Critical American Human Theory (America: Part 1)

Hello people!!! **People...People...People** (echoes against the cavernous empty walls of the metaphorical room that is full of the zero readers of this drivel)

According to the lather, rinse, repeat cycle the United States is currently stuck in, (as much as Phil Connors was stuck waking up to Sonny and Cher singing, "put your little hand in mine," over and over and over again) it is time for us to once again be polarized by something, have little desire to converse with people whose thoughts and opinions are different from our own, and assume we know everything about something we, in fact, know very little about. The topic de jour, as so often happens, manifests itself in a catch-all phrase that those who decide to take sides and vitriolically debate don't even know the proper definition of the term. Right now, you could probably make the case that this is happening about a myriad of topics as both sides struggle for the, "heart of the nation."

The one that comes to mind most often for me and I have found fascinating to currently track is critical race theory. According to Wikipedia, the bearer of all truth, critical race theory:

"is a body of legal scholarship and an academic movement of civil-rights scholars and activists in the United States that seeks to critically examine U.S. law as it intersects with issues of race in the U.S. and to challenge mainstream American liberal approaches to racial justice. CRT examines social, cultural, and legal issues primarily as they relate to race and racism in the United States."

If critical race theory was limited to just that pursuit, I would say it sounds pretty reasonable. I have unfortunately been unable to track down a copy, whether digital or physical, of Critical Race Theory: An Introduction, so I haven't been able to do my own grassroots research into the topic. This has made me hesitant to form any opinions, as I still don't know exactly what CRT is comprised of or what exactly has so many people up in arms about it percolating into public schools. 

Earn This

Hello you miracle

NOTE: If there is one thing I am good at it is self-awareness. The following has an inordinate amount of clichés. However, that should not detract from the message because clichés become clichés because they are often coated in a large amount of undeniable truth. I hope that you, dear reader, can accept the clichés for what they are: bearers of truth.

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You know the end of Saving Private Ryan? (If you don't, go watch it right now or skip the next two paragraphs and read those after watching the end of the movie.)

You know the line I'm talking about. Captain John Miller (Tom Hanks) lays dying unnecessarily on a French bridge, and tells James Francis Ryan (Matt Damon), the aforementioned Ryan of the title,  "James...earn this... Earn it." The "it" Miller refers to is the mission him and a small squad of soldiers are sent on to retrieve Ryan. The mission costs most of the squad their lives. Six out of the eight men sent to get Ryan die. Ryan lives. Miller is urging Ryan to earn the sacrifice of these men.

Now the above account is fiction but the concept is important. Earn this. Every time I watch that movie, it makes me ashamed for every morning I have woken up and not immediately thanked God for the air in my lungs. And this isn't some sort of macho-patriotic statement about American exceptionalism, for I just provided an example I am familiar with to get to a larger point:

Each day alive is something to be thankful for.

Now, this is easy for me to say being a white, male, middle class schmuck living in the United States but the statement still holds true, even if you wake up starving or oppressed or injured or infirmed. Every day is indeed a blessing. This is inescapable. If it wasn't, then what would be the point of getting out of bed?

You will suffer in life. No one will escape suffering. No one will escape death (except Enoch and Elijah). The end will come for you no matter what you do. Even Lord Voldemort tried to skirt death, only to eventually find the end in the end. But if you aren't determined to fill the part between coming out of the womb and being buried in the ground or burned into ash with thankfulness, there ain't much point to trudging through.

As Andy Dufrense said, "Get busying living or get busy dying."

Now, you will ask, what is living? Some might say it's to stack that paper, get lit, go to dope places, have great times, and be good to each other, right brah? But those things are all temporary. Every nice meal you eat, every vacation you've ever been on, every euphoric moment as a sports fan you've experienced... those things end. They, much like you and me and our time allotted to us on the planet Earth, have an expiration date. I never understood the death and taxes cliché. Taxes you can avoid, just ask any billionaire or politician. Death, however, is a little trickier to bamboozle than the IRS. Just ask old Voldy or Howard Hughes or Chris McCandless. Regardless of where you have put your heart, whether it be money or nature or success, death, much like Thanos, is inevitable. 

