Listen, everybody. I'm tired, sick and tired of your thought-provoking posts. I don't have time to have my thoughts provoked. Whenever I do, they end up being provoked for hours at a time and playing with my emotions. And I can't take it anymore. Can't you all just write silly nonsense?
Well, since my thoughts are already provoked.....
What if our whole way of life was a con? What if everything about "The American Way" is wrong? What do we do? Is it possible to opt-out of the rat race? How do you do it aside from being a subsistence farmer? Was our country founded on misguided ideals? Should we really care about "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness?" Is pursuing our own happiness morally superior to pursuing the happiness of others? Or pursuing reconciliation even if it doesn't make us happy? Are our lives so important that they have primacy over everything else? Or is it true that whoever seeks to save his life will lose it? Am I being un-american by even suggesting that? And what about liberty? When we are locked into a way of life that demands total allegiance to the almighty dollar, can we ever be liberated? Should we even be concerned about liberty? Why not be concerned about peace? Why not worry about forgiveness? Is our own personal liberty more important than the betterment of the human race? And on and on ad nauseum until I've questioned every single thing that I've ever thought in my life.
So somebody please answer me on these points, or I quit. I just can't take it any more. I'm sick of having to think about this crap all the time. Can't we just pretend like it's not a problem and just chat about insignificant stuff? Like the weather, or the Redskins, or maybe something cute our children did the other day? What do you say? Can we just act like there's nothing to worry about? Hakuna Matata?
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9 comments:
Religion without righteousness AND justice equals hypocrisy.
Huh???
Dude, you're part of the problem. It's 'cause of you that I can't look at a highway divider without thinking about materialism. And I'm thinking about hanging myself with the window shade. And don't even get me started about the couch.
Thought-provoker, heal thyself!
If you’re going to be religious, then you must also be righteous and just ... or you will be a hypocrit. You cannot be righteous and just without constantly questioning yourself. Soooo ... get used to it. Or be a happy hypocrit.
Of course, there may be all manner of perspectives out there ... that’s just mine.
Then again ... I could just be tormenting you after the manner of older sisters everywhere ;-)
are you seriously anst-ridden as you sound Schuyler? You're reminding me of my existentialist friends back in Seattle? Is it in the water? Cuz I'm asking the same questions... "When we are locked into a way of life that demands total allegiance to the almighty dollar, can we ever be liberated?" That's exactly what I'm asking myself and I don't even have a child like you do (which requires much more money than my lifestyle does). You obviously can't abandon all financial earning... but why does all business put profit ahead of people... for without people (wipe us all of the planet) and there's no economy... economy only exists because we do... so hasn't "the cart gotten in front of the horse" so to speak? I'm trying to figure out what job I can take that will involve justice-seeking missions so I'm applying to companies at idealist.org right now and I've been hanging out with people who work in the non-profit industry... but yes, I am asking the same question... and I don't know yet if I can deminish my dollar worship, but I'm giving it a shot.
p.s. I've been watching the gardening channel and it really takes my mind off these hard questions... you could try that or you might watch a good fashion show or a hot-rod refurb show... or MTV.
Mike, I tried to heal myself yesterday (see the two posts) but it didn't work. And I'm not trying to be depressing, it just comes across that way. I'm just frusturated that I have so much other stuff to do, but I can't stop thinking about what other people have been writing about.
Sonja, what do you mean, "be religious?" That seems sort of obfuscatory if you know what I mean. I can worship, say, money and part of that religion is to abhor justice if it comes at the expense of my empire. I think you mean that you can't be a Christ-follower and not be just, right?
Israel, it can't be the water because I've had a PUR filter on my faucet for as long as I've been married, so any residual effects of Seattle water will have worn off by now. And I've thought about working for a company that is maybe not all about profit, but then what about the fact that I can make a lot more money working for a for-profit and I can use that money to affect change in the lives of those around me? Money isn't the problem, it's the love of money. If I can get past that, I wouldn't mind running the rat race for a long time if that is how I can be a blessing to those around me.
Schuyler's last point (on the last comment) is what I was going to say. Remember what Mother Teresa said when people wanted to camp out with her and join her ministry: Go home. Tend to the impoverished among you. And that's not just the financially poor.
There's plenty you can do, every day, to make the world a better place. Are you doing enough? At what point is it still productive to ask that?
Do what you can. Do what God asks of you. Do your part. You can't save the world.
But, it does sound like God is in your questions. All of your questions and wrestlings. He wants us to share in his sufferings, I guess.
There, it's easy, right?
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