Do you remember the story of Sisyphus?
Condemned by the Greek gods to push a boulder up the mountain only to have it roll back down to the bottom forcing him to start over?
I feel like that today.
Discouraged.
Disappointed.
Knowing there is work to do.
Work I believe in and believe to be important.
Work that, in my best moments, I know matters and touches the lives of others.
But I don’t want to do it.
I don’t want to lean into that rock and to start pushing again.
What I really want to do is to sit down and pout.
Not a great way to begin the day, is it?
But, here I am.
My computer is on.
My email folder is open.
My To Do list in front of me.
I guess it is time to get started.
The Tables Are Turned
I have been asked to speak to a group of high school students and their parents and friends at a fund raising dinner this coming Friday night. They are raising money for their annual service learning trip to Nicaragua this spring. One of the reasons I was asked to speak is because I am on the Board of Directors of the organization which works in Nicaragua and who organizes the trip for them. Another reason is that I, too, lead similar trips each year taking a group of high school students and adults to build homes or schools in the country which is the second poorest in the western hemisphere.
When I was asked to speak I was told, “Something inspirational…”
And, the moment I said “Yes” the tables were turned.
Most of the time I am the one asking the questions.
“What have you learned?”
“What does it mean?”
“What do have you given?”
“What have you been given?”
And, I sit back and listen for the responses.
Now, it is my turn.
They have asked the question of me and I now have to search heart and mind and soul for the words to describe what I have learned and what I have been given and how those experiences have touched and changed my life which they certainly have. Some of what I will say will have to do with my eyes being opened and with seeing the world more as it actually is than how it is around me. Some of what I will say will have to do with humility and gratitude and hospitality. And, some of it will have to do with what it means that my neighborhood is bigger today than it was before I took my first trip.
I was honored to be asked.
And I would do anything that I could to support the efforts of these young adults. But, they have turned the tables on me and have forced me to find words to describe experiences that have elementally changed my life. I wonder what I will say.
Safe Places
Instead of a sermon/message this Sunday morning, our congregation will have a conversation. Or, at least start one.
A conversation about…
Violence.
And guns.
And the meaning of the 2nd Amendment.
About assault weapons.
And hand guns.
And high capacity magazine clips.
And, I hope…
A conversation about what it takes to create safe places;
For our children and for our youth and for our households.
I find myself wondering…
How much of the violence that we hear about on the news;
From Aurora to Sandy Hook to the streets of Chicago;
Has to do with alienation and a sense of hopelessness?
Has to do with individuals just not caring anymore?
Or, about pain crying out for attention in the most destructive way possible?
Yes, our elected officials and law enforcement officers and mental health professionals all have an critical role to play in our continued efforts to minimize violence and to keep weapons out of the hands of those who cannot use them safely and properly.
But places like this…
Churches, synagogues, mosques…
Communities of faith of whatever size or shape or brand…
Also have a role to play that has something to do with hope and purpose and making a positive difference. And something to do with a sense of community which is something that many have lost over the last number of years.
I don’t know how the conversation will go on Sunday.
I just know it is an important conversation to begin.
I don’t know what we need to do more of to create safe places.
I just know it is important that we begin.
Not Me
Reading through the headlines on Flipboard last night I came across this article.
At a trade show of gun enthusiasts and manufacturers, the head of the National Shooting Sports Foundation plans to tell convention goers they didn’t cause the tragic shooting in Newtown, CT a month ago. Of course they didn’t, but…
In contrast to that was a meeting I attended of community leaders and school teachers and administrators to talk about how, as a community, we begin to address the issues facing children and youth and families and our communities, including the threat of violence. Those of us in the room didn’t cause the tragic shooting in Newtown, CT, but…
Here is the difference between the response in the article and the response in the meeting I attended.
The sentiment on one side is:
I/we didn’t do and therefore we are not responsible.
The sentiment on the other side is:
I/we didn’t do it, but we do have, and maybe bear, some responsibility.
Here, I think, is the critical question.
Each of us…
And each community…
To say nothing of our nation…
Has to decide which of this sentiments if correct and which of these sentiments might lead to the best long term future for our children and our communities.
I believe that the children who group up in our communities are OUR children and that I have a responsibility to do what I can to make our communities and our schools a safe, secure and supportive place for children and youth and families. And, when children fall through the cracks and something happens, I bear some responsibility for that as well.
What do you think?
Education is the silver bullet. Education is everything. We don’t need little changes. We need gigantic monumental changes. Schools should be palaces. The competition for the best teachers should be fierce. They should be getting six-figure salaries. Schools should be incredibly expensive for government and absolutely free of charge to its citizens, just like national defense. That’s my position. I just haven’t figured out how to do it yet.
Sam Seaborn, The West Wing (via theaccidentaloptimist)
https://paulalcorn.com/education-is-the-silver-bullet-education-is/
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