Now, as a Christian, I believe I have a simple solution to this but the point of this inane rambling isn't to persuade you of a way to escape death. It is to encourage you, (yes you!) the five or so people who I know are reading this (and I know who you are so you better believe I speaking directly to you) to examine what comprises the time between taking your head off the pillow and putting it back down again. Is it full of individualistic pursuits? Are you pursuing the temporary? Or, perhaps, are you interested in something more?

Give it a thought. You have been given life. It may very well not be perfect but it is life. There are countless billions who no longer have that privilege. Don't disrespect them by wasting the breath you have in your lungs. Don't for a second assume that the mere fact that you are here is something to be taken for granted. Don't roll your eyes at the monotony of another day of work or taking care of the kids or doing chores or having to listen to your parents on the phone. Every single God-given minute of this life is something to be thankful for and to consume with passion and gratefulness. Do not disregard your life with thoughts of purposelessness, dread, drudgery, or lack of gratitude.

The pandemic created a trap for us all. To take for granted life. We shrugged as millions died. We yearned for "normal," all the while failing to acknowledge that we were ungrateful little gits when it came to "normal" life. We wanted to go back to the way things were just so we could take it for granted the second we didn't like the repetitious nature of "normal."

But I urge you, stop. Stop opening your eyes when the alarm goes of and wanting to hit the snooze. Do you really want to hit the snooze on your life? There are plenty of people who already had the eternal snooze button hit on their internal phone and would gladly trade their plot for yours. So don't let me catch you hitting that snooze button over and over again. And it may not be a literal snooze button but don't keep mindlessly wandering through your day, going through the motions, making the breakfast, drinking the coffee, getting the kids out the door. Just don't do it.

Spread love. Even if you don't believe in Jesus, love can't hurt. Love others. No material thing is eternal. No human person is eternal. So love. Love your enemies, your neighbors, your loved ones. Don't make it cheap love either. Sacrifice yourself for others. Your life will be infinitely more blessed and meaningful. Give all that you've got to other people. Don't sell yourself short by doing anything less. Keep giving and when you think that you can't give anything more, give more anyways. The grave will come for us all in the end so wouldn't it be better if we just gave ourselves to others instead of worrying about our welfare?

You have been given life. You have breath in your lungs. You have a day to live. The sun will rise and set. You will be here. Don't just "make it through the day." Love others and live.

Earn this.

2021 Resolution Tracker

Moses Miles Walked: 670.8 miles

Bible Progress: 1 Chronicles 20

Books Read: 15

    Completed 

• The Book of Basketball by Bill Simmons review here
• Counterfeit Gods by Timothy Keller review here
• The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick review here
• The Good Neighbor: The Life and Work of Fred Rogers review here
• Inspired: ... and Loving the Bible Again by Rachel Held Evans review here
• The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge review here
• The Jesus I Never Knew by Philip Yancey review here
• Don't Waste Your Life by John Piper review here
• Maphead by Ken Jennings review here
• The Little Book of Restorative Justice by Howard Zehr review here
• Three Nights in August by Buzz Bissinger review here
• The Crying of Lot 49 by Thomas Pychon review here
• Into the Wild by John Krakauer review here
• Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis review here
• Underdog by Markus Zusak review here

    Currently Reading

    Fighting Ruben Wolfe by Markus Zusak

The Perpetual Plank

 I often feel as if I have so many sins inside me that, at any moment, they could burst out of me like toothpaste from its tube. I have never had the issue of admitting to being sinful, from either a Christian or humanist perspective. Biblically speaking, I lie, I lust, I covet, I do not serve my neighbor, I do not love God or others fully. From a non-religious perspective, outwardly at least, I seem like an alright person. I try not to offend anybody's sensibilities, I try to respect various perspectives and life outlooks, and I do my best to spread positive vibes. But even using a slightly more loose "criteria of goodness" honestly, I still suck as a human. Regardless of perspective, I utterly fail. Day in and day out, it's a comedy of errors. I am always looking to improve and avoid these errors but I am constantly losing the battle.

