“Beware the
self-righteous man, for he will destroy the world many times over before he
sees his folly.” --Stewart Stafford,
author
Have you heard? A border wall is absolutely immoral. Really.
That truth is totally true, is cut and dried, at least according to this righteous
claim made by one of our political parties in the midst of the recent tantrum
over government funding. That's the fight between folks who try and pass themselves
off as actually being in charge of our nation these days. It must be great to
be so sure of one's self, of one's opinion, so convicted, and to also make sure
that everybody knows just how correct you are.
Have you heard? Thousands of criminals and gang members and
drug dealers are just pouring over the border between Mexico and the United States. Really. So many in
fact, that it is a national emergency! Wow.
That claim was made by the other political party. That truth is true, as
true as true can be, apparently, even though this assertion might not be backed
up by anything as inconvenient as "facts" or statistics or reality.
But hey: when you are right, you are right. Right?
Have you heard? If you don't believe in God a certain way,
if you go to this house of worship instead of that one, if you pray the wrong
words or profess incorrect beliefs you are going straight to H-E-double hockey
sticks! Seriously. God told me! Now if
you are willing to believe absolutely everything that I totally believe, then maybe
you can get on the train straight to heaven. But if not? Going down?
Have you heard? I read on Facebook or maybe Twitter (now I'm
not so sure) that a certain person--you know who I'm talking about--they are
positively guilty of, of...? I forget. But whatever they did, man, I heard it
was awful! Ban them! Judge them! Call them names! Shame them. Because if
someone in social media says that someone else is a bad person, that must be true.
It's not like folks pass judgment on someone's guilt or innocence before
actually doing research or taking a second or two to think about it.
Have you heard? We are living in a golden age of
self-righteousness, days when the most important thing is to be CORRECT and always
righteous, and the more loudly, the more insistent, the more judgmental, the
better. If you want to slam someone else, or put them down, or stand over them
in righteous rage, there's a public outlet for you. A news site that reports
only what you want to hear. A Twitter feed that rips folks to shreds and
reflects the absolute worst of human behavior. A pulpit to stand up in, condemn
apostates because they dare to claim a higher power that does not line up with
your religion.
As the poet William Butler Yeats wrote in "The Second
Coming" about such chaotic and righteous times, "The best lack all
conviction, while the worst, Are full of passionate intensity." Sound
familiar?
It's not that we humans aren't supposed to have opinions or
somehow eschew moral or ethical convictions.
We do need to know what matters most to us, and at times, to share where
we stand with the rest of the world. I get that. I do it every week in this
blog. But can't we just do that with a little humility,
recognizing that no one has all the answers or a lock on morality? It might feel good to righteously rise up but
are we absolutely sure that we are absolutely right, absolutely all the time?
Come on.
Can't we show a little humor when it comes to our
differences, share a laugh, admit how we all take ourselves way, way too
seriously? Get over yourself. I know I need to! Can't we confess that when it
comes to a subject like faith and religion, the truth is that at the end of all
our assertions is ultimate mystery. God only knows.
Have you heard? A
politician got up at a press conference and admitted that they were wrong and
then apologized. A media pundit went on a TV show to debate another journalist
and actually listened to his opponent, and had his mind changed by what another
person said. A legislator reached across the aisle and asked a person from the
other party to work together and then they did and then they compromised and then
a bill was actually passed! A preacher preached that she does not have all the
answers about God and so her congregation was blessed by that holy humility.
It all happened on the day we realized the folly and the
danger of self-righteousness. I know that much is true. You?
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