Hi Penny
I don’t hate the people on what you call my “new list.” I’m curious about them, so I asked two questions about what they're learning, having shared what I'm learning: "Do they see what happens to their ‘convictions’ when THEY, not the dispossessed, are at risk? When their personal storm passes, will they remember the way they flipped, or will they flip back?” No hate there—only a couple of honest questions in a potentially teachable moment. That a lot of people have “flipped” is an undeniable fact.
On a related front, I know three elderly people, people I love, who are devotees of #45. (Please note that I still love them.) Fox is their only news source. Until two weeks ago, all of them believed that the pandemic was a hoax perpetrated by Democrats, and that #45 was smarter than the scientists who raised the alarm.So they went out shopping a lot, and held card parties in their homes for a dozen other elderly friends.
Today, four of that dozen, including two of the hosts, are in the hospital with the virus. One of them may have to be put on a ventilator soon, which is close to a death sentence for a 91-year-old. How would you advise me to feel about that? Whatever I feel, am I supposed to be silent about it? I don’t hate these people for their political convictions. I grieve for the consequences these dear people are now suffering.
I don’t know of any wisdom tradition that counsels us never to speak about hard realities, but restrict ourselves to truths that comfort the soul. I was raised in a tradition that had a lot to say about accountability, something #45 seems not to believe in. It also spoke of forgiveness when the person at fault has honestly come to terms with, and acknowledged to others, his or her accountability. And yes, it spoke of love, including the kind of love Dostoevsky wrote about: “Love in action is a fierce and dreadful thing compared to love in dreams.” I was taught that love of that sort helps us understand why the harsh words of the prophets in the Hebrew Bible are words of love.
These convictions are among those that have driven my writing for 40-plus years. This kind of writing is nothing new for me, and you can find evidence of that fact in each of my ten books since 1979. What’s changed, I’m afraid, is the political climate, in which anyone who offers a fact-based critique of a given president or administration is labeled as indecent or even traitorous by people on the other side.
The only way forward is to reclaim our capacity to be in dialogue with each other about our diverse takes on truth—and stay in dialogue long enough to learn from each other. If you’d like to talk, I’d be glad to do it. Just let me know how to get in touch.
Your fellow citizen,
Parker
Penny, I think you are confusing the words that Parker is trying to convey and I am in agreement with him. Also, I don't "hate" anyone, not even the current president. I am however, deeply concerned about the language, hatred, and misogynistic mindset this president spews, including people who don't look or think like him. You urge Parker to 'rise above', but isn't that what our president should also be doing, not further spreading division, fear and hatred. Our people often look to the president as a leader, with core values that lean towards love and acceptance, not hate and division. That lean towards resolution, not anarchy; peace, not more hatred.
On May 13, 2020 JL wrote:
https://idnapk.net/