But, without a doubt in my mind, my biggest, most egregious sin is judgement. I judge everything. I judge people. I judge places. I judge things. Every time I wander into the dangerous world of social media, an avalanche of judgmental stream of consciousness enters my mind with the force of a typhoon. Sally seems to be a bit full of herself with that post. Joey seems to be a tad racist with that post. Beth is complaining about her first world problems again, maybe she should keep those to herself. Steve is on his high horse about world poverty again. Jill is posting vacation pictures, maybe she should have donated that money to poor people... on and on and on. I can't help it. And you might be thinking to yourself, "Well the solution is obvious, just delete social media!" BINGO, BANGO, BONGO!

Me, Me, Me

Hello my fellow humans.

Long thoughts in bullet form

• In a world where we often hear about the worst in humanity or bad things because that is what generates clicks, views, subscribers, attention, etc, etc, etc. I was confronted the other day by the simple kindness that still exists in the human condition. During one of my early morning (we're talking around 4:15 AM) this week, while the snow still made things both interesting and less straight-forward than usual, I was climbing a hill next to a generally busy suburban thoroughfare. A car stopped in the intersection of a subdivision up ahead of me. I suppose it looked like I was A. homeless and B. struggling because this man asked if I needed help getting anywhere. At first I didn't hear him because I had my wireless headphones in, so I took them out and he asked if I needed help. I laughed and said, "No, sir, I'm just taking my morning walk. I appreciate the concern, that was very kind of you." He also laughed, nodded his head in a slightly incredulous way and proceeded about his day (or perhaps night as it seemed he might have been coming home from a night shift). In any case, people care about others. This is important to remember.
• February 17th, 18th, and 19th are three very important days for basketball junkies. February 17th is Michael Jordan's birthday, widely considered the greatest player of all-time. February 19th is Nikola Jokic's birthday, a delightful current player who could be on his way to becoming the greatest European big man of all-time. And February 18th was the birthday of someone who loves basketball at an unhealthy level but has such an infinitesimally small level of athletic skill that it never had a chance of becoming a notable basketball day.
• My daughter came down from bed this morning and asked, "Dad, is it still your birthday?" I said, "Nope, just another day." She then proceeded to cry. At first, I found this sweet and endearing because I thought she was mourning the end of my special day... The great irony and excellent encapsulation of humanity that the moment actually depicted was that she was upset it wasn't her birthday yet (it comes in approximately two weeks). I was profoundly struck by this situation. I tried to comfort her by letting her know it's ok to be upset and that waiting for a special day is one of the things that makes it special, but she just continued to cry and cry. I gave her some space and I felt a sickening feeling in my stomach. I felt I had failed as a parent that this child would be so self-centered that she would be sobbing over the fact that it wasn't her birthday yet... I quickly came to my senses about that, admitting that children, especially one as young as her, can't fully grasp the concept of selflessness so young and that I was being too hard on her and myself. But what I slowly realized is that I am her and she is us. We are so selfish in everything that we do, it is utterly astounding. I understand how contradictory this is for me to say after mentioning the good in humans above, but it is the uncomfortable truth we so often shy away from when going about our everyday lives. We are unbelievably selfish beings and I am no exception. Here are some examples from recent events to how large swaths of our world are incredibly selfish:
• Here is this thing that will help slow a disease that is killing 3,000 people a day in the country you live it. It is a minimal inconvenience but will help save people lives. Will you use it?
• No, my rights are infringed upon and I don't like the way it feels on my face.
• A man was shot by police multiple times and is now permanently incapacitated and/or dead. 
• What did he do wrong? He probably deserved it.
• If you stop going out to bars during the weekend, you will probably help curb the effects of a disease killing thousands of people.
• Will I die? No? Ok, I'm down to clown.
• You can have this meeting in-person or you can do it virtually. An in-person meeting will carry a certain amount of inherent risk, even if all precautions are followed and an even greater risk if all precautions are not followed.
• Well, it's just not the "same" meeting virtually and I'm sick of Zoom. Also see my answer to question one. I'm meeting in person because it's my right and I miss people.
• And that's just the tip of the iceberg. We, as humans, are selfish. Whether you believe because it's some kind of animalistic survival instinct because we are a higher form of animal evolution or because you believe in original sin or you think that self-interest is some sort of tier in the pyramid of self-realization that all humans start at the bottom. The trick is we are called, or at least that is what I believe, to combat this selfishness. To fight these impulses everyday with all that we've got and to serve others.

