we value human life and dignity, that freedom cannot be taken away or abridged. Members and groups within a society may offer counsel and support to a woman in this situation, but it would be contrary to our common understanding of human rights to advocate that they could make decisions for her. In summary, scientific knowledge of the growth of human life from nascent moment onward needs to play a role in this discussion, as do the morality of individuals and the ethical formulations of theological systems. However, those are abstract and conceptual formats of thinking. Our primary consideration is the situational context of the woman, for it is she alone that carries and nurtures the nascent life until the time of its viability in the world. The reality is that until the fetus leaves the woman, it is a part of her body. Outside individuals or societal groups may have desires about how she might treat her body, but the choices and responsibility for her body belong to her. Ultimately, if we respect and value life, then we are both advocates for life and we are advocates for choice. As advocates in this situation, our role in this process becomes one of support to a woman in her decision-making process and non-judgmental acceptance of her decisions. Moving from the concrete realm of respect, advocacy, and support for a woman to the philosophical realm of reflecting upon our humanity, consider that most religious traditions have an admonition to “love one another.” Perhaps true love and humanity is to respect (without asserting control or judgment) another’s freedom to choose their own path in life. (satire) BREAKING NEWS!
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Time for Common Sense AgainCommon sense commmentary by Joel Kreger (unless noted and credited to a guest writer) Archives
November 2018
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