I made a mistake yesterday. Nothing drastic. No one was hurt. Just a dumb mistake. I wrote a comment on an “article” on the Babylon Bee Facebook feed that raised a question about the satire that was posted. It was a satire piece about an economic system.
I wrote something to the effect that people argue that their preferred one-size-fits-all economic systems always work, when they are tried the right way. Doesn’t matter which -ism you are referring to – socialism, capitalism, etc.
I quickly realized I made a mistake in offering a comment that questioned the unquestionable faith in the -ism being defended. If only people had that much faith in Jesus.
I tried to get out of the comments. At first I didn’t just want to ghost the person and have them think I was afraid of the conversation. That was a mistake too.
Then I quickly realized, what a waste of time this whole episode was and I went off to more productive uses of my time.
Mistake made. Lesson learned.
I’m sure I’ll make the same mistake again in the future – whether on that site, or elsewhere. Maybe the heat got to me. Maybe it was a error in judgement on my part. Maybe it was a bit of egotism rearing it’s head within in. Regardless of the the reason – it was a mistake.
Yet, it has me thinking. Why have we gotten to this stage? Why is it almost impossible to have a conversation online on just about any topic? Why is a question that is raised met with an attack or insult or just rudeness?
I think part of the problem is how we think about issues and problems. We look at them in the abstract. When we talk about abortion, marriage, immigration, climate, money, or any slew of policy debates that exist, we too often approach them as verbal wars to be won, points to be scored, etc. We don’t really seem to care about solving a problem anymore. It’s more about who wins an argument and who loses. The reality is that we all lose in this system.
What if we changed how we talked about problems. Instead of talking about the issue as some abstract thing out there, what if we talked about it as if it affected us personally? What if we talked about immigration as if we were the immigrant? What if we talked about marriage if it were about our marriage? What if we talked about taxes as if it were our money? I think what we would start to see is that the issue is much more complex than the tweets and one-liners make it seem.
And you know what – that’s about as close to the reality of each of these issues as you can get. They are complicated. There are no one-size-fits-all solutions to these challenges. Maybe we should stop looking for simple solutions to complex challenges. Maybe we should start thinking about them differently. And consider how lives are affected. And realize that when there are winners and losers from a policy, then we are approaching it the wrong way.
You and I are “LIKE”minded. Not the same. I quibble with you frequently, but totally respect you. I am open to learning from you. We fit together in at least one or two major categories. I think that has a lot to do with how/why I am able to converse with you. Also, I tend to mute the points I quibble with. I don’t find them major enough, generally to bother to mention. Hammering out every detail, esp when it is not entirely necessary, will be distracting for you and for me. And what if some of it degenerates into outright disagreement? You are not likely to be easily swayed by me nor me you. And the fact is… I find you, your work and your blog to be of great value that I would not want to jeopardize. So, I tiptoe carefully where the quibbles come up.
All that said, I of course don’t tiptoe on major matters generally and especially where my local church is concerned. And of course, my conversation there is destroyed. Hmmm…
Imagine this scenario:
Imagine you and I are two of God’s ministers working in the great city Babble. The good folx of Babble are deeply loved by God and a lot of them claim to love him too. But somewhere along the way, the good folx of Babble started building a tower. And that tower makes a name for the good folx of Babble. And the higher it gets, the more impressed the good folx of Babble are with themselves.
And come comes along to take a look at it. What will He do?
Judge it.
How?
Confuse the languages.
Hmmm…
Suddenly the Republicans can’t talk to the Dems. The liberals can’t understand or even hear the conservatives. The independents feel their ideals being ripped apart. All dialog breaks down into dialog of the deaf.
BTW, can you still hear me???
WHAT MINISTRY are you called to offer in Babble? What can you possibly say that will be heard, understood, and acknowledged (HUA)?
So you retreat to your enclave. There are a FEW who still talk your language and who flock for comfort around your message and you theirs. Even these small groups are getting picked apart – some slowly, some faster. The feelings are desperate on all sides. If we don’t get this worked out, the tower will not be completed! And we feverishly resolve to claim in in the name of our sect.
What is your ministry in Babble???
Will words even serve?
If this babble we experience is a judgment from God, then who am I to even try to work against it? But that still leaves the question: What is your ministry to the city, Babble? What is mine?
Not sure.
But I think I read this stuff somewhere…
I hope we are still talking this time next year, BROTHER. I hope.
God bless you…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Sorry, that comment needs edited. I was taking care of babies as I wrote it and got distracted several times. Hope it makes sense…
LikeLiked by 1 person
No worries. I understood what you were saying. Thank you for your comments – I really appreciate them and you.
LikeLike
Thanks X. I appreciate you a lot and what you do as well. I find it amazing that there are so many people who jump to an all or nothing conclusion on issues/debates/conversation. I don’t know of a single person that I agree with 100% on. And that’s perfectly ok by me. I know I don’t have all the answers and I know that some of what I believe is just plain wrong – I’m often not aware of those things though (or else I would change my thinking). My beliefs and what I cling to have changed over time as I come across new information and experiences. And I hope that continues. Blessings to you. And yes, I certainly how we are still talking next year, and for a long time after. I think much of this comes down to the importance of relationship. If the relationship is most important, then we can get past the differences because being right isn’t what is most important. It’s the relationship. And I’m pretty sure I’ve read some things in the bible about the importance of relationship. Jesus had some things to say about that too. Most of his ministry was about relationships – especially with the poor, the outcasts, and the sinners.
LikeLike