(Ok, it seems the bullets can no longer contain this stream of consciousness...)

We live at a time where there is a lot of focus on the concept of "self-care." And I understand that in some cases it is absolutely necessary to take care of oneself, especially as it pertains to mental illness and things of that ilk. But I would warn people to be able to differentiate between necessary actions against those kinds of things and thinking that the world revolves around you, your happiness, and your well-being.

I am not absolved of this problem. I think I am one of the most covert selfish people I know. I am able to internalize a lot of my self-serving thoughts and disguise what are actually selfish actions as neutral ones. But I am really trying to break out of that cycle because I have recently discovered (or perhaps re-discovered) that one of the best nouns to describe Jesus while He was on Earth was servant. Even if you don't believe that Jesus was the Son of God and God himself in human form, the example he sets in the Bible can still be used as a template as to how to act when you are a part of a society. 

When He encountered sick people, he didn't say, "Welp, sorry you don't have health care. Maybe you should have eaten a better diet and exercised more." He healed the sick. He sympathized with the sick. He gave them mercy. When He encountered someone who had committed sexually related sin, He didn't give her up to the Pharisees to be humiliated and murdered. He said, "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone." Then, when no one could claim perfection and they all left, He didn't guilt the woman. He encouraged her to live a life of purpose in Him. When He knew that Judas would betray Him and be the reason for His eventual crucifixion, one of the most excruciating ways to die that humans have come up with in our twisted history of torture and murder, you know what Jesus did? HE WASHED THAT SON OF GUNS FEET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He didn't blame him or drop a drone bomb on him or throw him in jail or kill him. He treated him like a friend, like a master.

I hope you are doing well. I hope that where ever it is you are reading this from, you are safe, full, and loved. Some people in this world are not. Some people in this country are not. Some people in your city are not. Some people in your neighborhood are probably not. Join me in seeking these people out and trying to fill their cup, whether that cup be physical, mental, or emotional. I love you all or at least I am really trying to, continually failing, admitting that failure, and trying again. Join me in doing the same.

As Paul writes to the church in Ephesus:

'Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.' Ephesians 4:2 NIV 

2021 Resolution Tracker

Moses Miles Walked: 236.4 miles

Bible Progress: Judges 14 (I am currently re-strategizing my approach to this with Lent upon us...)

Books Read: 5

    Completed 

• The Book of Basketball by Bill Simmons review here
• Counterfeit Gods by Timothy Keller review here
• The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick review here
• The Good Neighbor: The Life and Work of Fred Rogers review here
• Inspired: ... and Loving the Bible Again by Rachel Held Evans review here

    Currently Reading

I am at an existential crossroads in regards to my plan moving forward with my book goal. I don't know whether to attack the books I am most excited to read or read those I have immediate access to or continue my proposed plans of going in a non-fiction, religious, fiction reading rotation. I'm sure you'll be on pins and needles to see what happens next.

24 Filthy Feet: Love and Service

Hello you beautiful 1 in 7.8 billion miracle, you.

I have three things I have been thinking about that all intersected at the same time to the point where I might just have enough of an idea to write about it in these here dark corners of the internet. 

