Like millions of other people around the world, I have a
Facebook account. Also like millions of
other people, my exchanges on Facebook comprise my primary means of
communication with friends, old and new.
While
writing has never been my primary career, there is hardly a time since my first
“professional” job as a minister in 1960 that I have not written on a regular
basis. At first the writing was
primarily sermon summaries, newsletters and special bulletins. Over my many years writing has become my way
of living and contributing to the stream of ideas that move through all of us
in one way or another. I now am the
principal author of three web logs (blogs).
Each blog was developed to serve a particular need to comment on some
facet of the lives we live today—personal, social/political and lately,
alternative dimensions of consciousness.
Imagine,
if you can, my surprise at finding on Facebook a fresh comment on an article I
wrote two years ago for my LifeCentering blog. It was titled, “The
Journey of Being Alive.” It was
about my discovery that I had become an observer of life rather than an
actor. I realized that after 20 years
of living alone I had become quite isolated and insulated from doing
things, anything!
As
I read and then re-read the article several times considering the words and the
implications of observing life rather than living life, I could not help but acknowledge
how easy it has become to stay on the sidelines. I do not write articles as often, but using Facebook I comment
often, much to the dismay of some I suppose, since it is mostly
social/political commentary. It is not
always pleasant.
We
are living in the most rancorous and angry times I have seen in my 81
years. I do not remember such
volatility in the responses to the Vietnam War. It is true that the physical
aggressiveness then may have been more present than what we see today.
However, today’s volatility is much more immediate and widespread due to
the fact that anyone can Tweet, post, write a blog, photograph and post events,
etc. There is a high level of engagement, much of it hateful and negative. Lost in this kind of engagement is the fact
that there is also a larger number of persons actually coming together to act
to bring about change. Observers still
observe. Writers still write. But the times are demanding actors,
initiators, doers.
It
is difficult not to see that social interaction is getting out of hand,
encouraged in large part by the current candidates for the Office of President
of the United States. It is almost
impossible to believe that someone like Donald Trump could actually be rallying
thousands of people who support his message aggressively. Unfortunately, the same can be said
regarding Hillary Clinton.
As
for me, I do not seem to be motivated to do much beyond comment. To feel this way would appear to negate the
conclusions reached in my original article from 2014. Is it enough to be an opinion writer? Is the attempt to inspire others to become involved in the
society we share together enough? I
cannot honestly answer that question. I
sometimes feel guilty about writing rather than walking a picket line or
knocking on doors to get out the vote.
However, long ago I knew that I was not the person whose calling was
demonstrating in the streets or engaging physically in the struggle for change. I think, I consider the facts as I discover
them, I share the philosophical conclusions I reach. That is what I do. You
are not required to agree with my conclusions or my particular philosophy of
life. If you end up thinking in a
slightly different way, or if you see other possibilities for change, of if you
find that you are led to be in the streets demonstrating for what you believe
as a result of something I have written, then I have served a purpose.
Regardless
of what you do, or don’t do, or what I may do or not do, change is coming. It has been coming for a long time. I personally believe there is a strong
possibility that it will be disruptive in a manner we have not seen since the
Revolutionary War or the Civil War. Oddly, the same issues are at stake: freedom from what some consider as an
illegitimate governance (as in the King of England); freedom from slavery
(Civil Rights for all individuals and groups); and a desire for a country and a
government that is truly representative and responsive to its constituencies. Except for Native Americans, we have all come here from somewhere else. We all are part of the fabric that has always made this a great nation. If we are to "make America great again" it will be by coming together in harmony, mutual respect, and acceptance of the unique cultures we each contribute.
I
am still alive after all these years of my personal history. I expect to be alive for a little more
history. I continue to make new friends and think about ideas in new ways. I will probably continue to write about
it.