The first is that I recently finished a biography about Fred Rogers of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood fame. He was a fascinating individual who spent his life speaking to children through his television show, telling them they were special and being one of the kindest people to ever walk the planet. He once said, "There are three ways to ultimate success: The first way is to be kind. The second way is to be kind. The third way is to be kind.” He spoke of love, kindness, and compassion in ways that were similar to the words of Jesus Christ. And he not only spoke these words, but by all accounts he lived them too. 

The second thing I recently encountered was the 13th chapter of the book of John during the nine-month journey through that Gospel I am doing with my Bible study group. In this chapter, which takes place at the Last Supper, Jesus washes the feet of all twelve of His disciples, alerts them to a traitor in their midst (Judas Iscariot), tells them to love one another, and tells Peter he will disown Jesus three times. It is an unbelievably packed chapter.

The last thing was a thought that stuck me during my walk this morning with good ol' Moses in tow. We have established a pretty repetitive route that takes us through subdivisions in the wee hours of morning. And as I passed by the houses at my brisk pace, it struck me that each of those houses contained multiple people. And each of those people contained a multitude of information in the form of their lives. Neuroscientists have estimated the human brain has a storage capacity of somewhere between 10 and 100 terabytes. 1 terabyte is 1,000 gigabytes. 1 gigabyte is 1,000 megabytes. 1 high resolution photo is about 3 megabytes.  Imagine everything you've ever experienced in your life: smells, sights, actions, conversations, memories. Imagine that unbelievable amount of information times 7.8 billion. That is the contents of humanity. Does it make you feel small? Overwhelmed by the human experience? Astounded by all that exists in the world?

Are They Listening?

 Hello fellow biped.

Guess what?! You know those algorithms and the data mining everyone is paranoid about all the time from the big tech companies? The ones that listen in on your conversation about being cold and wishing your sweater was warmer as you are huddled near your phone only to display a hoodie ad on Instagram the next time you open it? Whelp, I don't think they work quite as well as we have been led to believe.

Other than that, all is well for now. I hope to write something more substantial soon but nothing has struck my mind in quite some time. Good thing I don't do this for a living, right?!

 2021 Resolution Tracker

Moses Miles Walked: 88.5 miles

Books Read: 3

    Completed: The Book of Basketball by Bill Simmons review here

    Counterfeit Gods by Timothy Keller review here

    The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick review here

Bible Progress: Joshua 6

Again and Again, It's Love

Hello fellow humans.

I used to think I knew the Bible. I was often the first pick for Bible Jeopardy in Sunday School so I figured that meant I had it down, that I understood all it had to offer. That was pretty cocky for a 10-year old, let me tell ya.

The following decade or so proved otherwise. I had missed some of the essential lessons. Nowadays, I like to focus on the words from the mouth of Jesus. It would only make sense to really hone in on what Christ was telling us if I am trying to be a Christian, no? 

It only takes a cursory glance at the Gospels to see what the focus of Jesus's ministry was: love. Over and over again, Jesus cites love as what is most important. Matthew 22: 34-40 tells us that love in two forms is the most important commandment we are given:

34 But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. 35 And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

When pressed by the Jewish leaders, Jesus didn't say the most important thing was to make sure you paid your taxes or that you go to Temple every Saturday. He told us to love. First, love God, which admittedly contains a multitude of things to consider. Second, love your neighbor. Simple as that. No caveats attached. No "love your neighbor when convenient," or "love your neighbor when they agree with you," or "love your neighbor when they are nice to you." There was no qualifier attached. 

Additionally, some of my favorite words from Jesus include this passage from John 15:

12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. 17 These things I command you, so that you will love one another.

Jesus calls Christians to lay down their lives (like he eventually would) for their friends. And continues to push his disciples to love one another. Love, man.

I don't have anything truly enlightening to add so I leave it at that for now. 

 2021 Resolution Tracker

Moses Miles Walked: 43.9 miles

Books Read: 2

    Completed: The Book of Basketball by Bill Simmons review here

    Counterfeit Gods by Timothy Keller review here

Bible Progress: Deuteronomy 29